Just a few years ago, rosé was an underappreciated style of wine. Lots of people considered it cheap, uninteresting juice, rarely made with any nuance. These days, though, pink wine has found its way into the hearts of wine pros and consumers alike. For many, summer now means drinking rosé-like water, chilled and bountiful.
Once you fall in love with rosé, you may find yourself looking for expressive bottles to sip without breaking the bank. As summer comes to a close, we asked sommeliers across the country to tell us their favorite delicious yet affordable rosés they’ll continue to sip throughout the fall. Here’s what they came up with:
The best bang for your buck rosés, according to sommeliers
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“La Fête du Rosé is about $20 and a great rosé. It has notes of orange peel, high minerality, and tart, underripe fruit. It’s the best rosé in its category.” —Amy Racine, beverage director, North Fork Table & Inn, Southhold, N.Y.
“Triennes is a collaboration between two of the greatest wine minds in the world, Jacques Seysses from Domaine Dujac, and Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Composed using traditional rosé grape varieties from southern France (Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah), the wine is super fresh and affordable, and it’s my No. 1 go-to rosé of the summer.” —Kevin Bratt, divisional beverage director, Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, Miami
“While I would usually stray from making a domestic rosé my option for ‘bang for your buck,’ the 2021 Idlewild ‘The Flower’ is a bottling not to be missed. Winemaker Sam Bilbro has hit his stride with this Piemontese blend of Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, and a touch of Grignolino, all farmed in Mendocino. The wine is brimming with blood orange, crushed herbs, red licorice, and the perfect balance of fruit-forwardness on the palate, cut with fresh acidity.” —Sam Bogue, wine director, Flour+Water Hospitality Group, San Francisco
“At approximately $22 a bottle retail, Sylvain Bailly La Louée Sancerre Rosé is a refreshing, easy-drinking summer wine. Beautiful notes of fresh berries and flowers with a surprising fleshy midpalate. Easy to pair with light dishes or to drink alone.” —Irene Justiniani, sommelier, Pastis, New York
“I really enjoy rosés from Italy, but specifically Tuscany. They are really dry and food-friendly and tend to have a little more complexity of terroir than a competitor from Provence. A great value is ‘Cantaloro’ by Avignonesi from their vineyards spread around the hills near Montepulciano.” —Richard Hanauer, wine director and partner, RPM Restaurants, Chicago, Washington D.C., Las Vegas
“The Jenny & Francois ‘From the Tank®’ Rosé is my favorite value rosé. It’s 20 liters of Grenache- and Cinsault-based rosé housed inside a slimline KeyKeg, or small box of wine. The grapes come from the organically grown plots of Domaine de La Patience, located close to Avignon in southern France. Although most people look at box wine as lesser quality juice, this rosé is the best bang for your buck on the market.” —Allie Balin, food and beverage director, Ruse, St. Michaels, Md.
“When seeking incredible rosé value, one need look no further than Spain’s striking coastal DO of Getariako Txakolina. Overlooking the Basque coast, rolling vineyards of Hondarrabi Beltza and Hondrrabi Zuri embrace the marine influence, and the resulting wines express a thirst-quenching, saline minerality. Great examples from Ameztoi, Ulacia, and Txomin Etxaniz balance fruit with savory, way over-deliver at their price point, and are ever-present in our restaurants.” —Brent Karlicek, beverage director, Postino WineCafe, Irvine, Calif.
“A wine that we just got in at our on-premise bottle shop is Gaspard rosé, which we plan to feature by the glass this fall! Gaspard is a line of wines from importer Jenny & Francois — in this case, the wine is a Pineau d’Aunis varietal from the Loire Valley. This vibrant and fresh rosé is the best accompaniment to any charcuterie board or happy hour snack. It comes in at a great price, so there’s really no misses! A funky grape varietal, trusted source, under 20 bucks; sign me up for a couple glasses right now!” —Max Glenn, manager and sommelier, Rex at The Royal, Philadelphia
“Far and away, the best rosé for your buck is coming from Spain. To me, Spanish rosé typically falls in that sweet spot between the overly fruity domestic rosé and the floral French rosé — the best of both worlds. The best example of this, believe it or not, comes in a box from producer La Nevera in Rioja, typically found in stores for between $20 and $25 for a 3-liter box.” —Nick Baitzel, director of operations, Sojourn Philly Restaurants, Philadelphia
“One of the best buys in rosé right now is Croft Pink Rosé Port ($19.99). It offers so much bang for the buck simply because it’s so amazingly versatile! It’s bright and juicy with tangy raspberry and ripe strawberry notes — you can drink it on its own, chilled, [or] it’s a phenomenal pairing with spicy food like shrimp tacos and hot salsas. But you can also mix it into a cocktail: Go trendy with a pink port tonic, combine it with Prosecco in a spritz, muddle it into your Mojitos, blitz it up with ice for frosé, swap it in wherever you would use vermouth. I will even use it in a marinade for meats going on the grill, or poach fruit in it for dessert. I’ll drizzle it over vanilla ice cream. Basically, this is one rosé that can do it all.” —Sarah Tracey, sommelier, The Lush Life, New York
