5 Must-Try Rosé Wines For Summertime

With longer, warmer days upon us, it seems like Rosé season has finally arrived. Grab a chair in the sun and enjoy one of these bottles on a lazy Summer afternoon.

Arnot-Roberts 2014 Rosé
The Arnot-Roberts 2014 Rosé is made from Touriga Nacional, which is one of Portugal’s finest varietals and is typically used to make Port. Arnot-Roberts uses grapes grown in volcanic/river rock soils of the Luchsinger Vineyard in Lake County to make their Rosé. It’s a very dry wine with a nice, crisp acidity. Not a Rosé for everyone, but I thought it was quite good.

Copain 2014 “Tous Ensemble” Rosé
Copain’s 2014 “Tous Ensemble” Rosé is made from Pinot Noir from the North Coast AVA and is full of juicy red fruit and a bright acidity. This wine is beautifully balanced and ideal to pair with food.

ONX “Indie” 2014 Rosé
ONX has been putting out some outstanding wines and the “Indie” Rosé is no exception. Made from Tempranillo, Indie achieves an effortless harmony between slightly sweet red berry and watermelon notes, and refreshing acidity. This wine is very easy to drink. I recommend having several bottles of Indie chilled and ready to go for those warm Summer days.

Cholame Vineyard 2014 Rosé
I just recently discovered the wines of Cholame Vineyard and am so happy I did. Their newly-released 2014 Rosé is full of fresh strawberry with a beautiful finish that will appeal to a wide variety of palates. Cholame is a Native American word meaning “The Beautiful One” which describes this wine perfectly.

Brachetto d’ Acqui DOCG “Conti di Gropello”
I’m typically not a fan of sweet wines and was hesitant to include a sparkling wine on this list, however after tasting the Conte di Gropello Brachetto d’ Acqui, I couldn’t resist. This deep pink, low alcohol (6.5%) sparkling wine is like summertime in a glass. It tastes like sugar-dusted wild strawberries with a pleasantly balanced finish and a frothy effervescence…almost like an adult version of strawberry soda. It’s guaranteed to make those who lean towards sweeter wines (Moscato, etc.) very happy.