Feeling Over Rosé? These 8 Bottles Might Change Your Mind

Hot take: Rosé euphoria has officially jumped the shark.

For years we’ve been enthralled by the rosé vibe, suggests Tenzing Palden, wine director at Bonyeon, the omakase steak restaurant in Chicago. Rosé became more than just wine, he explains: It was “an atmosphere, an energy” so infectious that wine regions around the world mobilized into churning out oceans of fun, frictionless, and largely interchangeable wines.

After decades of explosive growth, all the hashtags (#roséallday, anyone?), and rosé-fueled pool parties, the frenzy has cooled. In its wake, maybe we’re ready for something different? This is not to say all rosé is passé. But the malaise you may feel about the easy-breezy sameness of so much mass-produced pink signals a big shift. Perhaps toward, as my editor puts it, rosé that gives more than just “flat, flavored seltzer water”? [Ed. note: Can confirm.]

We’ve only scratched the veneer of a category that’s fantastically diverse. Thanks in part to its mainstream success, the market for unique, expressive rosé of all shades and traditions has never been better.

Whether historic expressions of rosé from Spain or France, or the sassy sun-soaked wines of California or New York, there’s a whole world of rosé to explore this summer—still delightfully beach-worthy, but so much more than an afterthought.

Note: Prices vary by retailer and region, and do not reflect a national price.

Illustration by Leurin Estevez

Clos Cibonne 2023 Tradition Rosé, Provence, $40

“Everyone thinks of Provence when it comes to rosé,” says Palden, but few appreciate the region’s more savory, historic styles unfazed by the passage of time or trends. Clos Cibonne is one of the region’s most iconic producers of Tibouren, an ancient grape with a seductively smoky, floral perfume. Aged in barrels under a fleurette, or film of yeast, reminiscent of sherry or the Jura, "it’s a savory, almost saline wine,” he says, “with a structure and complexity that stands up to a wide variety of food pairings.”

Apollo's Praise 2024 Nutt Road Vineyard Dry Rosé of Cabernet Franc, Seneca Lake, $20

“Lighter is better” has been the misguided mantra of a large segment of rosé drinkers, prompting producers to aggressively fine and filter their wines, stripping away color, flavor and texture too. This gorgeously strawberry’d, sunset-hued Cabernet Franc offers an intensity and grip more reminiscent of wines like Tavel from the Southern Rhône or an Italian Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo. Made by Finger Lakes winemakers Kelby James Russell and Julia Rose Hoyle, it’s penetrating yet thirst-quenching, with a finish that murmurs of tannins and fresh herbs.

Domaine des Terres Dorées NV FRV100 de Jean-Paul Brun Vin Mousseux, Vin de France, $24

FRV100 is pronounced “effervescent” (100 is “cent” in French). This cheeky, off-dry sparkler was inspired by the Jura’s Cerdon du Bugey, the lightly sparkling rosé made from Gamay and Poulsard. Made via méthode ancestrale, an old-school bottle fermentation that creates a delicate natural effervescence, it’s feather-light, floral and flirty. While labeled Vin de France, it's made from organically grown Gamay sourced entirely from Jean-Paul Brun’s Southern Beaujolais estate.

Olga Raffault 2024 Rosé, Chinon, $25

Olga Raffault is one of the Loire’s most celebrated producers of ageworthy red wines. This Cabernet Franc rosé, sourced from the gravelly flatlands along the Vienne River in Chinon, channels the producer’s signature intensity and verve. Pale in color but far from delicate, “it’s a structured wine,” Palden says, “with tons of minerality and an herbaceousness that lends well to grilled meats and other heartier foods that you might not normally pair rose with,” he says.

Jurtschitsch 2024 Rosé vom Zweigelt, $14

Austria is home to the world’s zestiest rosé wines, the kind of nervy, lifted sips that rejuvenate on even the sultriest summer days. Hard to pronounce but well worth remembering, Jurtschitsch (pronounced Yerch-itch) is one Austria’s most exciting producers of Riesling and Grüner Veltliner, but their collection of rosé made from grapes like Zweigelt, Saint Laurent, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, are also not to be missed. This organically grown, Zweigelt rosé is an electric, piercing sip packed with pops of raspberry and nectarine refreshment.

Bedrock 2024 “Ode to Lulu,” $25

Bandol, in southeastern France, is a landmark region for spicy, flavorful rosé made from Mourvèdre. Bedrock’s Ode to Lulu, crafted by Morgan Twain-Peterson MW, pays tribute to one Bandol’s most iconic rosés, made by Lulu Peyraud of Domaine Tempier. Though there’s a touch of Syrah and Grenache, the bulk of the wine is sourced from old vines of Mourvèdre, many more than 120 years old, grown on the inland deltas east of the San Francisco Bay, it’s a fresh-fruited wine packed with zesty grapefruit and raspberry flavors yet anchored by a steely core.

Château de Trinquevedel 2024 Tavel, $20

The shockingly pink rosés of Tavel in the Southern Rhône—favorites of folks like Balzac and Hemingway – are a particularly ageworthy breed of heritage rosé. Intensely ripe, weighty and framed with tannins, they bridge the gap between red and white wines, making them an ace-card in food pairing situations. Tavel is just as delicious with a scallop crudo as it would be with Texas barbecue. Though increasingly hard to find in the US, the quality of what’s available remains high. Château de Trinquevedel’s rosé is a benchmark, blending red grapes like Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvèdre with flashes of white grapes like Clairette and Bourboulenc.

Ameztoi 2024 Txakolina Rosado Rubentis, $23

Txakoli, the salt-edged, spine-tingling whites made from the Hondarrabi Zuri grape in the coastal Basque region of Spain, come in ruby-hued rosé versions too, augmented by the rare red Hondarribi Beltza grape. They’re refreshingly low in alcohol with a delicate prickle of effervescence that makes them so revitalizing to drink, the perfect accompaniment to fried fish and briny oysters on the half shell.