In the West, It’s Always Rosé Season—Here’s What to Drink Right Now

Wine experts share their favorite pinks bottled in the West, ranging from a fizzy rosé in adorable cans to a rouge-hued pour that packs a fruit-forward punch. Cheers!

The Bargain

Lorenza 2018 Rosé, Napa Valley, California ($18)

“Made by mother-daughter dream team Melinda Kearney and Michèle Lorenza Ouellet, this Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Cinsault blend is picked early to retain acidity. It’s approachable, fresh, and a great price point. We pour this by the glass at Pizzeria Locale.”—Carlin Karr, Wine Director at Pizzeria Locale sister restaurant Tavernetta, Denver, CO

The All-Natural Sipper

Arnot-Roberts 2018 Rosé, Lake County, California ($28)

“Made from Touriga Nacional, not a typical grape in California, this rosé from small-production natural wine producer Arnot-Roberts has a salty, briny, savory quality and a beautiful pink-salmon color.”—Mary Allison Wright, Wine Director at Morin; Co-Owner of The Proper Pour, Denver, CO

 The Perfect Umami Match

Jolie Laide ‘Fanucchi Wood Road’ Trousseau Gris, Sebastopol, California ($35)

“An unexpected grape from an unexpected place, this wine is a skin contact Trousseau Gris that drinks like a stunning rosé with subtle tannin and beautiful texture. Crushable as a wine to pound on your porch (as they say), it’s also insanely cool and really fun with food, especially umami dishes and mushrooms.”—Mary Allison Wright, Wine Director at Morin; Co-Owner of The Proper Pour, Denver, CO

The Francophile

Settembre Cellars Cabernet France Rosé, Colorado ($24)

“Settembre Cellars in Boulder produces Colorado’s finest Rosato with Cab Franc grapes grown in the Grand Valley. In a style akin to wines of the Loire Valley of France, it is fresh, structured, and built for food with pronounced notes of raspberry, stone, and fruit.”—Will Frischkorn, co-owner Cured, Boulder, CO

The Thought Provoker

Jolie-Laide Rosé of Valdiguie, Sebastopol, CA ($27)

“From one of California’s most interesting young wineries, Scott Schultz at Jolie-Laide makes a rosé from a 1940s-era planting of Valdiguie with ripping acidity, bittery, pithy grapefruit notes, a strawberry fruit core and a Campari-esque finish. While much rosé is made to simply make you smile, this one prompts thought as well.” —Will Frischkorn, co-owner Cured, Boulder, CO

The Can You Can Take Anywhere

Nomikai California Rosé Fizzy ($4)

“Nomikai’s canned rosé is probably the cutest wine I’ve ever seen. I want to stash, like, four of them in all my pockets and head out on a ferry ride to a hike with a picnic. The wine turns out to be delicious, spritzy, tart-yet-juicy like wild strawberries, and dry—pretty much all the things I want all the time.”—Stevie Stacionis, Owner of Bay Grape and Founder of the Bâtonnage Forum for Women in Wine

The Italian Twist

Martha Stoumen, Benson Ranch Negro Amaro Rosato, Mendocino County ($45)

“Martha just gets it. She knows how to make bomb-dot-com wine. A lesser-known Italian grape, Negro Amaro is apt to be totally clunky or misunderstood and yet, voila—the rosé, dry-farmed in Mendocino, drinks like heaven and pairs so well with food.”—Helen Johannesen, owner of Helen’s Wines, L.A.

The Savory Sipper 

Ruth Lewandowski 2017 Rosé, Fox Hill Vineyard, Salt Lake City ($25)

“Winemaker Evan Lewandowski makes this wine from Souzão and Touriga Nacional—grapes that might stump most people—which he sources in California to make wines from in Utah. The salty watermelon magic in the bottle screams, hello spring, it’s me, the sunset at 7:30pm you’ve been waiting for.” —Helen Johannesen, owner ofHelen’s Wines, L.A.

The Delicious Italian Imposter

Giornata Ramato 2017, San Luis Obipso, California ($24)

“Winemakers Stephanie and Brian Terrizzi make California wines with Italian grapes. Giornata is an Italian term that means coppered and it represents Pinot Grigio fermented on its skins. The Giornata Ramato goes through a typical red wine fermentation with twice-daily punch-downs in Italian amphorae. Not truly rosé/rosato, its pink hues veer towards the copper color that the name Ramato implies. This wine provides the vibrance suited for summer foods and can easily take you from an afternoon sipper with cheese and olives through to salads and even heartier fare like grilled chicken, fish and even lamb.”— Francesca Maniace, Wine Director, Che Fico, San Francisco

The Dark Knight

‘Il Ciliegio’ Zinfandel Rosé the Scholium Project, Central Valley, California ($36)

“On our current menu, we are pouring the Il Ciliegio from the Scholium Project. Many of our guests comment on the color of this wine because it’s really dark! In contrast to many of the paler “summer water” rosés, this delivers fruit with impact in a remarkably dry wine.”—Jordon Sipperley, Beverage Director at Dialogue, Santa Monica, CA

The Backyard Barbecue Bottle

Teutonic Wine Company Rosé, Oregon ($20)

“We are currently pouring the 2018 Rosé from Teutonic, which is made right here in the Chehalem Mountains of Oregon. It kind of smells like pink lemonade but has a touch of richness which makes it perfect for barbecue or anything that comes off a grill.”—Evan Hortter, Wine Director at Bullard and Abigail Hall, Portland, OR

The Porch Pounder

Split Rail Rosé, Boise ($18)

“This year’s vintage is made with Syrah grapes, instead of Cinsault grapes. It’s a dry (read: not sweet) rosé, showing a nice fruit presence, including hints of strawberry and cherry. This is what we call a ‘Porch Pounder.’ If you’re going to sit outside when it’s nice and warm, and drink some rosé, then this will fit the bill perfectly.”—Kent Schmidtke, Boise Co-Op Wine Shop

The Poster Child for Good Living

Scribe Rosé of Pinot Noir ($38)

“When you think rosé you think alfresco dining. When you think alfresco dining you ideally would like it to be in the middle of a beautiful vineyard, drinking wine made from grapes grown in that vineyard. The Northern California winery that seems to be the poster child for that setting is Scribe. I have fallen a bit out of love with Pinot Noir I can afford to drink, but this is a delicious, joyful, affordable expression. Its aromatics are staggering, and the relatively low alcohol makes for explosive freshness with no shortage of flavor. I can hardly think of a thing I wouldn’t want to eat with this, but I never met a roasted chicken I didn’t like, so let’s go with that.”—David Rosoff, Beverage Director at Hippo, L.A.