What is the deal with the rose market? I hear it has steadily increased over the past several years. Tried a couple dry roses recently in the $10-12 range (U.S), but they were not my preference. Should I go up in price to appreciate them? Specifically the dry roses. What do people enjoy in them (with meals or on their own)? Are they slightly sweet roses that don’t equate to a white zin?
Comments appreciated.
Thanks,
Frank
Go with dry rose.
Mordoree
Scherrer
Bedrock
Arnot Roberts
Bargemone
Lancyre
Any of those are in the sweet spot for us. All in the $15- $22 range
We drink LOTS of rose.
I’d suggest Mordoree, Tempier (expensive), and a pinot-based rosé to see a range of styles. Rosé is my go-to wine in the summer, and I enjoy it with and without food.
La Bastide Blanche is unreal value IMO…and I don’t sell it.
The current vintage of Triennes (2012 I believe) was our favorite this summer. Bedrock and Arnot Roberts, along with Copain were also winners. Not sure of price points, but I believe all were $20 or under (Edit: Ooops…the AR was $22)
I enjoy the Provence Roses with their unashamed fruit intensity but be watchful for high alcohol.
Thanks! Can’t wait to try.
Frank
Frank,
I won’t give rec’s but I will say that rose has exploded In the past 5 years.
Don’t know where you live but here I’m the pac NW nothing goes better with an 80 degree day than a cold glass of rose.
As a retailer operating in SoCal for 8 years, I can say that our rosé sales have increased dramatically. We are a small, hand-picked shop and to give you an idea of numbers, our 1st year we sold about 20 cases (mixed producers), within the high season for rosé, which is May-August. Now we are well over 125+ cases. I stick to primarily French, ranging in price from $9.99-$33.99. And the basic models are easy quaffers, all the way up to several Bandol, which are quite complex.
Reasons for surge:
Even bodegas making $$$$ reds in Spain make great rosé and they are amazing values. Tempranillo, Garnacha, Bobal, Monestrell (Mourvedre) and blends thereof. So refreshing and food friendly.
Plus if you build it, they will come. Our sales were much better than last year and the Summer was just so-so.
I feel that rosé is even more versatile than most white wines, and can capture the drinker who are red-centric and don’t drink many whites.
I’m going to continue to drink into the fall where appropriate. In fact, I like having at least one at Thanksgiving.
I got into French rosé about 10 years ago while living in France, and since I have come back to the US I try pretty much any rosé from a quality producer I run into.
Some of my regulars are Epoch, Denner, Efeste Babbitt, and Rulo. New ones I will be trying are La Grande Côte and Clos Solene, Zepaltas, and I will probably order Booker’s new rosé too.
In the past I have enjoyed rosé from a handful of other producers: Chateau Rollat Ardenvoir, Trust, and Five Star (all Walla Walla) and I also recently tried Pissoni’s Lucy and Minassian Young’s rosé out of Paso.
I drink rosé pretty much all year round, and I hope the market keeps expanding in quantity and quality.
k.
Yep, it’s increasing. More folks are making more ‘food friendly’ roses domestically.
In the Santa Barbara County area, I’d search out Liquid Farm, Beckmen, Foxen and a few others . . .
This is impressive information. Curious, what tasting notes are pronounced, if not subtle in some of the better Roses that people seem to enjoy?
Garnacha / Grenache based wines have that upfront fruit and spice but less tannin than red versions.
Montepuliciano Cerasuolo can be as dark as cranberry juice and may be the ultimate “If I could only have one wine” wine as it has enough character to serve at room temp and is fantastic with a large variety of foods.
Negroamaro base pinks from Puglia have a lovely rose petal and perfume thing on the nose but nice body and heft.
Bobal based wines have darker fruit and a bit more grip, great with BBQ
Schiava based wines are super elegant and perfumed.
Tempranillo bases rosados can AGE for years and become perhaps the ultimate “orange” wines.
Nebbiolo based pinks hint at the aromatics and structure of Barolo but you can pound them with impunity.
Grignolino Rosé was Joseph Heitz’s favorite wine from his winery: super refreshing, slurpable, CHEAP!
I agree - The Cigales Region in particular is kicking out some killer Roses -
My favorite?
LEZCANO-LACALLE Docetanidos Rosado 2012 -
Does docetanidos mean “sweet tannins”???
Two AOC’s not mentioned that produce dry rose are Tavel and Lirac. I like Domaine Lafond.
For food pairing with dry rose, I really find a fantastic match in cold smoked salmon lox, cream cheese, capers on a bagel. Excellent pairing.
Fairly deeply colored rosé (Grenache, Syrah, Montepulciano, Bobal) and spicy fried chicken is a direct ticket to nirvana…
The “n” is actually “ñ” - docetañidos, “doce” being “12” (or even “12th”) and “tañido” (plural - tañidos) refers to a sound, usually the sound a bell makes. Thus, “docetañidos” means “12 rings” or “12 o’clock chimes”.