A Rush to Rosé

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: June 2023

It’s summer, and our collective thoughts have turned to rosé. Indeed, the mad rush to secure a bottle of what has become the ultimate symbol of summer has begun. But let’s pause a moment.

Allow me to take you on a journey through space and time to places completely different from Provence, France – away from the pale rosés that have done more than any others to ignite the wine’s popularity.

Each of the wines suggested here has the seductive and transporting powers implicit in any rosé, yet each is completely different from the other. I urge you to experiment.

Let’s begin our journey closest to home in St. Luis Obispo, California, at Tablas Creek, the winery founded in the 1990s by Jacques Perrin, proprietor of the historic Chateau de Beaucastel in France’s Rhone Valley, and Robert Haas, founder of importer Vineyard Brands.

The Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Rosé, made up of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Counoise, is honeydew melon scented with notes of tarragon and lime peel.

Returning to France, but now to the Loire Valley, the pinot noir-based Daniel Crochet Sancerre Rosé is taut and energetic, with scents of fresh raspberry. Zesty, full-bodied, and elegant on the palate, it displays candied rose flavors that deepen with aeration and an elegant minerality that carries the wine to a long, crisp finish.

If you haven’t thought of Spain as a place to visit for Rosé, the Ameztoi Rubentis Txakolina will forever change your mind. This bracing, refreshing, and mildly effervescent rosé is the wine of choice in the Basque region, where it is the product of centuries-old cultivation. It has become surprisingly popular in the US despite its tongue-twisting name (pronounced chock-oh-LEE-nah). Fresh and tangy, with a slightly chalky mineral and lemon flavor, and low in alcohol, it’s an ideal companion to a snack of anchovies or preserved tuna.

In Italy, Sangiovese reigns, where it’s well known for being the backbone of Chianti. The widely planted varietal also shows up in the snappy Castello di Ama Purple Rosé. Opening to a bright pink color with raspberry highlights, you’ll notice a darker color saturation typical of the saignée method (a way of rosé winemaking that involves “bleeding” off a portion of red wine juice after it’s been in contact with the skins and seeds).

Readers are urged to seek out these and similar wines in Highlands at the Highlands Wine Shoppe, Bryson’s, and Mountain Fresh Grocery, and in Cashiers at The Wine & Provisions Shop at the Hotel Cashiers, and the Wine Cellar of Cashiers.