I opened my first Rosé of the season a few days ago.  Here in Northern California, the wildflowers are blooming, my early bulbs (Freesias above) are scenting my backyard & the finches are rapidly emptying the bird feeder as they rush to make their nests.

If you’ve read this blog before (or are an experienced wine drinker), you know that Rosé can be sweet or dry.  I was never introduced to Rosé properly, so I had to teach myself.  Come to find out that until the Sutter Home White Zinfandal (cellar-mistake-that-became-a-huge-seller), all Rosé was dry. (Little primer here.)

Rosé is an excellent pairing for many light meals & it’s a wonderful low-alcohol option for enjoying before dinner or an afternoon get together.  I highly recommend that you buy good value Rosé.  It may seem strange to fork over $15 or more for a pink wine, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much you’ll enjoy a glass of Rosé when it is well-made.

Here’s some of my favorite Rosés & pairings:

Quivira Grenache Rose $15

• Read my review of Quivira.
• Get a Tour & Tasting Pass to Quivira.
• Purchase this wine online.

Praxis Alexander Dry Syrah Rosé $15

• Get a recipe/pairing in my Perfect Pairings section.
• Read about this wine on their site
• Get a Tasting Pass for the Wine Shop in Healdsburg. (I found this wine at The Wine Shop; it’s also at Local’s in Geyersville; their online store is here.)

Paradise Ridge Bride’s Blush Rosé $18

• Get a Perfect Pairings recipe.
• This is only available at one of their two tasting rooms, visit my old fav above Santa Rosa or their new gallery tasting salon in Kenwood which is pretty cool too.
• Bride’s Blush is a blend of estate-grown Zinfandel & Syrah, very low in sugar (.42) which means it’s not sweet. Their culinary specialist calls it the “perfect breakfast wine.”

*If you find a Rosé you like, buy it by the case, you’ll get a discount & the ones mentioned above are made in small lots so they might run out of a certain vintage.

Read more posts about Rosé.