The popularity of Italian rosé continues to rise – and we don’t just mean Pinot Grigio Blush. We take a look at what’s on offer from a wider range of Italy’s many grape varieties
When the sky is blue (and here in the UK we have definitely waited long enough…), it’s time to uncork the rosé.
Not only is the colour combination so evocative of summer, but these days this wine – once deemed ‘the poor relation’ – offers its own voyage of discovery to the discerning wine drinker.
The rise of rosé revolves around the production of much drier wines, with a crisp freshness well suited to the modern drinking palate.
Top-notch producers are applying their expertise to rosé wines in the same way as they finesse their reds and whites, which can only be good news for the consumer.
The best quality rosé wine is made from red grapes, with a brief contact between the grape skins and the juice, which give the wines that characteristic pink colour.
You will find degrees of colour intensity from pale gold, pink and salmon, right through to nearly red, depending on the grape varietal and length of contact with the skins.
The most ubiquitous Italian rosé is Pinot Grigio Blush, but our selection includes Corvina, Rondinella, Susumaniello, Aglianico, Syrah, Sangiovese and more.
Just make sure you chill and serve as you would a good white wine.
The best Italian rosé wines for summer:
1. Editor’s choice: Frescobaldi Alìe Rosé 2023
From Great Wine | Price £21.50
Named after Alìe, a mythical Greek sea nymph and symbol of sensuality and beauty, this sophisticated rosé from Frescobaldi is made from Syrah and Vermentino grapes grown by the Maremma coast of southern Tuscany.
Gossamer-light in colour, it surpr ises with its intense fruit-laden fragrance and palate of summer berries and pomegranate.
Delicious with an indulgent seafood platter or grilled lobster, not forgetting a well-chosen cheese board.
2. Basilicata Rosato Le Ralle, Alovini 2023
From The Wine Society | Price £9.95
The Alovini winery is to be found in Basilicata and is run by accomplished winemaker Oronzo Alò, who founded it in 2003 when he poured his experience with local cooperatives into his own wines.
100 per cent Aglianico, this rosé is a deeply saturated pink in hue with summer berries on the nose and more juicy fruit on the palate.
With 13 per cent ABV, it’s a well-structured rosé that packs a punch.
Great with a platter of meat or plant antipasti or bruschette, or chilled as an aperitivo.
3. Santa Tresa Il Frappato Rosé Spumante Organic Brut
From independent stores | Price £13.95-14.95
From the organic vineyards of Santa Tresa near Vittoria in Sicily comes this refreshingly dry sparkling wine.
Made from 100 per cent local Frappato grapes, this elegant spumante is pale pink in the glass with a steady flow of small bubbles and a fresh fruity fragrance.
With a tingle on the tongue, the tartness of citrus keeps the sweet summer berries in check.
Definitely serve this chilled with friends – a long lunch in the sun sounds good.
4. Menegotti Chiaretto Di Bardolino Doc 2021
From Corney & Barrow | Price £14.25
Family-run Cantina Menegotti is on the southeastern edge of Lake Garda.
With the merest contact on the skins (Corvina, Rondinella and Sangiovese) and aged in steel vats for four months, this light, zippy rosé is delicate rosy-pink in the glass, with sharp summer berries on the palate and a refreshing citrus snap to the crisp finish.
Serve with fresh or smoked salmon and fresh salad leaves, or barbecued white fish.
5. Alpha Zeta ‘r’ Rosato 2023
From The Wine Society | Price £7.50
New Zealander Matt Thompson continues to impress, creating fresh, lively wines in the Verona region since 1999.
This crisp ‘R’ Rosato is made with Corvina grapes from the production of Valpolicella, macerated for 18 hours – long enough for the wine to develop its subtle salmon-pink hue.
It’s bursting with cherries and strawberries with enough body to be enjoyed with food or on its own. A great price too.
Great with a stone-baked margherita pizza or a generous serving of pasta vongole.
6. Varvaglione Susumaniello Rosé Del Salento IGP
From The Great Wine Co. | Price £15.75
Susumaniello is an ancient black grape variety grown in the sun-soaked Salento region of Puglia.
Family-run Varvaglione have tamed the heft of this powerful grape to create a pale terracotta rosé with hidden depths.
With subtle strawberry aromas, it tastes of ripe redcurrants with a touch of citrus – the wine’s acidity cutting through to balance the grape’s natural body.
Enjoy with a punchy puttanesca, grilled fresh tuna or swordfish by the sea.
7. Lidl Pinot Grigio delle Venezie blush
From Lidl | £4.99
IWC 2018 ‘Highly Commended’ wine, this is a pleasant enough rosé, fruity on both the nose and the palate. Its scent is an appealing mix of peach and red summer berries, while its flavour is light and dry in the mouth, with distinct hints of strawberry.
This rosé is slightly sweeter than some here, which may or may not appeal. It doesn’t set itself apart in the ranks of rosé cohort in any great way, but it serves chilled as an easy-drinker in the summer months.
Pair with green salads and grilled chicken – or you can simply drink it on its own
8. San Leo Nerello Mascalese Garganega Vino Spumante Rosé
From Waitrose | £10.49
From San Leo, here’s a classy pink fizz with all the right credentials, made from a blend of brooding Nerello Mascalese for colour, dry, elegant Garganega (the main grape in Soave wines) and bouncy Glera (Prosecco) grapes.
Fresh and bubbly in the glass, it has an aromatic strawberry-filled bouquet, juicy strawberry and tarter raspberry flavours, a gentle mousse, and just the right amount of sparkle for summer.
It makes the perfect aperitivo, or serve with grilled summer vegetable antipasti
Prices correct August 2024.
What is rosé wine?
With rosé, as with red and white, Italy has a large variety of wines, and their respective styles vary tremendously, reflecting the diversity of grape variety, soil type, climate and regionality across the country.
The varying degrees of ‘blush’ give you some impression of how different they are. Among the rosé wines we have chosen to taste, some are at the baby-pink end of the spectrum, others a shade or two deeper.
Rosés taste more like a white than a red – light, refreshing, fruity, rather than ‘heavy’, and almost certainly chilled – and are made by pressing the juice from a red grape variety and then allowing the juice to ‘sit’ on the grape skins for just long enough – usually between 6 and 24 hours – to pick up a hint of colour, a tiny bit of texture and a strawberry-fruit taste.
The grape varieties used vary too: many producers use a local base grape type from which they produce their reds (Corvina in Bardolino or Pinot Grigio in Veneto, for instance) and make a small amount of rosé from those varieties.
Pretty much anything can be used, albeit with degrees of success, but some red grapes wouldn’t work – Nebbiolo, for instance, is too heavy.
For more great Italian drinks to try, visit our wine archives