This Is The Secret To Choosing A Cheap And Delicious Bottle Of Rosé

Sipping a chilled glass of rosé immediately takes you elsewhere: a Mediterranean beachfront, a rooftop bar, a bubble bath surrounded by candles and the sweet, sonorous sounds of Josh Groban.

Rosé 's cache enchants both casual and experienced wine drinkers alike; it has a certain frivolity and lightheartedness that makes it appropriate for all occasions. Rosé can be both dry and bright, evoking notes of berries, tangerine, or grapefruit, but it can also have an assertive side that offers more complex flavors like anise or peppercorn and can be paired with a range of taste profiles including citrusy tartars, grilled proteins, soft cheeses, and herbaceous sauces like pesto and salsa verde.

Traditional rosés are made with the pulp of black grapes, the juice of which is inherently clear. The wine obtains its faint pastel color hues from a brief period of contact between the grape's skin and the juice. This process, formally known as maceration, contributes not only color to the wine, but tannins and flavor compounds as well. Unlike a traditional age-worthy red wine, rosé maceration may take only a few hours, which is why so much skill and understanding is required.  An alternative method of production is "direct pressing," a process which involves pressing grape clusters with their skins for a brief period and fermenting at a low temperature for an average of 10 days. Using this method results in a wine with a pale-pink hue, but the color of rosé can range from faint peach to grapefruit to a deep redcurrant.   

Rosé 's versatility, along with an inherently sensual aesthetic, has propelled the wine into the epicurean category of, "dangerously trendy."  Although the increase in demand generally benefits winemakers, it can also encourage cheap imitators to enter the market and dilute the quality of the category overall. As rosé continues to explode in popularity, navigating through a liquor store or wine list to find a suitable rosé becomes an increasingly difficult task. That being said, one of the easiest and most effective ways to identify a great bottle is understanding which regions deliver consistent quality wines. Provence, an area in southern France situated between the Alps and the Mediterranean coast, is one of those regions.

Provence is the largest producer of rosé wine in France and is responsible for almost half of the country's domestic production. The area's patchwork of soils, fluctuating temperatures, proximity to the coast, and gentle slopes make for an environment particularly suitable for grape growers. The 600 small, privately-owned wineries scattered throughout the region benefit from a mix of sun, wind, and thunderstorms which helps reduce instances of disease within vineyards. This special terroir is the reason for Provence's long history of winemaking. But while most roses from Provence meet a certain standard and quality, each vineyard within the region has its own unique characteristics.

There are plenty of reasonably priced Provence rosés available, with many falling between $20 – $30 per bottle. And although it may be difficult to use the color or grape varietal as an indicator of flavor, you can generally expect notes of peach, citrus, berry, and watermelon, with a hint of saline or mineral finish. But the best way to find the right bottle is to start drinking!