Valentine’s Day is quite possibly one of the most annoying holidays of the year. There, I said it. Not to be a sourpuss, but do we really need an annual calendar date to remind us to recognize and appreciate the ones we hold most dear? Shouldn’t that be, like, an everyday thing? And what about those weird Sweetheart candies they’ve been pushing on us since elementary school?
If dusty, heart-shaped, sugar cubes inscribed with uninspired phrases like “Be Mine” is the best way to show affection for your significant other, then romance truly is dead.
Of course, there is some good that comes with Valentine’s Day. I may be a cynic, but I do believe the holiday marks an excellent time to step outside of the mundane relationship routine, spice things up, and do something truly special for a partner, a friend, or even yourself (after all, self-love is the best love). I’m not talking flowers and balloons. I mean an act of kindness that is uniquely meaningful like, say, preparing an extravagant dinner for your overworked and underpaid bae, helping your main-squeeze relax with an at-home spa day, performing a selection of John Keats poems by candlelight for your amore.
Hither, hither, love!
If those activities or any other creative means for firing up the passion are on your Valentine’s Day to-do list, you’re going to need to set the mood. That’s where the wine comes in—pretty and pink rosé, to be specific. Rosé is not only a style of wine that looks good in the bottle (perfect for gifting!) but it’s easy to drink and easy to pair, making it a winner for sharing with a lover and sipping with a box of chocolates.
To help you spread the fuzzy feelings this Valentine’s Day, I’ve rounded up 10 rosés that land high in quality and pleasure. And since proving your love shouldn’t mean emptying your pockets, all the bottles listed are under $25. The wines are also all widely available in retail shops across the country as well as online, which I’ve linked in the price points below.
2019 Hahn SLH Rosé of Pinot Noir
ABV: 14.1%
Average Price: $24
The Wine:
This salmon-colored wine is made from pinot noir grapes grown in vineyards below the Santa Lucia Highland within the Arroyo Seco appellation of Monterey County, California. Hand-picked and whole-cluster-pressed, the juice is aged in 100 percent stainless steel resulting in a full-fledged fresh fruit flavor.
Tasting Notes:
Have you ever twirled in a strawberry field?
That’s what this wine smells like—fresh, ripe and juicy strawberries ready for picking and eating. Those strawberry aromatics are present in the sip too, along with notes of raspberries and cherry. There’s some noticeable minerality and acidity that tempers the wine’s viscosity on the palate, but it doesn’t overpower the overall fruit flavor.
Bottom Line:
This is an easy-drinking rosé to start off the night. It’s certainly light enough to drink on its own but beware: that high-for-a-rosé ABV may have your drunken tongue confessing sober feelings before the bottle’s done.
Mateus Dry Rosé 2019
ABV: 12%
Average Price: $12
The Wine:
This not-so-pale pink wine hails from Portugal. Made of shiraz and the country’s native baga and outras grapes, this is is a dry rosé. Although there’s only about four grams of sugar in the wine, it somehow manages to maintain a touch of sweetness at first sip.
Tasting Notes:
You can’t miss the floral aromas when you open a bottle of this wine. Sure, it smells delicate but this is a rosé with personality and structure. On the sip, there’s the teensy-tiniest hint of sweetness that’s ambushed with lush, tart red berries and a wave of acidity. The finish is quick and clean.
Bottom Line:
Drink this wine ice cold while you feed your Valentine shrimp cocktail and calamari.
Macari Rosé
ABV:
Average Price: $24
The Wine:
Here’s a vibrant blend of malbec and merlot from the North Fork region of New York’s Long Island. This is a dry and crisp rosé that displays an unexpected yet totally enjoyable citrus vibe that will likely have you pouring glass after glass.
Tasting Notes:
Fragrances of strawberry and raspberry are strong on the nose, while the palate is washed out with notes of nearly-ripened watermelon, a hit of kiwi and even a splash of grapefruit. The acidity of the wine gives it a crisp texture in the mouth that lingers long after the sip is finished.
Bottom Line:
This is a uniquely flavorful rosé that you won’t soon forget. Best paired with whispers of sweet nothings.
La Crema Monterey Rosé
ABV: 13.5%
Average Price: $25
The Wine:
Here’s another stunner from Monterey. This wine is made of 100 percent pinot noir that is fermented in stainless steel tanks and displays a ton of fruit.
Tasting Notes:
This wine smells of strawberry, golden and white raspberries, and a spray of mandarin juice. The taste evolves into a dynamic, juicy melody of cranberry, red raspberries, and blood orange. The palate is booming with minerality—a nod to the flinty soil the grapes are grown on—but the finish is delicate and mouthwatering with acidity.
Bottom Line:
If you’re thirsty, this rosé is the fruit-forward quencher of your dreams.
Radley & Finch Cinsault Rosé
ABV: 12%
Average Price: $12
The Wine:
This peony pink wine is made of 100 percent cinsault. It’s a lively little sipper, comprised of grapes grown in South Africa’s Western Cape.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of strawberries and cream get a lift from hints of lime zest that extends throughout the sip. On the palate, the wine is dashingly bright with a light body and fresh acidity that seems to hype all up the fruit. The finish introduces subtle notes of savory herbs and a sprinkle of spice that rounds everything out.
Bottom Line:
This sprightly rosé has just the right type of fresh acidity to balance out the milky decadence of chocolate-covered fruits.
Gérard Bertrand Côte des Rosés
ABV: 14.2%
Average Price: $20
The Wine:
Now here’s a delectable rosé that’s as refreshing as a tall glass of cold water. One of the many labels under Gerard Bertrand’s wine estate, this soft pink wine is comprised of a blend of grenache, syrah, and cinsault grown in the Languedoc appellation in the South of France.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of red fruits, cassis, and floral arrangements fill the nose while the palate is smacked with hints of rose petals, fresh red berries, and grapefruit. There’s an earthy, herbaceous quality of this wine that balances the fruit and gives the juice some much-appreciated complexity.
Bottom Line:
This rosé is great for drinking with foods. It has the body and acidity to bring out the best of briny shellfish and seafood and the splashiness to wash down grilled white meats and cheesy pasta.
Château Miraval Cotes de Provence Rosé
ABV: 13%
Average Price: $20
The Wine:
This rose petal pink wine is a blend of cinsault, grenache, syrah, and rolle from the Provence region of France. The vineyard where the grapes grow features soils speckled with clay and limestone that add to the wine’s subtle saline and mineral qualities.
Fun fact: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie co-own this winery, along with the Perrin family — one of France’s most renowned winemaking families.
Tasting Notes:
Opulent is the best word to describe this wine.
The nose is elegant with aromas of white fruits, currants, and a bit of lime zest. The sip is long and lively with notes of strawberry and roses sprinkled with sea salt. The finish is long with a hint of lemon that lingers well after the glass is empty.
Bottom Line:
Drink this wine when you’re looking for luxury without a sky-high price tag.
Mionetto Prosecco Rosé DOC
ABV: 11.5%
Average Price: $14
The Wine:
The winemakers of Mionetto have been producing sparkling wine in Italy’s Prosecco region since 1887, so they know a thing or two about quality rosé. This peach-blossom-pink sparkling is made of mostly glera—a grape native to Italy—and pinot nero, which originates from France.
Tasting Notes:
The aroma of this wine is quite fruity, with notes of berries and citrus, but there’s a trace of honey in the smell too. On the palate, the wine is racing with acidity and notes of raspberry, pink grapefruit, and a touch of bread crumbs. Although the bubbles are refined, they’re mouth-filling and long-lasting throughout the sip.
Bottom Line:
No one would ever guess you paid so little for a bubbly this good. Keep this on deck in your fridge for Valentine’s Day and beyond.
Freixenet Italian Rosé
ABV: 11%
Average Price: $22
The Wine:
Made of glera and pinot noir grapes, this wine hails from the Veneto region of Italy. The bottle alone is a beauty but it’s what’s inside that’s the true stand out. If you’re looking for fresh fruit effervescence that will pair well with your Valentine’s Day cheese boards and hors d’oeuvres, this is the one.
Tasting Notes:
For a blush pink rosé, this sparkling wine sure does smell like apples and white flowers. The palate, however, is lush with notes of strawberries and red currants. The piny little bubbles are elegant and light in the mouth while the finish is delicate but memorable.
Bottom Line:
Look at that dazzling bejeweled wine bottle! How could you not gift something so pretty (and tasty) to the one that you love?
Segura Viudas Cava Brut Rosé
ABV: 12%
Average Price: $11
The Wine:
Since its creation in 1959, Segura Viudas has become one of Spain’s premier producers of cava—which is basically Spanish sparkling wine (remember, it’s technically only considered champagne if it comes from Champagne, France no matter how similar the winemaking style). This flirty pink bubbly from Penedes, Spain is comprised of trepat and garnacha—both of which are indigenous to the country.
Tasting Notes:
This bubbly is perfumed with pomegranate, but it’s bursting with cherry and grenadine flavors that are complemented with a rich, mousse-like texture on the palate. The finish is soft and lingering.
Bottom Line:
If you’re not familiar with cava, this is a quality introduction that tastes richer than it actually costs.
