Make Way for (Even More) Rosé

BY JOSH RAYNOLDS | AUGUST 14, 2018

This summer gave me an opportunity to sample a number of high-quality Rosés, wines that are ideal companions to hot-weather food or for just enjoying by themselves. But don’t be in a hurry as their adaptability at the table often makes them year-round drinking options. 

Round Two Beats Round One

I tasted a pleasantly high number of excellent, even outstanding, pink wines since we began our coverage of this year’s new releases in June. The Rosé category continues to grow, some might say metastasize, at a dizzying pace. Just looking at the calendar proves that many of this year’s early releases of 2017 Rosés, at least those from the northern hemisphere, were clearly rushed through their fermentations, bottled too early and released as quickly as possible to take advantage of the ongoing world-wide craze for all wines pink, and ideally of an extremely pale shade of pink. The result was an abundance of usually inoffensive but less-than-exciting wines, with only a handful of real standouts. Happily, the second round proved to be far more interesting, not to mention successful. This article includes a number of Rosés that I’d be thrilled to drink any time, any place, with any food and with anybody.