No, Rosé Isn't Just a Summer Wine

Wanda Mann wants everyone to give rosé the respect it deserves. 

The wine specialist, contributing editor to The SOMM Journal, as well as the founder behind Wine With Wanda, will be on hand at this year's Food & Wine Classic in Aspen to break down all things rosé, including why she thinks it's finally getting its due. 

"To be very superficial, a lot of the rise of rosé can be aligned to social media," she shares. Rosé has really become a lifestyle wine. It looks pretty in pictures, and everyone talks about this rosé lifestyle like you've been transported to the south of France. And that's definitely a part of it."

However, Mann is also interested in making everyone's rosé experience about more than just what's good for the 'gram. 

"I want to show in my seminar that rosé is more than that. It's also a serious wine that serious winemakers approach with the same integrity and discipline, and passion." 

While Mann recognizes that Provence is a "powerhouse" for rosé, there are plenty of winemakers across the globe creating stellar bottles as well. Her panel includes the relatively inexpensive Gai'a 4-6H Rosé 2022 from Nemea, Greece, which retails for $18, the mid-priced Craggy Range Rosé 2022 from Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, which retails for $34, and the Viña Vik “La Piu Belle” Rosé 2021 from Millahue Valley, Chile at $35, all the way up to the more expensive Chateau d'Esclans "Garrus" Rosé 2020 from Provence, which retails for $125, and the investment-worthy Rare Rosé Champagne 2012 from Champagne, France that retails at $499. 

Beyond showing that rosé can hang with the big dogs of global wine, Mann also wants to help people get to know its varying shades. 

"Don't judge a rose by its color. People have become accustomed to these very pale ballet slipper pinks, and that's fine, but don't dismiss a rosé just because it's a darker heel of pink."

And, perhaps most life-changing of all, Mann says rosé can be enjoyed whenever you damn please, including well after Labor Day. 

"What people don't realize is there are some Rosés that spend a little time in oak," she shares, adding, "I always say Rosé can also be a great Thanksgiving wine." 

To enjoy it far beyond the summer season, Mann suggests trying something "with a little more body," including bottles made with a more robust grape like a Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah. "Those wines can generally hold up to a [fall] meal." 

Though the real beauty of Rosé, Mann says, is it's typically one that is easy to drink and extremely easy to enjoy, especially in the weeks to come. As Mann shares, "Sometimes, I just want to be outside with my friends with the breeze blowing and a nice glass of rosé, and I just want it to taste good."