Cheers to Rose Szn: My 2025 Grocery Store Favorites

I don’t have a specific memory around my first sip of Rosé. I remember my first red (Arbor Mist, anyone? What a long way we’ve come) and my first white (Sauvy B). I even have memories of beginner sips of sparkling and recall my first vintage Champagne fondly. Realistically, that Rosé memory doesn’t really matter - this wine style had me based on color alone.

Pink!

What exactly is Rosé wine? To put it simply, Rosé is literally somewhere between red and white wine.

Wine color comes from the skins. When making white wine, grape juice is pressed away from the skins before fermentation, and hence has little to no color.

Red wine is fermented on the skins and left to sit for a period of time to extract pigmentation. This is known in the wine world as maceration.

To make Rosé, a winemaker will leave the fermented wine on the skins for a short maceration, allowing for only a small to medium amount of color extraction before straining the wine off the skins. Barbie approved!

The Darker the Pink, the Sweeter the Juice?

I wonder who started this hot rumor. They must have had one hell of a marketing team.

Dark pink Rosé tells us absolutely nothing about the sweetness level. Remember maceration? The only thing that determines the color of wine is the skin. The fermentation process determines the sweetness level. To make an alcoholic beverage, yeast is added to convert sugar into alcohol. Want a sweet wine? Have your winemaker add less yeast than needed to convert all of the sugar. 

Please, my friends, grab a Spanish Rosado and get into the dark pink. Crisp, juicy, and dry as the lightest pink from Côtes de Provence.

Favorite Rosé: Grocery Store Edition

I took Cairo to Whole Foods to explore their small but generous Rosé section. Here’s what I purchased and loved!

Chateau Gassier Cotes de Provence 'Esprit Gassier' Rose

Berries, citrus, tart, clean, fresh - $18.99

Wolffer Estate Summer in a Bottle Long Island Rosé 2024

It’s all in the name. Take me to the Hamptons. - $27.99

El Terrano Rosado 2022

Cariñena, Spain. Surprisingly light, crisp, minerality, rose petals, and raspberries. - $11.99

Santa Julia 'Innovacion' Malbec - Syrah Rose 2024

Mendoza, Argentina. Shareable! This red fruity wine is my go-to for day parties. - $14.99