Best rosé wine – taste tested
When the sun is shining, there’s nothing better than a chilled glass of delicious rosé wine. We put our wine expert to the test in order to find the best rosé bottles under £25
Rosé is currently the most fashionable wine in the world. It has to be a very particular kind of rosé, mind; the colour should be what is known as onion skin, sometimes so pale, barely a pink at all, and it absolutely has to be from Provence. Names such as Miraval, Whispering Angel and Made in Provence are much-coveted designer labels.
The Provençal style is now aped all over the world. You get that beautiful colour from very gently pressing red grapes so that only a tiny bit of colour, and indeed flavour, from the skins gets into the wine. Happily, it doesn’t all have to taste the same, a Greek rosé made in this way will taste very different from a southern French one, for example.
But it’s not the only way to make rosé, just a little north of the Mediterranean, in the southern foothills of the Rhône valley, they make pinks with some serious heft, wines that are nearly red with tannin and lots of fruit. They also make darker styles of rosé all over the world, particularly in Spain and Italy.
Currently, the Provençal style is in ascendant, around 95% of the wines I tried for this test were of that type, but whisper it, there’s a dark rosé revival on the horizon as people look for wines with a little more character.
On a baking hot summer’s day, it’s hard to argue with the pale style. The flavours should be subtle, walking a tightrope between elegant and almost not there. They won’t knock your socks off like vintage champagne or a Barossa Shiraz but with the best you will find yourself having a sip, then another and before you’ve realised it you have finished the bottle.
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All the bottles below have been taste tested by wine writer Henry Jeffreys. Henry is a drinks and wine writer who writes for Master of Malt, and his work has appeared in the The Guardian, The Spectator and The Financial Times. He is the author of Empire of Booze: British History through the Bottom of a Glass, which won best debut drink book at the Fortnum & Mason 2017 Awards. He also curates the wine choices for the BBC Good Food Wine Club in association with Laithwaites and writes many drinks guides for Good Food, including covering all forms of fizz – from the best cava and best English sparkling wines to finding the best champagne.
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Jump to section:
- Best rosé at a glance
- Best rosé to buy in 2024
- Previously tested rosé
- Rosé: What is it and why is it so popular?
- How old should rosé be
- How pink should rosé be
- How we tested
- Rosé recipes
Best rosé at a glance
- Best Italian rosé: Tormaresca Calafuria, £15
- Best South African rosé: Vergelegen Florence Rosé 2023, £13.99
- Best Provence rosé: Domaines de Mapliers Côtes de Provence Abacus Rosé 2023, £26
- Best Rhone rosé: Tavel Cuvée Prima Donna Rosé, Domaine Maby 2022, £14.50
- Best rosé for parties: Cotes du Roses 2023, Gerard Betrand, £13.90
- Best rioja rosé: Ramón Bilbao Rioja Rosado 2021, £8.75
- Best English rosé: Simpsons Railway Pinot Noir Rosé 2022, £19.50
- Best Spanish rosé: Señorío de Sarría Garnacha Navarra Rosado 2023, £7.95
- Best budget Provence rosé: Waitrose Provence rosé, £9.99
- Best bargain wine: La Vieille Ferme Rosé 2023, £8.25
Best rosé to buy in 2024
Tormaresca Calafuria
Available from Sviando (£15), Twelve Green Bottles (£20.95), Amazon (£23.95)
Best Italian rosé
Star rating: 5/5
We love the colour of this rosato, much redder than a Provence-style wine and that’s reflected in how it tastes. There’s bright red juicy strawberries, a refreshing tang here with notes of orange peel and even a whisper of tannin. Absolutely delicious and the bottle looks superb too.
Available from:
Vergelegen Florence Rosé 2023
Available from Hard to Find Wines (£13.99)
Best South African rosé
Star rating: 5/5
As you’d expect from one of the most famous estates in Stellenbosch, this is an excellent wine. The colour is slightly darker than the fashionable pale norm and the taste is bigger too. It’s vibrantly floral, orange blossom and lemon sherbet. Huge fun and good value for a wine of such quality.
Available from:
Domaines de Mapliers Côtes de Provence Abacus Rosé 2023
Available from The Good Wine Shop (£26)
Best Provence rosé
Star rating: 5/5
If you want to taste how good Provence rosé can be, then you need to try this. It’s very different from the ethereal norm being packed with apricot with a full body and an almond-like nuttiness on the finish. Definitely one to drink ice cold in the baking sunshine.
Available from:
Tavel Cuvée Prima Donna Rosé, Domaine Maby 2022
Available from The Wine Society (£14.50)
Best Rhone rosé
Star rating: 5/5
Tavel is the only all rosé appellation in France. It’s been doing it for years making a sturdy style of rosé that is close to a red wine. This is a big bold red fruit with notes of pink grapefruit peel and a little tannin. These wines can be a little boozy but this is nicely under control. Very tasty especially with spicy chicken thighs.
Available from:
Cotes de Roses 2023, Gerard Bertrand
Available from Sviando (£13.90), Majestic (£13.99), Vinatis (£15.84)
Best rosé for parties
Star rating: 4/5
With a bottle as pretty as this, everyone will think this is much more expensive than it is, making it the perfect wine if you’re having a party. The wine doesn’t disappoint either. Though it’s not from Provence, it’s got the style down perfectly with classic stone fruit, subtle strawberries and cream flavours.
Available from:
Ramón Bilbao Rioja Rosado 2021
Available from Co-Op (£8.75), Tesco (£9)
Best rioja rosé
Star rating: 4/5
Rioja in Spain is a great hunting ground for quality rosé. It used to be made in a darker style but in recent years the colour has shifted in line with Provence. This is so pale it’s almost colourless, happily it’s not short of flavour with its peppery, saline flavours and red fruit.
Available from:
Simpsons Railway Pinot Noir Rosé 2022
Available from Corkk (£19.50)
Best English rosé
Star rating: 4/5
English rosé has come on in leaps and bounds in the past three years so this was a hard one to narrow down. We went for the Simpsons one because there’s real pinot noir character and body here despite the fashionably pale colour. The price is also very reasonable for an English wine of this quality.
Available from:
Señorío de Sarría Garnacha Navarra Rosado 2023
Available from The Wine Society (£7.95)
Best Spanish rosé
Star rating: 4/5
This is how all Spanish rosado used to look and taste before the industry switched over to a more fashionable style. We loved its crunchy red cherry fruit with notes of fresh orange. It’s a great all-rounder at the table. This will go with everything from BBQ steak to Greek salad.
Available from:
Waitrose Provence rosé
Available from Waitrose (£9.99)
Best budget Provence rosé
Star rating: 3/5
We tried a huge number of Provence rosés for this test and this one was easily the best of the sub £10 ones and gave the big names below a run for its money. While some southern French rosés are frankly just a bit dull this one was mouth-watering in its intensity. If you don’t care about brand names, then look no further.
Available from:
La Vieille Ferme Rosé 2023
Available from Ocado (£8.25), Vinatis (£10.61)
Best bargain rosé
Star rating: 3/5
This is made by one of the great wine making families of France, the Perrins, who make some superb wine in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This is their budget range and it’s always worth buying with apricots, pink grapefruit and notes of thyme and rosemary.
Available from:
Previously tested
Calvet Sancerre 2020
Available from Waitrose (£12.99)
Best pinot noir rosé
Star rating: 4/5
The region of Sancerre is famous for its white wines made with sauvignon blanc but it also makes light reds and rosés from pinot noir. It’s full-bodied for a rosé with a refreshing acidity, lots of cranberry fruit and a floral perfumed finish. This would be delicious with seared tuna.
Available from:
Mirabeau Pure Côtes de Provence 2021
Available from Tesco (£15.50)
Best to drink by the pool
Star rating: 4/5
From one of the biggest names in the Provence rosé world, this is a textbook example of style. There’s stone fruit on the nose and then an explosion of peachy notes on the palate with a long creamy finish. Utterly irresistible, especially if you’re lucky enough to be by the pool.
Available from:
Porcupine Ridge 2017
Available fromWaitrose (£8.99)
Made by one of the Cape’s best producers, Boekenhoutkloof, this rosé is South Africa meets Provence at a bargain price. A juicy wine with the taste of bright strawberry fruit, it’s impossible to refuse a second glass.
Available from:
Esprit de Buganay 2016
Available from Waitrose (£9.99)
A bottle consisting of a blend of Cinsault, Syrah and Grenache, you can almost smell the Mediterranean with the salty, citrus and herbal flavours of this wine.
Available from:
MiP 2017
Available from Vinissimus (£20)
The abbreviated name, as you might have guessed, stands for Made in Provence. It’s so pale that it’s barely pink at all, and its flavours of lemon and thyme are more white wine than rosé – so it might be best suited if you prefer white wines.
Available from:
Château de Berne 2016
Available from Majestic (£15.99)
If you judge how good a rosé is by how quickly the bottle disappears, this one is our clear winner. Perfect when served at a barbecue, everyone will love the fresh saline quality, peachy fruit and creamy texture that it brings.
Available from:
Rosé: what is it and why is it so popular?
How old should rosé be?
Rosé should be enjoyed relatively young, although the best pinks actually taste better with a little time in the bottle. But largely these are not wines for keeping, and you should be aware that their clear glass bottles can leave their delicate contents susceptible to damage from sunlight – which is why you should never buy rosé that has been kept in a shop window.
How pink should rosé be?
The Provençal style of rosé wine is now used all over the world. You get that beautiful colour from very gently pressing red grapes – usually grenache, cinsault and other Mediterranean varieties – so that only a tiny bit of colour (and indeed flavour) from the skins gets into the wine, resulting in that classic blush shade.
However, this is not the only way to make rosé. Just a little north of Provence, in the villages of Tavel and Lirac at the southern foothills of the Rhône valley, you'll find rosé that is very nearly red because they make pinks with tannin and lots of fruit. Darker styles of rosé are made all over the world, particularly in Spain and Italy. In Australia and other New World countries, rosé wine can be made simply by mixing red and white wine together.
How we tested
Our expert sampled some of the famous rosé names versus the best from the supermarkets and the high street, all ranging in price between £7 and £17. The wines were tested both in a formal tasting – one by one – and then again informally, served with food. Often, ones that didn’t impress on first tasting became the favourites after paired with foods.
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