The 9 Best Rosés to Drink This Summer (2024)

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• Best Overall Rosé: Chateau d’Esclans 2021 Garrus Rosé Cotes de Provence Provence France

  

  Sacha Lichine acquired Chateau d’Esclans in Provence in 2006. The estate is situated just north of St. Tropez and many people may know the chateau as the original home of Whispering Angel rosé wine. While Whispering Angel is a perfectly fine entry offering, Sacha’s Garrus Rosé makes the former pale in comparison. If it weren’t for the pink color, Garrus 2021 could fool you into thinking you’re drinking a fine white Burgundy. It has aromas of white peach, apricot puree, and caramelized pineapple and flavors of pear, apple, candied orange peel, and luscious crème brulée with a bright acid finish.

  Buy Now: $140

• Best Cotes de Provence Rosé: Chateau Gassier 2021 946 Cotes de Provence Rosé Provence France

  

  The number 946 refers to the height (in meters) of the Sainte Victoire Mountain that overlooks the vineyards in which the grapes for this amazing wine are grown. This rosé is a favorite of sommelier and beverage directors in the south of France, and it can often be found on wine lists at fine restaurants in Paris. It is pale pink with aromas of grapefruit pith, dried coconut, and red raspberry. Well-structured with balanced acidity, this delightful wine has flavors of red plum, white peach, and a touch of vanilla in the finish.

  Buy Now: $66

• Best Bandol Rosé: Domaines Ott 2022 Chateau Romassan Bandol Rosé Bandol Provence France

  

  Marcel Ott left Alsace in 1896 and purchased an estate in Provence that was well-priced because phylloxera had previously devastated the vines. He immediately began replanting and making fine wines and more than century later his legacy is carried on by Jean-Francois Ott who continues his family’s tradition to make some of Bandol’s best known and most respected wines. Brilliant pink colored in the glass, this delightful wine has aromas of freesia, apple blossom, and grapefruit. It is medium bodied, silky, and complex in the mouth with flavors of cranberry, Fuji apple, and tangerine.

  Buy Now: $59

• Best Burgundian Rosé: Domaine Charles Audoin 2021 Marsannay Cote de Nuits Burgundy France

  

  The idea of a rosé from Burgundy goes against the grain of what so many Burgundy lovers believe—that wines from the region should be only white or red and never pink. However, Marsannay is the exception to the rule; appellation village rosé is allowed to be made here. Charles Audoin and his son Cyril represent the fourth and fifth generations of Burgundians who successfully continue to create delicious rosé wines. Their 2021 Marsannay rosé is pale pink in color with aromas of red raspberry, lemon zest, and freesia. It is medium bodied with pronounced minerality and zesty acidity supporting flavors of rose water, red plum, and strawberry.

  Buy Now: $40

• Best German Rosé: Meyer-Näkel 2021 Pinot Noir Rosé Ahr Germany

  

  Werner Näkel is well known for its wines produced in South Africa, as well as those produced from steep sloping vineyards in Germany. Now in the fourth generation, the winery is run by two sisters who in addition to this rosé also make excellent red wines from Pinot Noir. It is pale pink with aromas of honeysuckle, rose water, and red raspberry. Lively acidity in the mid palate reveals flavors of red plum, strawberry, and rose hips tea. There is excellent minerality and a lingering note of chalk in the finish.

  Buy Now: $36

• Best Spanish Rosé: Bodegas Muga 2022 Flor de Muga Rosé Rioja Spain

  

  The Muga family started their family winery in 1932 and in 1968 they moved to their current location in at the old train station in Haro. The family understands wine tourism as well as making fine wines and visitors to the winery can sign up for a Segway tour or float above the vineyards in a hot air balloon while enjoying a glass of this delightful rosé. It is made from Garnacha, which tends to impart a much darker color, but the winemakers here know how to tame Spanish grapes. Pale pink in the glass, it invites you in with aromas of lemon zest, pink grapefruit, and freshly picked cherries. Nicely balanced in the mid palate, it has flavors of peach, apricot, and red raspberry.

  Buy Now: $38

• Best Portuguese Rosé: Azores Wine Company 2022 Vulcanico Rosé Azores Portugal

  

  This Portuguese rosé comes from one of the volcanic Azore Islands located in the center of the Atlantic Ocean. The archipelago was first colonized in the 1400s and today it is home to fewer than 250,000 people. In 2014, winemaker Antonio Macanita co-founded Azores Wine Company in Pico, just a stone’s throw from the water’s edge. He makes many quality wines using indigenous grapes, but his rosé is one of our favorites. It is medium pink with aromas of freshly picked strawberry, red raspberry, and Valencia orange. There’s a marked sensation of salinity on first sip with additional flavors of red cassis and freshly ground black pepper.

  Buy Now: $36

• Best Carneros Rosé: Robert Sinskey 2022 Vin Gris of Pinot Noir Carneros California

  

  Robert Sinskey Winery was one of the pioneers of regenerative and sustainable farming long before it became fashionable. Their vineyards have been farmed with organic and biodynamic principles since 1991, and today carry the CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) certification. Winemaker Jeff Virnig has been there for decades and continues to make excellent wines. We both agree that his vin gris is one of the best that either of us has ever tasted. It is pale salmon pink and has aromas of mango, white peach, and candied orange peel. It has balanced acidity and flavors of strawberry, crushed rose petals, and dried lavender.

  Buy Now: $39

• Best Sonoma Rosé: Flowers 2022 Sonoma Coast Rose Sonoma County California

  

  Walt and Joan Flowers started growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Sonoma Coast over 25 years ago and their highest vineyards are perched on mountain ridges that rise to elevations ranging from 1,100 feet to just under 1,900 feet. Less than two miles from the Pacific Ocean, their vineyards are cooled by nighttime breezes. Flowers Sonoma Coast Rosé is salmon pink colored with aromas of citrus zest, red raspberry, and jasmine that lead to flavors of strawberry, rose hip tea, and red plum. There’s great acidity and minerality in the mid palate and a touch of salinity in the finish.

  Buy Now: $38

• Frequently Asked Questions

  

  What are the differences among rosé wines from various regions?

  Rosé wines can be made from just about any red wine grape. Many of the California rosés are made from Pinot Noir, but in Navarra, Spain they’re made primarily from Garnacha. In France they can be made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault, and Mourvèdre and the Italians like to use Sangiovese grapes among others. There are basically four techniques to make a rosé wine. The first and easiest is to blend white wine and red wine together, but this is generally not allowed in most wine regions. The second is to make a vin gris which literally translates “gray wine,” by allowing a very limited maceration time, which refers to the wine’s actual contact with the skins. The third method involves just a very light pressing of the grapes and then a very short maceration time. Many of the most famous light pink wines made in Provence utilize this method. The fourth technique is the saignée method (French for bleeding) which involves crushing red grapes and bleeding off some of the lighter pale juice to make a rosé wine. A secondary effect of this method is that it will render the remaining red juice darker and thus making a more concentrated red wine.

  How should you drink rosé?

  We like to drink rosé out off a large, deep-bowled, Bordeaux style glass because it offers the best conditions for aromas to be released and appreciated. It also allows the wine the necessary space to open and show off its flavors. Rosé should be served at a temperature between 45° and 50° F and if you store your bottles in a temperature-controlled cooler or cellar, they should be further chilled in the refrigerator or an ice bucket for about 20 minutes.

  How did we choose the rosé wine on this list?

  We factored in several elements when making our choices, and the most important is taste, but how a wine actually tastes involves a variety of impressions, including flavor, texture, tannins, acidity, and finish. We also considered ability to age and a combination of rarity and accessibility: We sought out wines that are made in relatively small quantities but at the same time are available to purchase without having to join a winery club or allocation list. The majority were tasted blind in comparative tastings with similar wines. One or two of these may have been enjoyed on the back of a friend’s yacht but we can neither confirm nor deny the validity of this statement.

  Why should you trust us?

  Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report’s wine editors, have been writing about wine for two decades, have visited wine regions and wineries around the world, have tasted wine with the people who make it and they like rosé. Last year they tasted over 6,000 wines and are on target to sample more than 7,000 in 2024. They are judges for the internationally renowned Concours Mondial de Bruxelles wine competition, and their work has appeared in Wine Spectator, Forbes, Wine Enthusiast, Huffington Post, Saveur, and books published by Oxford University Press. They have been featured for their expertise in wine on The Today Show, The Martha Stewart Show, CNN, CBS, Fox, WGN, WPIX and NBC. Known as the World Wine Guys, they are the authors of six wine books which have received various accolades and awards including “Best Wine Book in the World” from Gourmand International. In addition to articles like this, they also write The Oeno Files, Robb Report’s weekly wine newsletter.