Nice wines to drink when you’re feeling in the pink

Trends in pink wine come and go. In the 1980s and ’90s, California’s cheap, cheerful and somewhat-sweet White Zinfandel was seemingly everywhere. In the 2000s, sales of the pale pink wines of France’s Provence region started to creep into the wine-drinking collective consciousness before exploding in popularity about 10 years ago. And most recently, the frosé — a drink made of frozen-to-a-slush pink wine, fruit and vodka — has become all the rage.

When the temperatures get decidedly seasonal, many wine drinkers start to think about drinking pink.

But not all rosés are created equal, ranging from very pale to deeply coloured, bone-dry to opulent and sweet. If you’re caught staring quizzically at the shelf of your local Liquor Mart/wine shop, unsure of what to expect from a pink wine, there are a few things to look for to get the best bang for your buck.

First off is colour. Most rosés from France’s Provence region, for example, are very pale in appearance. These and other lighter-coloured wines tend to bring more subtle flavours, whereas deeper rosés offer bigger, bolder red fruit notes.

Scanning the back label for the alcohol level can help determine whether a rosé wine is on the drier or sweeter side. With the exception of the lower-alcohol, bone-dry rosés from Portugal’s Vinho Verde region, wines under around 11 per cent alcohol will likely come with some sweetness.

Crucially, rosé wines are all about freshness, and are meant to be drunk young — vintage matters. Ideally your pink wine will be sporting the 2024 or 2025 vintage — anything older than that risks having lost some of its verve and fruity flavours.

This last point is particularly important if you find yourself navigating the many deeply discounted U.S. wines currently for sale at Liquor Marts. These products have been in the province for well over a year, and as such, some rosés being blown out are older vintages, meaning they may be past the point of peak freshness. Buyer beware. (This buyer took one for the team — see this week’s reviews.)

Whatever rosé you land on, be sure it’s served well chilled, particularly the paler pink wines. And if the temperatures on your patio or in the backyard remain on the warmer side, there’s absolutely no shame in dropping an ice cube in your rosé.

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Wines of the week

The following rosé wines, made in a range of styles and with myriad grape varieties, are listed from lightest to deepest in colour…

Masi 2024 Rosa Dei Masi (Veneto, Italy — $23.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Very pale pink in appearance, this Italian rosé is made from Merlot grapes; aromatically, it brings subtle raspberry and cherry aromas, along with soft plum and floral notes.

It’s light-bodied, dry and a bit quiet flavour-wise, with modest but slightly sweet cherry and watermelon flavours coming with raspberry, plum and subtle chalky notes, while the 12 per cent alcohol makes for a short finish. Provence-like in both appearance and flavour. Try with salads. 3/5

S de la Sablette 2025 Vin de Provence rosé (Coteaux Varois-en-Provence, France — $17.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

A blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, this Provence rosé is very pale pink in appearance, offering delicate floral, strawberry, perfume and raspberry aromas, with subtle but ripe orange notes as well.

There’s surprising intensity to the strawberry and raspberry flavours, with light acidity providing verve to the ripe citrus notes that linger in the background, a hint of chalkiness and, at 12.5 per cent alcohol, a medium-length finish. A great deal until the end of the month (it’s regular $19.99). Would work well with soft/mild cheeses and charcuterie. 4/5

Dirty Laundry 2024 Hush Rosé (Washington/B.C. — $25, private wine stores)

Like many Okanagan Valley wineries, Dirty Laundry sourced fruit from the U.S. (in this case, from Washington State) to fill in for two consecutive devastatingly bad vintages in the valley (the wine was “Okanagan crafted”).

Medium pink in appearance, there’s a lovely core of fresh strawberries and watermelon that come through aromatically, as well as some cherry candy notes. It’s light-plus bodied and off-dry, with pretty strawberry and watermelon flavours and that cherry candy note kicking around, all coming with a medium-length finish (it’s 12.5 per cent alcohol). Made from Syrah grapes; available at De Nardi Wines, The Pourium and Calabria Market… try with grilled shrimp/veggie skewers. 3.5/5

Henry of Pelham 2025 Rosé (Niagara Peninsula, Ont. — $14.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

This sustainable rosé from Ontario is made primarily from the Gamay grape; on the nose there’s loads of bright red berry and cherry notes, as well as secondary cranberry and chalky aromas.

It’s light-plus bodied and a shade off-dry, accentuating the bright cranberry, cherry and strawberry flavours before that little bit of chalkiness lingers on the finish (it’s 12.5 per cent alcohol). A good deal at regular price ($16.99), but even better while it’s on sale until the end of the month. Try with cedar-plank salmon. 3.5/5

19 Crimes NV Cali Rosé (California — $14.73, Liquor Marts and beyond)

A non-vintage, Zinfandel-based blend of grapes, this California pink wine (sporting Snoop Dogg’s face on the label) is medium pink in appearance and offers pretty watermelon, peach and pear notes.

On the palate things take a turn; the medium-bodied wine comes with a whack of almost-cloying sweetness accompanying the raspberry candy, stewed cherry and tinned peach flavours, and those fruit flavours drop off quickly before the medium-length finish (it’s 12 per cent alcohol). The regular price was $21.99 before it was delisted by Liquor Marts, and its best days, whatever they were like, are in the past. Sorry, Snoop. 2/5

Viña Zorzal 2024 Rosado (Navarra, Spain — around $21.99, Jones & Co. Wine Merchants)

Deep pink in appearance — like Cerasoulo d’Abruzzo, a beautiful eastern Italian pink wine — this rosé, made from the Garnacha grape, offers relatively complex aromas of fresh cherry, ripe strawberry, raspberry leaf, red licorice and subtle citrus notes. It’s bone-dry, medium-bodied and gutsy, with big fresh cherry, raspberry and strawberry flavours showing beautifully, a splash of acidity and, at 13 per cent alcohol, a long, lingering finish.

A delicious rosé for those who prefer their pink wines to be a little punchier; it’s weighty enough to try with pork tenderloin or portobello mushroom burgers. Available at Jones & Co. Wine Merchants. 4.5/5

winnipegfreepress.com/bensigurdson