28 Rosés to Help Cool You Down This Summer
Rosé season is officially here, with picks from around the globe starting at $13 (and topping out at an eye-popping $195).
While some clock Memorial Day Weekend as the unofficial start of summer, let’s be honest: The weather has been sporadic, at least here in Chicago. Spring was downright damp with a few hot days sprinkled in here and there. You could easily have continued drinking your favorite red wines, no matter the style, through the season.
Now that summer officially started on June 21 and we’re in the midst of a crazy heat wave in most of the United States (following the torturously oppressive heat dome Europe just experienced and may still be in some parts), I think it’s safe to say we’re in the height of rosé season. Uncorking a cold bottle of rosé can help refresh you in the heat. And if you need to keep cooler, don’t fear adding some ice to your glass. Even the French do it.
Summer begs for light-bodied, crisp, acid-driven pink juice — whether sitting on a patio, by a pool, or on your fanciest friend’s yacht (or an inflatable floating down the Lazy River at some water park). Yet many of these wines can be enjoyed year round, so don’t be afraid to bookmark some to get in the fall and enjoy with a grilled steak. It’s true, rosé really does pair with anything as it can be made from pretty much any red grape and in a range of styles and colors.
So with that, let’s get into it. This year’s roundup took me a smidge longer to get out as I have been traveling a bit (France’s Languedoc region and Napa; more on both coming soon) and had a lot of rosés to taste through. In fact, this is the biggest roundup I’ve done since starting an annual rosé list in 2023 with wine from California to Italy, Michigan to Texas, France to Austria ranging from $13 to $195. Some may say it’s too many, but if you know me, I like options. Like when I travel. I usually overpack, but I never know what my mood will be. Wine is often the same and honestly, there’s just really that much good pink juice out there.
Do you have a favorite rosé I missed? Tell me and everyone else about it in the comments below.
28 rosé wines to drink this summer and beyond
2025 Scribe Estate Rosé, Sonoma, CA ($42)
I got to taste this wine, made from 100% pinot noir, shortly after its release with Scribe co-owner Adam Mariani while he was in Chicago. And both the tasting and the conversation were delightful. It has medium peach-pink color with a pronounced nose. It gives peach, lemon, strawberry, raspberry, tart cherry, ripe honeydew, and orange peel. It’s chalky and steely, has lots of acid, and you can taste a bit of saltiness that floats in from the Pacific and San Pablo Bay.
2024 Bonny Doon Vineyard Vin Gris de Cigare, Central Coast, CA ($17.99)
Also called Pink Wine of the Earth, this wine, from the eclectic Bonny Doon Vineyard (formerly owned by groundbreaking winemaker Randall Grahm, who currently is making wine at his Popelouchum and The Language of Yes wineries) is bright, juicy, fuller bodied, and fun (as reflected by the branding) with strawberry, peach, guava, and some cherry. This grenache, mourvedre, and cinsault blend has mouthwatering acid, is dry and has a medium finish. The wine spent time on its lees (spent yeast cells) post fermentation to add a creamy mouthfeel.
2025 Chateau Les Cassagnes De La Nerthe, Tavel, Cotes du Rhone, France ($28)
This one has all the grenaches —noir, blanc, and gris — making up 60% of the blend with the rest comprising cinsault and syrah. Hailing from France’s Rhone Valley, it has a gorgeous coppery pink color. It’s ripe and fuller and juicy on the nose, with good acid and spice, peach, strawberry, raspberry, grapefruit, and orange zest. You can bet there’s a lot going on in this wine.
2024 Spicewood Vineyards Grenache Rosé, Spicewood, Texas ($34.99)
You might be thinking: $35 for rose ... from Texas? Yes and if you’ve never had Texas wine, it’s time. This one, from winemaker Ron Yates, only produced 175 cases. It is super pale pink with a peachy edge and shows strawberry, watermelon, and peach on the nose. It has a crispness to it with great acid and a dry backbone with peach, red fruit, melon, mandarin orange, and stony notes in the mouth. It has a long finish and can pair great with food or just a hot day, which we have a lot of right now. Everything is bigger in Texas and the taste of this wine is no exception.
2025 Banfi La Pettegola Rosé Toscana IGT, Maremma, Tuscany, Italy ($20)
I’m a little surprised that this wine from Banfi, one of Tuscany’s premier winery’s producing acclaimed Brunello di Montalcino, is only $20. Especially after you taste it. The blend of 60% sangiovese and 40% merlot has a bright cotton candy pink color. It’s a bit dusty on the nose with watermelon, strawberry, and cherry with a hint of peach backed up by spice. The flavor lingers with a longer finish and my mouth kept on watering. This is a delicious rosé that would go well with food.
2025 Sokol Blosser Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, OR ($30)
I love that this wine has a slightly darker cranberry hue, reflecting the red fruit inside: cherry, raspberry, cranberry, strawberry, red pear, and honeycrisp apple. It's a bit tart and juicy and crunchy with good acid and a decent finish.
2024 Stinson Vineyards Rosé of Tannat, Monticello, VA ($25)
This one is a winner! Tannat is a dark berry usually producing fairly tannic wine (hence its name). So it came as a pleasant surprise at just how light this wine is with a gentle medium pink hue. The juice post pressing clearly didn't spend much time on the skins, but just enough to produce a nose with cherry, strawberry, vanilla cream, cotton candy, some mandarin orange, and grapefruit zest. It has a bit of a more lush mouthfeel and some really nice acid that made my mouth water. That acid is balanced with the red fruit, a bit of flintiness, and chalk. This is one of those good year-round rosés that's perfect in warm or cooler months with cheese, chicken, or pasta.
2024 Castello Monaci Kreos Negroamaro Salento Rosato, Puglia, Italy ($27)
I love the deeper peachy pink color. It’s juicy, fun, and different from a lot of the other rosés I tasted. The mouthwatering wine explodes with peach, watermelon, strawberry, cherry, and redcurrant. Definitely a food wine. I also love that the name ties back to Eos, the Greek goddess of the dawn who Homer (no, not Simpson) called “the rosy-fingered goddess,” reflecting on how the sky look at sunrise.
2024 Dutcher Crossing Winemakers’ Cellar Grenache Rosé, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, CA ($44)
This mostly grenache with a bit each of cinsault and counoise aged for five months in neutral French oak with frequent lees stirring giving it a fuller mouthfeel with strawberry cream. It gives bright red fruit on the nose — cherry, strawberry, raspberry, and watermelon — plus peach and citrus in the way of pink grapefruit and a hint of tangerine. In the mouth you get minerality and a hint of spice and lovely acid and a bit of crushed wet stone.
I wasn’t kidding when I said this was my biggest rosé roundup yet. There are 19 more bottles below that I’ve tasted over the past couple of months, available exclusively to paid subscribers. Curious? Start a free seven-day trial to unlock the full guide. If it’s not for you, just cancel before the trial ends and your subscription will automatically revert to the free version.
Still to come: An outstanding $13 bottle that drinks well above its price, an eye-popping $195 splurge, and standout rosés from Provence, Paso Robles, Austria, and beyond.
