No other wine category has skyrocketed in popularity quite like rosé. Over the last decade, rosé sales in the US have increased over 15x. White Zinfandel and Blush were the pink wines of choice in the 80s and 90s. But then the style went out of vogue and for a cool 10 years or so, you couldn’t give away a glass of pink wine. Like the residual sugar of those wines, the residual PTSD of that era was very real. The assumption was that any glass of rosé was going to be sweet.
Today, Americans are embracing rosé (and sparkling rosé!) as a lifestyle, just like in Europe. If the temperatures are warm and there is an ocean, sea, or river in site, there should be a glass of rosé in your hand. Here we share 10 sparkling rosés for every price point and every occasion. And remember, with sparkling wine, no occasion is necessary. Any day of the week is the occasion!
Valdo Rosé Brut NV (Italy) $15.99
Your “go to” pink bubbles, right here. Clocking in at a wallet friendly $16, this Valdo wine is the perfect sparkling rosé to pop any night of the week. And a stunning bottle to boot. This is the perfect bottle to take to a brunch, dinner party, or as a host(ess) gift. No gift wrap necessary! Made from a stunning blend of Nerello Mascalese from Sicily and Glera from the Veneto, this multi-region blend over-delivers with concentrated red berry fruit (raspberries) and pretty white flowers.
Laetitia Brut Rosé RM NV (Arroyo Grande Valley, CA) $25
The Laetitia vineyards were planted over 40 years ago when French viticulturists found the ideal growing conditions here for making wines of similar character to those of their homeland in Épernay in the Champagne region of France. Four miles from the ocean, morning fog, intense daytime sunshine, and cool nights are the recipe for good sparkling wine conditions. RM is short for récoltant manipulant or grower Champagne, as used in France. This signifies a wine that is grown and made in the same place. Mostly Chardonnay with some Pinot Noir; a beautiful California sparkling.
Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV (Western Cape, South Africa) $30
Graham Beck wines were served at both Nelson Mandela’s inauguration and Barack Obama’s presidential win. This wine is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay made in the Méthode Cap Classique, South Africa’s answer to the traditional method, which originated in France. This wine is bright, fruity, and fresh; perfect to pair with a lunchtime meal when you want to kick it up a notch.
Klinker Brick Bricks & Roses Sparkling Rosé NV (Lodi, CA)
Steve and Lori Felten, fifth generation grape growers in the Lodi region, continue the farming tradition of cultivating vineyards that their ancestors planted in the early 1900s. This Klinker Brick Grenache and Carignan blend is lighter in style and perfect for a Sunday brunch or a light seafood dish.
Sosie Bare Necessity Extra Brut Sparkling Rosé 2019 (Sonoma, CA) $36
Sosie Wines is a New World (Sonoma) winery with an Old World (French) heart and soul. Sosie is French for “twin” or “spitting image” and they prefer Old World style wines with restraint over ripeness, precision over power, and finesse over flamboyance. This bubbly has a slightly deeper color than the others and was a major standout in the entire tasting. A welcomed more structured sparkling wine that just begs to be enjoyed with food. Think: grilled shrimp skewers or soft-shell crab tacos.
Gran Moraine Brut Rosé NV (Willamette Valley, OR) $50
There is a sparkling wine race happening in the Willamette Valley at the moment. This makes sense for an area known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This sparkler comes to us from Gran Moraine in the Yamhill-Carlton sub-AVA. A classy and elegant wine serving up strawberry and watermelon plus rose petals and lightly toasted brioche. Phenomenal.
Balletto Brut Rosé 2016 (Russian River Valley, CA) $42
Balletto left this wine undisturbed for four years before it was disgorged to impart a more substantial mouthfeel plus leesy/yeasty aromas. A laser balanced traditional method rosé sparkler made of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. A slow dance of fresh bright red fruit and yeastiness creates a tension akin to a sultry tango.
Alta Colina Pet Nat $35 (Paso Robles, CA)
Founded in 2003, Alta Colina grows Rhônes in the heart of Paso Robles’ westside. A true family winery, Bob and Lynn Tillman, along with daughter Maggie, are forging a legacy of quality and sustainability. This pet nat offers a bit of a sour funk plus youthful fruity notes of watermelon, raspberry, strawberries, and peaches. The wine is cloudy with a layer of lees at the bottom of the bottle. This is expected from a pet nat, because of the natural winemaking style.
Champagne Boizel (Champagne, France) $61.99
From the almost 200-year-old Champagne house of Boizel, this sparkler stuns with a solid structure plus leesy notes. Made from all three traditional Champagne grapes: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. The Pinot Noir is sourced from only Grand and Premiers Crus in La Montagne de Reims, Chardonnay from only Grand and Premiers Crus in Côtes des Blancs, and Pinot Meunier from the Vallée de la Marne.
Champagne Henriot Brut Rosé NV (Champagne, France) $75
Champagne Henriot is one of the only family-owned Champagne houses, founded in 1808. Currently run by Alice Tétienne, vineyard director and cellar master. A soft hand on this Henriot Rosé. It is playful, yet intense and I taste every single dollar. This is premium quality wine, no question. Henriot is currently converting its vineyards to fully organic and is one of only about 15% of Champagne houses that has VDC sustainability certification. An iconic wine.
Brianne Cohen is an LA based event producer, certified sommelier, wine educator, and wine writer. During the pandemic, Brianne entertained over 7,000 people through her “Virtual Vino” online wine classes, regularly highlighting diverse (i.e. Black, BIPOC, female, and LGBT) owned wineries. She now offers both in-person (and virtual) wine tasting experiences for her corporate clients. Brianne regularly judges at international wine competitions, including the International Wine Challenge (IWC) in London and holds the WSET Diploma certificate. She writes on her own blog and for outlets such as Decanter, Vintner Project, and Kiplinger. She also holds an MBA from Loyola Marymount University. Brianne Cohen Wine & Events is a certified woman-owned business with WBENC.
