I find the animosity towards rose a bit perplexing but then some people don’t really like white wines much either, which I also find very strange. We’ve had about three cases of rose this year, all still, and maybe a few bottles of sparkling. I find that rose suits hot weather better than any other wine, even a very dry white. In the past we drank mainly Muscadet in the summer, and while I still drink Muscadet more in the summer, something about rose just works better in the hot weather. In fact, it has increased my summer wine consumption and I’ve drank far fewer summer cocktails as a result. While some have expressed a preference for roses that show red wine flavors, I’m looking more for a very dry expression with flavors more towards melon and stone fruit, though some lean towards red-berry and that is fine as well. We mainly drink these on their own, but they also go well with a lot of Southern French dishes.
Boulay’s Chavignol is very nice as well.
I think there is A LOT of simple, mediocre rose out there. I think more often than not I am disappointed when I try them. That said, there are some very good ones that I will happily drink anytime of year.
I agree with Sarah’s points above. At our house we come up with the dish first and pick the wine second. Some dishes just scream Rose for us and they are mainly those dishes where a white would kind of work but a red would be to much so a Rose is the perfect in between.
I would also like to second the comments about the wine not always having to be the star. Sometimes a good refreshing simple wine with lunch or dinner is best.
I am far, far too manly to drink Rose wine but I will be buying these two because of the beautiful Vinolok bottles which I will be using to store opened wine in the fridge with.
Many thanks for the suggestions and especially SteveG’s extensive list, which unfortunately reminded me there was another DOC I’d been meaning to try - Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo. Damn you Steve ![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
Caveat: I have not tasted these specific wines… But I am glad you are buying them mostly for the bottles. My experience with 99% of Rose in fancy bottles is that the bottle is worth (far) more than the juice. RS is a common flaw in my experience, and like white Zin- gives Rose a bad name.
i’m going to a dinner tonight where the wine pairings are strictly rose. Normally I wouldn’t do wine pairings when eating out, but I’ve been inspired by this thread.
Steve G! ![[welldone.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/fc9709a841aa9379fd892a9cf0b535b05f473b86.gif "[welldone.gif]"){kind=small}
I was searching for the words to answer P. Willenberg and he provided some, along with a list of Roses he has enjoyed that boggles my mind, makes me envious, and makes me look forward to my next shopping trip to a place that has many of them (I would not have guessed Ohio!).
To name great Roses (wines I rate in the high 90s) is hard, but I can give a few examples. Please remember that I am not somebody who hunts trophies, spends a lot on wine in general, and most importantly, drinks more of the wines I import (which I will not post on) than OPW (Other People’s Wine).
Tempier has hit it for me half a dozen times… 1990 is my first memory of greatness.
Ott… I made it a point to try them all in the 2015 vintage. I preferred Chateau de Selle, although Clos de Mireille and Romassan were very close. All three were at 95 or maybe just a little better for me.
Cotat has hit the mark numerous times. I used to import them 20 years ago, when I couldn’t sell any Rose except for a tiny bit from my key Provence producer, but I would bring in a case a year for myself.
I cannot possibly remember the names (even though I used to know a little of the language), but I have had dark, vinous roses in and from Greece that have been of incredible quality. Rather than the style of white wines with red fruit notes, they are something entirely different… the best have tasted like a blend of red wine with liquefied seafood!?!
What dry still Rose offers that no other wine can has been expressed here: Intense, but subtle red fruits in the background of glistening, pristine, intense, bone dry white wine. Swordfish, squid, octopus, spicy pork dishes, asparagus and artichokes (the ‘death to wine’ vegetables), lentils, monkfish… there is no end to the dishes that are best with Rose… unless you don’t like Rose, in which case I suggest you drink something else.
My best-selling Rose is from Provence (duhhh). I hate to admit that I haven’t tried much of the top competition, but now plan to open my wallet and rectify that. A major multinational importer relaunched the old classic Provence Chateau Minuty here a few years ago. Kudos to them. It’s good wine and they sell a lot of it. I’ve had it in the past two vintages. Good, but not IMO memorable and I do not score it in the mid to upper 90s. I used to import Chateau Miraval, later purchased by people named Pitt and Jolie, and now run, extremely well, by the estimable Perrins of Beaucastel fame. Again, good to fine, not great. Chateau d’Esclans has stormed the market with their flagship brand, ‘Whizzing Angel’. I do not understand the complexities of this wine… their website says that they have 108 acres in production. I believe that US sales are vastly greater than 100,000 cases. The numbers do not add up, but the wine is very, very good. Not great IMO. Their next level, Rock Angel, is better, approaching great. I have not had their top two wines, Les Clans and Garrus. They sell for more money than I want to spend, but I will go out and buy them, and post. My hat is off to owner Sacha Lichine. If I have his story correctly, he is the son of the importer Alexis Lichine. On the death of his father he was forced to sell the classified Margaux, Chateau Prieure, to pay inheritance taxes. He had the prescience, and with the proceeds of the sale of Prieure, the funds to invest in Provence. He has contributed immeasurably to both the quality of and the market for Provence Rose.
P Willenberg asked ‘why not halbtrocken with Octopus?’ Mr. Willenberg, do you understand that for many, many winedrinkers, wine with residual sugar can be absolutely and completely inappropriate with food that does not also have sugar, or indeed with any food, and can be the absolute ruination of a meal? Why wouldn’t you drink some better wine with your food, something really appropriate, like a great dry rose?
Dan Kravitz, still irritated in case you didn’t notice
Paris makes any wine taste great 
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I kid (mostly) about the reason for not drinking Rose. I actually love Rose Champagne far more than Is do regular Champagne. The slight strawberry fruit accents are the perfect accent to the world’s greatest carbonated beverage.
Still Rose wine, however, has been such a hit/miss proposition that I literally gave up buying the stuff 3 years ago. Pretty much for the reasons people have already stated in this thread (cheap/low quality/afterthought byproduct of regular winemaking). I was serious though about my reason for buying these two Rose wines and am praying they are actually good though I confess I really don’t hold much hope. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised.
I haven’t had either of the wines Tran bought, but will search out the La Negly. They are a great producer and their red ‘l’Ancely’, primarily from Mourvedre, is one of the great wines of the Mediterranean. I’d seen a regular Rose, did not know until this post that they made one based on Mourvedre. I’m going to find a bottle.
Dan Kravitz
Thanks for the info, Dan. This gives me hope that the La Negly will indeed be good which would be a bonus for me considering it’s the Vinolok bottle I actually want.
We drank 15 bottles last year and 7 so far this year (per Cellartracker). In Houston, drinking rose is pretty much a requirement during the summers (or at least it is in our home).
Earlier this summer, we hosted a rose party - grilled burgers and drank lots of rose. Epic success.
I’m pretty much in this ballpark. Rose’ is ~0% of my wine consumption (the odd Champs/Bubbly). I have never really been much of a fan (dry or sweet, oops, sorry: fruity).
I just haven’t seen an example where I couldn’t think of, or find a better match in any situation - at least for my palate.
Chris,
Great post all around - though ‘hype’ I believe is an over-statement here 
I can see how some find the category ‘lacking’, but to me, the same can be said about any other one as well.
Cheers.
On Saturday I made a vegetable gratin. We make it a lot in the summer, it’s similar to one in Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home cookbook. We do it a bit differently but basically the same concept, a ratatouille casserole. Anyway, I really couldn’t imagine serving this with anything but rose. It would be fine with a white, and with some chilled simple reds, but to me it screams for rose.
That Puech-Haut is totally fantastic.
I probably drink a bottle of Rose a week, from April-Oct…only stopping for the cooler months. I don’t keep stats I can show, but Rose is so refreshing on a nice day. Love it!
+2 Puech-Haut, but I’m getting ready to order another case of Scherrer Dry Rose for about the same price.
Bought more and drank more in the past month than in the past 20 years.
Tried about six or seven different roses and then bought a case of my favorite which was 2016 Sulauze Pomponette.