As summer heat blankets the northern hemisphere, many wine drinkers gravitate towards rosé, a refreshing summertime wine made from red grapes.

My friend Jen, for example, enjoys red wine or bourbon in the colder months, yet as the mercury climbs, she trades her winter wines and spirits for crisp rosé. "Rosé is all about fresh, cool, dry deliciousness," she says. It's like summer in a glass—that's why I love it."

Jen's love for rosé is far from unique. This pink-hued wine has grown in popularity over the past few decades, drawing in wine enthusiasts with its appealing color and invigorating taste of summer berries.

Once dismissed as an unsophisticated sweet-tasting choice, rosé has undergone a renaissance as a dry wine, earning the respect of sommeliers and becoming a staple at both backyard barbecues and upscale restaurants.

A well-crafted rosé is so much more than a simple poolside sipper. It can also be a great choice on the dining table, with many styles that suit all kinds of dishes. Lighter examples pair well with crisp salads, cool ceviches, and younger cheeses, while more robust rosés go great with aged cheeses and grilled items like smoky meats and vegetables.

Note: you can’t tell a rosé’s flavor intensity solely by its color. However, generally speaking, darker-colored rosés offer more fruity roundness, body, and texture (but not always more intense flavor) than the lighter ones.

Although many wine lovers, like Jen, enjoy rosé only during the summer, there’s no reason to forgo it during the cooler months. Rosé, especially the more structured kind, can complement autumn and winter dishes, too: braised pork with apples and onions, roast chicken, vegetarian cassoulet, and many others.

Nine Recommended Rosés

The first six rosés below were sent to me as samples, all newly released from the 2023 vintage. They are the best of the bunch I received. The last three wines, from Bedrock Wine Co., Donum Estate, and Red Car winery, were tasted while visiting the producers in Sonoma a couple of weeks ago. I highly recommend all of them.

Note: the prices listed are on average and can vary from one retailer to another.

Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Rosé 2023. ($15) Founded in 1962 in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery helped elevate the state’s wine industry by being the first to successfully grow Vitis vinifera grapes in the area. The winery is ranked among the top 5 ‘Best Wine Tasting Rooms’ in the U.S., and its 1886 Experience was recently awarded the #1 spot for Best Winery Tour in USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers' Choice Awards.

Tasting Notes: A brilliant coppery pink hue, it smells like raspberries and green apples. Dry and refreshing with brilliant flinty minerality, the crisp, clean profile is complemented by a rich mouthfeel, resulting in a perfectly balanced, delicious rosé. Enjoy with charcuterie, grilled seafood, light pasta dishes, or spicy cuisine.

Tablas Creek Vineyard Patelin de Tablas Rosé 2023. Located in Paso Robles, California, Tablas Creek Vineyard is a pioneering winery known for its role in the California Rhône movement. It produces high-quality organic wines from traditional Rhône varietals. Made from Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Counoise, with an addition of Vermentino, this aromatic rosé is a perennial favorite of The Wine Chef.

Tasting Notes: Light peachy-hued in the glass, this crisp rosé is bone dry with vibrant notes of fresh strawberry, citrus (grapefruit and lemon), watermelon, and jasmine flowers. A juicy, energetic wine with a chalky mineral structure, it makes a great partner with food. Try it with raw kale salad, gazpacho, sushi, and fried chicken.

Donnafugata Dolce & Gabbana Rosé 2023. ($52) Donnafugata is a Sicilian winery founded in 1983 by the Rallo family. With five estates throughout Sicily, the company is known for producing high-quality, artisanal wines that reflect Sicily's unique terroirs. The "Dolce & Gabbana" rosé is a collaboration that merges the artistic vision of Dolce & Gabbana with Donnafugata's winemaking expertise.

Tasting notes: A blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nocera, this floral and delicately fruity wine has aromas of wild strawberries, oranges, and jasmine. The lightly creamy palate delivers medium-plus acidity and a hint of pleasant bitterness on a long finish. This delicious wine pairs effortlessly with grilled seafood, fresh salads or can be enjoyed as a delightful pre-meal aperitif.

Planeta Sicilia Rosé 2023. ($18) Planeta is a historic Sicilian winery established in the 1600s. It has transformed the island's winemaking landscape through its commitment to quality, sustainability, and the exploration of diverse terroirs across five unique regions. This simple yet delicious rosé is like Sicilian sunshine in a glass, minus the summertime heat!

Tasting notes: A blend of Nero d'Avola and Syrah. The delicate aromas of red berries, particularly strawberry, and grapefruit along with lemon citrus notes will draw you in. Bone dry and light-bodied with bright acidity and a clean, mineral finish. Perfect for pairing with summer fare: cold salads, grilled seafood, tomato and cucumbers, or soft cheeses.

Château Saint-Roch Old Vines Rosé 2023. ($16) Château Saint-Roch, located in the Côtes du Roussillon region of southern France, is known for producing high-quality organic wines from old vines grown in black slate soils.

Tasting notes: A fresh and lively rosé with great depth and power. The lovely aromatics of strawberry, tangerine, and grapefruit lead into a full-bodied, dry palate that surprises with hints of eucalyptus and white pepper. There are distinct mineral notes that come from the slate terroir. A great wine for meaty fish like swordfish or bluefish.

Garzón Pinot Noir Reserva Rosé 2023. ($18) Bodega Garzón, a leader in Uruguayan wine, is renowned for its fresh, textured wines that reveal the unique terroir of Uruguay’s Atlantic Coast.

Tasting notes: Subtle aromas of ripe strawberries and fresh herbs; the palate’s bright acidity comes from its citrus notes and there is a pleasant bitterness on the finish. The wine is a perfect companion to sushi, light pasta, or summer salads.

Bedrock Ode to Lulu Rosé 2023. ($23) Bedrock Wine Co., based in Sonoma, CA, is celebrated for restoring very old vines across northern California. The name of their rosé, "Ode to Lulu," pays tribute to the late Lulu Peyraud, a gastronomic icon of Bandol, Provence, and matriarch of Domaine Tempier. Lulu was renowned for her legendary cooking, hospitality, and love of Bandol rosé. The wine is made from 76% Mourvèdre, 16% Syrah, and 8% Grenache, mostly sourced from 100+-year-old vineyards in Contra Costa and Sonoma County.

Tasting notes: Sitting on a shady bench surrounded by centenarian vines and sipping delicious rosé with my daughter and Chris Cottrell, co-owner of Bedrock Wine Co., is a moment I will always remember. This wine is the perfect antidote to stifling heat and humidity: light, bright, and aromatic—think peach, blood orange, and strawberry with hints of mixed fresh herbs and wet stones. It paired perfectly with a Mexican lunch of chicken doused in a spicy and rich mole sauce.

Donum Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir Carneros 2023. ($50) This memorable visit began with a glass of crisp, refreshing rosé in the beautiful visitor center, followed by a tour of the estate and its stunning collection of sculptures by renowned artists like Ai Weiwei, Keith Haring, and Louise Bourgeois. You may think the wine at Donum Estate, located in Sonoma, California, takes a back seat to the artwork, but that’s not the case. The winery, the first in Sonoma County to achieve regenerative organic certification, produces high-quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of remarkable depth and complexity.

Tasting notes: 100% Pinot Noir. Pale coppery pink in color, this delicate and refined rosé opens with aromas of lime, apple, peach, and cranberry. Crisp acidity on the palate is balanced by a vibrant medley of strawberry, honeydew melon, green apple and lemon, with a hint of saline minerality reflecting the estate’s close proximity to the San Pablo Bay. Enjoy as a refreshing aperitif. or pair with light summer salads and vegetables and grilled seafood, chicken and pork.

Red Car Rosé of Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2023. ($30). Red Car Wine Company has produced characterful, cool-climate Sonoma Coast wines since 1997. The rosé’s colorful label was inspired by a 1956 album cover for Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color, a collection of short tone poems by eight mid-20th-century Hollywood composers. A visit to the delightful tasting room, complete with a shady patio, is a must for anyone looking to savor this rosé and their outstanding selection of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, and old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tasting Notes: Pale peachy rose-gold in color, the aromas include raspberry, tangerine, grapefruit, melon, and peach—a veritable fruit salad! The well-balanced palate is crisp and dry, with bright acidity and subtle red berry and citrus flavors, finishing with a clean, mineral note. Love at first sip!