Holiday Gifting Guide 2023: The Best Rosés
Rosé is an all-year wine, 24/7 & 365. Textured, zippy, fresh, alive. The pink drink makes smiles stretch from ear to ear, whether by the pool or at the beach, with a cheese & charcuterie board or Dover sole. In honor of the pinkest year we've had in decades thanks to the Barbie movie, let's raise a perfect pink glass in unison. Here are my picks for the best wine Rosés to give as gifts in 2023:
Drink Pink Here And Now
Courtesy of Hogwash
The 2022 vintage of Hogwash expresses aromas of white lily, sliced strawberry and grapefruit. On the palate, you’ll experience nectarine and mandarin orange with a clean and precise finish. A lingering of lemon zest and honey leaves you refreshed and thirsty for more. Made by the Amulet Estate team, based in St. Helena - Napa Valley, California.
The word ”amulet” comes from the Latin word amulētum, which means ”an object that provides good fortune.” More than a talisman, the true mark of the Amulet portfolio is a nod to the pioneering spirit of early Napa Valley viticulture and a deep respect for the land.
Building upon the history of our winery, AMULET ESTATE is designed to be emblematic of the Napa Valley. Two pillars of our rich history—family and an unwavering dedication to our Napa Valley—remain deeply rooted in our traditions and continue to guide the philosophy of our winery. Blessed with close proximity to America's most celebrated vintners and growers, our winery strives to embrace the values inherent in this community including a commitment to excellence, entrepreneurism, and collaboration.
Courtesy of Pasqua
Pasqua's motto is, "The House of the Unconventional" and that shows with every conceptual release from the winery. In November 2023 they were awarded the prestigious title of “Innovator of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine as a part of the publication's annual Wine Star Awards.
The name 11 MINUTES refers to the time of which the skin contact happens, the pressing of grapes: the full load of grapes is very softly pressed. The Corvina varietal, which dominates the blend, was chosen for the floral aromas as well as the significant acidity it gives to the wine. Trebbiano brings elegance and a long finish; Syrah gives fine fruit and spice notes to the glass and finally, Carménère creates structure, ensuring stability over time. This a fresh, enveloping rosé with an intense and complex bouquet, created to accompany spring or summer evenings and more.
The blend is 50% Corvina, 25% Trebbiano di Lugana, 15% Syrah, and 10% Carménère,
Courtesy of Maison Noir Wines
Maison Noir is the brainchild of Entrepreneur & Sommelier, André Hueston Mack. Based in Brooklyn, André produces his wines in Oregon's top vineyard sites. Founded in 2007, Maison Noir incorporates Andrés trademark attitude and personal perspective on wine subculture. The wines are unique and distinctive garage wines (Garage D'or), sourcing the best fruit possible in the Willamette Valley region of Oregon to produce wines which show the individuality of their respective sites and terroirs.
The 2022 Love Drunk is an intoxicating rosé. Much like new love, it clouds the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise, and lips to pucker. Provocative aromas of strawberry and raspberry, followed by refreshing flavors of wild strawberry, watermelon rind, and a hint of kiwi.
Courtesy of Souleil Vin de Bonté
SOULEIL = “SUN” IN ANCIENT FRENCHBONTÉ = “GOODNESS”
Souleil’s story starts in a sun-drenched wine region of southern France along the Mediterranean Sea, where founders Marianne and Thomas grew up surfing and shucking oysters. After years cultivating their own expertise working in wine, the childhood friends began to dream about making a wine that embodies the feel of an endless summer.
Focusing on sustainability, they created Souleil Vin de Bonté, a vegan and organic wine intended to be served with a side of purpose. Part of Souleil Vin de Bonté’s proceeds go toward protecting one of the planet’s most valuable resources: our oceans.
Courtesy of Las Vegas Raiders
Let's start with the bad news...you can only buy this wine AT Allegiant Stadium where the Las Vegas Raiders play their home games. The good news? IT'S EPIC. The Las Vegas Raiders were the first professional sports organization to name an official head sommelier for their stadium, and the honor went to Sandra Taylor.
In crafting this rosé Sandra had a little help, which came from one of the best in the business, Gérard Bertrand. Traveling to Gérard's property in Languedoc, France - together they worked tirelessly to find the right blend, one worthy of donning the Raiders' Shield. In the end, they landed on an assemblage of primarily Grenache - with Cinsault, Mourvèdre, and Syrah rounding it out - and a touch of Viognier added for a floral lift.
Click here to check the Raiders' schedule, attend a home game and drink their rosé.
Courtesy of Saltie Girl Wines
Whether you’re at home or traveling the world, Saltie Girl Rosé elevates any experience. From the salty shores of New England, where Saltie Girl began, to the vineyards of Provence, where our rosé is lovingly harvested, every sip ignites an adventure. Flares of peach, white cherry, and wild raspberry transport you to a magical place like an intimate beach picnic or dancing on a table in St Tropez.
Saltie Girl Rosé was created by lifelong friends Kathy Sidell and Bradley Groper. Neighbors growing up in their native Boston, their mothers have been best friends for over 70 years. They were often found at each other's dinner table. The joy and chaos of these family meals is where hospitality was ingrained in each of them at a young age. Sharing formative and memorable times replete with fabulous wines, food and company greatly formed each of their futures. Saltie Girl Rosé was born with the spirit of these evenings and a true combination of both family’s passions.
Both Kathy’s and Brad's fathers were instrumental in the food and wine scene in Massachusetts and beyond. Kathy's father funded many of the top chefs in Boston. So, it was no surprise that Kathy opened her first restaurant in 2004 and today runs two of the most successful restaurants in Boston, with new, highly popular outposts in Los Angeles and London.
2022 was exceptionally favorable. Warm, dry weather conditions allowed us to harvest grapes in peak condition. With an expansion of varietals, keeping grenache and syrah at the core, we were able to blend this year's harvest into a rosé more nuanced and complex, resulting in a wine with supremely balanced flavor profile and sumptuous mouthfeel, while delivering notes of raspberry, cherry, peach, herbal, citrus and mineral core, with an elegant finish on the palate.
Courtesy of Perkins Harter
"Farming is a journey of humility, learning, wonder, and sometimes some good, old-fashioned butt-whipping. It takes a lot of intellectual, physical, and emotional agility to farm. Many people have been taught to believe that farmers are simple people, and farming is a simple-person’s profession. But that is just madness. Farming is a difficult path, as evidenced by the diaspora to cities after the Industrial Revolution. As I understand it, many children of farmers ran to the nearest train tracks, jumped boxcars and flocked to cities just to avoid gopher trapping duty." -Shelby Perkins, Winegrower
This wine is mineral bliss and evokes the the saline air that blows in from the Oregon Coast, this beauty is perfect for summer sipping, but better at Thanksgiving/Christmas and with age. Barrel fermented in experienced French oak barrels with ambient yeast. Aged in barrel 8 months before bottling under Diam Origine cork. 70 cases produced. 11.3% ABV.
