The 11 Best Rosé Wine Bottles Worth Drinking Year-Round
— 22 August 2023

The 11 Best Rosé Wine Bottles Worth Drinking Year-Round

— 22 August 2023
Randy Lai
WORDS BY
Randy Lai

Charmingly described by Wine Folly co-founder Madeline Puckette as “more of a state of mind” in oenology than a geographical/technically fixed category, rosé — in its most basic form — is any wine which has been made with a modicum of skin contact from red wine grapes.

That is of course a tremendous oversimplification: one which doesn’t address the historic methods of rosé production (nor Champagne style of the same name); but for the purposes of this Buyer’s Guide, we’ve decided to limit ourselves to still rosé wines — often in the ebullient style Aussie drinkers so love to rally around during the summer months.

That being said, you shouldn’t wait until peak #DayForIt weather to drink rosé again. Refreshing, textural and and frequently priced at under $100 (as you’ll see soon see below), here are 11 of the best rosés we look forward to drinking all year long.

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11 Of The Best Rosé Wine Bottles To Drink In 2023

Domaines Ott Chateau de Selle Rosé

  • Country: France
  • Region: Provence
  • Varietal(s): Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre
  • Vintage: 2017

Managed by none other than Champagne Louis Roederer (of Cristal fame) Domaines Ott was established in the early part of the 20th century by Alsatian agronomist Marcel Ott.

Today, the company bearing his name produces what is widely considered to be the most emblematic rosé in The Côtes de Provence: emanating from three separate vineyards, including the 345-acre estate of Château de Selle.

The wines sourced from this particular terroir (pictured above) are characterised by a flinty, mineralic aspect. Full of the most perfectly representative flavours of Provençal style rosé, few drops on our list have such strong lasting appeal.

Terre Nere Etna Rosato

best rose wine
  • Country: Italy
  • Region: Sicily
  • Varietal(s): Nerollo Mascalese
  • Vintage: 2022

An underrated release from the award-winning Mt Etna estate of Tenuta Delle Terre Nere, this Sicilian rosato deftly occupies a middle ground between red and white winemaking.

The wine’s peachy gold hue is several shades removed from your garden-variety New World rosé and suggests a sapid, mineralic quality that shines through in the glass and on the palate.

Fully crafted from Nerello Mascalese (sourced from two estate vineyards) there is both salinity and an electric crackle of citrus mixed with stone fruit that makes this a delight to drink alongside meals. A serious wine at a wonderfully unserious price-tag.


Château La Coste Vin de Provence Rosé

best rose wine
  • Country: France
  • Region: Provence
  • Varietal(s): Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre
  • Vintage: 2020

A classic rosé from the south of France; marked by the addition of trace amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Château La Coste’s aptly named ‘wine of Provence’ combines a round, medium-weight mouthfeel with lots of freshness and lifted notes of nectarine and tart strawberries.

A great drop to pair alongside morsels of a similar hue — think salmon rillettes or the oft-underserved prawn cocktail — this flagship bottling is bunch-pressed and aged in large-format stainless steel.

Like other rosé wines in the core Château La Coste range, Vin de Provence has been certified organic since 2009.


Caves D’Esclans ‘Whispering Angel’ Rosé

  • Country: France
  • Region: Provence
  • Varietal(s): Grenache, Cinsault, Vermentino
  • Vintage: 2021

An extremely versatile French rosé that is the entry point for most drinkers into the world of Château d’Esclans, ‘Whispering Angel’ is distinguished from the estate’s top-line wines through its exclusive ageing in steel and addition of the Cinsault grape variety.

It offers up an interesting sensory juxtaposition; with its lush, fully fatted palate and yet a bone dry finish (with minimal aftertaste). For that reason, this is one that’s ripe for adding to your favourite spritzer-style cocktail.


Château Acid Rosato

best rose wine
  • Country: Australia
  • Region: Central Ranges, NSW
  • Varietal(s): Syrah
  • Vintage: 2021

While this list of the best rose wine is dominated by French producers who are crafting expressions in the classic style, we’d be remiss if we didn’t include something local (which is also a little more punk rock) in the vein of Château Acid.

A natty winemaker based outside of Sydney, in NSW’s Central Ranges, Acid makes its rosato using Syrah sourced exclusively from within the sub-zone of Orange.

The wine’s backbone (alive with refreshing acidity) is reinforced by a savoury, gourmet dimension: a characteristic winemakers Charles O’Brien and Simon Jones have been able to achieve by ageing their rosato for a longer spell prior to and after bottling. Play on, chaps.


Domaine Simha ‘Sanskrit’ Rosé

best rose wine
  • Country: Australia
  • Region: Derwent Valley, Tasmania
  • Varietal(s): Pinot Noir
  • Vintage: 2016

One can’t help but chuckle a little at the breathy tone Domaine Simha has adopted in the internal marketing of its critically lauded, highly limited ‘Sanskrit’ rosé.

Made in a teeny allocation of 600 bottles, the most recent vintage is described as a wine of “sheer flamingo elegance”; laden with flavours of rose petals, pink peppercorn, and petitgrain.

Dramatic as that sounds, it’s plainly obvious the Sanskrit bottling is made with a uniformly high level of attention to detail. Single origin Pinot Noir (sourced from Tasmania’s Derwent Valley) is handpicked; basket pressed; and left to mature for 6 months on lees — culminating in a rosé that ebbs gently in the direction of cold climate red wines.

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AIX Vin de Provence Rosé

  • Country: France
  • Region: Provence
  • Varietal(s): Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan
  • Vintage: 2019

A popular option many readers will have spied out and about in Australia’s cavalcade of buzzy brunch venues, the quality that most stands out to us about AIX’s ‘Vin de Provence’ is its creamy texture.

The salmon hue and crisp, driving palate (full of summer fruit and fresh berries) are both indicative of a textbook Provençal rosé. By that token, this is a great drop for the summer: whether down by the coast or from the comfort of your backyard.


Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé

best rose wine
  • Country: France
  • Region: Provence
  • Varietal(s): Mourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault
  • Vintage: 2016

A marquee bottle among those who are seriously into their rosé, Domaine Tempier’s Bandol offers a classical French perspective on pink winemaking that’s tempered by a range of delicious, terroir-based peculiarities.

Most importantly, this wine is always made with an assembly of fruit from vines which are at least 20 years old. In spite of the high proportion of Mourvèdre used (i.e. 50%) Bandol has a lovely, finely etched structure.

There’s never any excess tannin to come between you and enjoying the wine’s richer style: one in which the intense nose and bouquet of candied citruses is all but guaranteed to evolve over time.


Basket Range Rose

  • Country: Australia
  • Region: Adelaide Hills
  • Varietal(s): Pinot Noir, Syrah
  • Vintage: 2022

Another homegrown hero, Adelaide Hills winemaker Basket Range’s latest release of its popular rose continues the tradition of making “classic varieties with less than classic outcomes”.

Grippy and refreshing, it’s another entry on our list that will appeal to those who have an equal love for the craft of winemaking and value-led propositions.

Brothers Louis and Sholto Broderick make this out of a medley of Pinot Noir and Syrah grapes, from sites planted by their father in the 1980s.


Joshua Cooper Spring Cabernet Rose

  • Country: Australia
  • Region: Macedon Ranges, VIC
  • Varietal(s): Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Vintage: 2022

One of the best rose wines on our shortlist to be made with the saignée (‘bleeding’) method, this ‘Spring Cabernet’ is the handiwork of Josh Cooper — one of Australia’s most promising young winemakers under the age of 40 and a native inhabitant of the Macedon Ranges.

Far from the anemic and frivolous rosé wines you’re bound to find at every bad all-day café, there is serious complexity and heft present in Cooper’s Cab Sauv-derived version. Aromatically dynamic and rich enough on the palate to justify breaking out your favourite decanter.


Château Minuty Prestige Rose

  • Country: France
  • Region: Provence
  • Varietal(s): Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault
  • Vintage: 2021

First unveiled to lovers of Provence style pink wines 25 years ago, Minuty’s Prestige Rosé hasn’t changed much in that time. Thank Christ.

Still the same clean, crystalline-expressive summer drop that wine enthusiasts know and love; the biggest update that this crowd pleaser has seen of late is in the packaging. The sleek, sans serif label makes an instant impression — probably explaining why it’s such a popular tout come gifting season.


How Is Rosé Wine Made?

To reiterate: rosé is a pink wine, typically made with red grape varieties, in which the skins are only in contact with the juice for a brief timeframe (i.e. 2-20 hours). Oenologists popularly cite three methods of productions, with the most common by far being maceration.

In this process, the destemmed grapes/bunches are left to rest in their own juice for anywhere between one hour and an entire day. The latter is then subsequently removed, fermented and bottled.

Generally, the chemical reactions in this process mean the longer the grapes remain in contact with the juice, the darker in colour the resulting rosé wine becomes.

This is in contrast to the saignée (‘bleed’) and blending methods; wherein rosé occurs as a by-product of red wine making or the introduction of colour into white wine respectively.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Rose Wine

Where do wine enthusiasts think the best rose wine is produced?

Generally, the most commercially and critically well-regarded rosé comes from Provence. The region is home to 9 winemaking appellations (AOCs) that, together, account for approximately 40% of France’s total rosé wine production.

In no particular order of priority, some of the more well-known AOCs for rosé include the Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, Bandol, and the Côtes de Provence.

Is there a difference between still rose wine and rose Champagne?

Short answer: yes, though the two styles do share some overlap.

From a purely technical standpoint, rosé Champagnes are made in a different geographic region to still rosé wines; and, more importantly, utilise the blending method discussed earlier in this article in order to obtain colour.

What sort of cuisine/dishes tend to pair well with rose wine?

Like Champagne, one of rosé’s great advantages is its versatility with a range of cuisines.

Considering the ubiquity of this wine style during summer; salads or cold seafood platters both offer straightforward opportunities for food pairing.

For a rosé wine that has undergone lengthier maceration (and which potentially utilises more structured grape varieties like Syrah) you can opt for more strongly favoured pairings with foodstuffs like grilled meat, sushi or aged cheeses.

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Randy Lai
WORDS by
Following 6 years in the trenches covering consumer luxury across East Asia, Randy joins Boss Hunting as the team's Commercial Editor. His work has been featured in A Collected Man, M.J. Bale, Soho Home, and the BurdaLuxury portfolio of lifestyle media titles. An ardent watch enthusiast, boozehound and sometimes-menswear dork, drop Randy a line at [email protected].

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