Just because you’re stuck in the house doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate the warming weather with a nice rose! Here I’ve got for you some of my top rose choices to get you through these child-filled quarantine days 😵

If you want to stay on the couch and can’t find these for delivery, don’t worry! Plenty of wineries, restaurants, and businesses are delivering wine with either free or discounted shipping (most around here are offering free shipping) because it’s considered an essential business.

While you figure out what to order/buy, I’m working on an article about coronavirus and specifically, COVID-19. There’s a great deal of misinformation out there and I’ll be releasing that article TOMORROW, so stay tuned.

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It is sad that rosé wines are sorely misunderstood and often underrated. There is much more character to these wines than the super-sweet White Zinfandel you probably had in college. In fact, the vast majority of these wines are actually quite dry and possess a decent amount of structure and body. Some fuller rosé wines can even be aged (see Tavel below).

Although most rosé drink like white wines, they are created in a manner similar to red wine. Black skinned grapes are crushed and allowed to sit in the crushed grape juice for several days, imparting a mild red color. In contrast, red wines are created by leaving the skins in during fermentation, imparting a full red color.  Depending on the grape varietal used, the rosé can be a deep purple color, or it can be very light pink like most people expect. The grape varietal also impacts the amount of flavor, body, and fruit taste. For example, a syrah or tempranillo rosé will be much bolder and possess more body than, say, pinot noir or gamay (which are much lighter grape varietals). In addition, they can vary from bone dry (without any residual sugar) to sweet, and some can even be sparkling. In essence, you can have your crowd pleasing sweet rosé wine or you can take it up a notch with a well structured, complex rosé that makes a statement.

Some of my favorite rosé wines are found below with their respective tasting notes. My overall favorite rosé is Tavel. You should be able to easily find these at a local wine store, but you can also click the picture to find it online or at a store near you (might not be exactly the same wine). I link to wine.com who offers free pickups at most Walgreen’s locations and will delivery to your house (Some state restrictions apply). Regardless, go out and try some different rosé wines. If one or more isn’t available I’m sorry, availability changes on a daily basis 😒

Cheers!

Tavel rosé comes from a small area in France where they only make this type of rosé wine. Reportedly Ernest Hemingway’s drink of choice, it is a classic “gentleman’s” rosé. 100% Grenache, this Pierre Henri Morel Tavel is a beautiful deep red color and has ripe red fruit scents with notes of cherry on the nose and hints of clay. It is dry and drinks like a light red wine with good body and structure. It has a fantastic mouthfeel with good balance of acidity and fruit flavors throughout. Dry and crisp finish, absolutely stellar value.

One of the sparkling options: this Louis Perdrier Brut Rosé is a blend of Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Cinsault grapes and has a delicious rose and strawberry bouquet. It is not particularly complex with good acidity and a highly fruit forward taste (thanks to the boldness of Syrah). It’s easy for everyone to enjoy at a party. Clean, dry and round finish that is rather subdued: would do well with lighter fare. Quite affordable and a pleasant change from a typical cheap champagne.

This Badenhorst Secateurs Rosé is a fantastic blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Cinsault and hails from South Africa. It is a beautiful ruby color, and the bouquet is full of rose water, spices, and granite notes with some earthy tones. It is dry and smooth with low acidity, moderate alcohol and a long, red fruity finish. We thoroughly enjoyed this wine with cranberry cheese and a charcuterie assortment. This one can be harder to find, so if you can’t I suggest this one.

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See you tomorrow for a COVID-19 update- straight from the doctor’s keyboard! In the meantime, feel free to share what wines you’re drinking below as well as ask any questions for me to answer tomorrow 👇