SWL is in pink mood this summer. Beyond the exciting developments in the rosé category over recent years in Spain, we also feel the need to bring some joy to our glasses in a particularly challenging year. Four years have passed since we wrote our piece about the desire of several top producers to craft high quality, terroir-driven rosés, often with some ageing, that could be sold at premium prices. Since then, a “pink boom” has followed in almost any possible direction.
The choices are highly varied: sparkling cuvées, wines with specific grape varieties or areas with little or no rosé tradition, wines aged in barrels or other vessels and the recovery of traditional styles. In fact, some of the wines included in this selection are new releases. We will be adding new recommendations throughout August that you can follow on our social media.
The leading rosé areas in Spain in the 1990s were Navarra, Cigales, Méntrida and regions where Bobal was planted (in fact, this grape variety was traditionally used for rosés rather than red wines). Garnacha reigned in the category being predominant among rosés produced in Navarra and Méntrida and to some extent in Rioja, particularly in the case of Clarete from the Najerilla valley, where it was blended with Viura. Tempranillo was also used in Rioja and Cigales. Before the approval of DO Ribera del Duero in 1982, Aranda del Duero and its surrounding villages were known for Clarete, which blended Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and white grapes.
Whether on their own or blended with indigenous grapes, international varieties also had an impact on rosés at the time, particularly in Somontano, a region in the foothills of the Pyrenees, Navarra or Penedès. Barrel-aged rosés from Rioja were almost limited to one single producer: López de Heredia. They continue to make their outstanding Gran Reserva rosé in very specific years to the point that it has become a true unicorn wine.
Fortunately, the revitalization of rosés has gone beyond the popular Proveçal-style, pale-coloured wines. The renewed interest in rosés amongst high quality producers has been a source of creativity, diversity as well as an invaluable help to recover historical styles.
Using their long-standing expertise, the Chivite family crafted the first premium, barrel-aged rosé in Spain: Colección 125. In Ribera del Duero, Bertrand Sourdais went a step further with Le Rosé. This terroir-driven wine that exceeds the €50 threshold in Spain introduced the French tradition of pressing grapes rather than bleeding. In the same region, Jorge Monzón at Dominio del Águila did not only rescue the traditional Clarete. He also fought to include the name on the label and aged the wine in oak and bottle so that it is released much later than standard rosés (the current vintage is 2018). Although less widely known, his alter ego in Rioja is Honorio Rubio. Based in Cordovín, a village in the Najerilla Valley, Rubio is the standard-bearer for Clarete in the appellation. On the bubbly front, Raventós i Blanc sought inspiration in Champagne to craft De Nit, a wine that is as refined as it is addictive which has a small amount of red wine in a white blend. For their part, Spanish pét-nat producers have naturally introduced rosés into their portfolios (two Catalan sparkling rosés previously featured on SWL are Capsigrany by Alta Alella and Roig Boig by La Salada).
In terms of varieties, Marqués de Murrieta stood out for using Mazuelo, a grape with no rosé tradition in Rioja. Nowadays, it is possible to find Spanish rosés produced with Manto Negro, Monastrell, Caíño, Merenzao, Sumoll, Mandó or Malvasía Rosada. Imagination is the limit. Marqués de Riscal even uses the Sauvignon Blanc lees in its Viñas Viejas produced in Castilla y Léon. And, as you may have guessed, pink wines are made in all sorts of vessels and materials (concrete, amphorae...) and winemaking techniques (ageing under flor, skin-contact…). Some of the wines listed below speak of the burgeoning state of the rosé category in Spain.
This wine stands out among the sparkling wines we have tasted recently. Made by AT Roca, a family producer in Penedès, this is a single-vineyard rosé. Grapes are sourced from a north-facing plot planted to Garnacha (this grape accounts for 85% of the blend) and Macabeo on chalky-loam soils with distinctive slow ripening. The wine spent seven months in barrel, then 30 months in bottle after the second fermentation. The nose is complex with herbs, candied fruits and brioche aromas. The palate feels lively with bright acidity and red berries leading to a toasty finish. This rather sophisticated sparkling rosé is perfect to be enjoyed in good company at the end of the day. In compliance with the regulations of Classic Penedès, this is an organic wine. The disgorging date is shown on the label. 21.200 bottles were produced on this vintage.
Find this wine for €19.60 € at Coalla Gourmet.
Despite its presence on the American market for some time, this is the first vintage to be released in Spain. Astobiza Rosé is a blend of equal parts of the indigenous grape varieties Hondarrabi Zuri and Hondarrabi Beltza. Once destemmed, both varieties are transferred to a maceration tank before being cofermented in stainless steel tanks. Fresh and subtle, it displays white and stone fruit aromas and some dry herbs notes. This is an easy-to-drink rosé with sweet and bitter nuances on the palate. The charming Astobiza labels focus on the hand-made concept (they are actually hand-drawn before being printed) so it could be a very original present or be the talk of the day at a gathering with friends. 6,000 bottles were produced on this vintage.
Find this wine for €12 at the winery's online store or vía Wine Searcher.
Another new release that comes to cheer up the summer. This rosé is the second wine in the highly affordable Albariza range -the first was an unfortified Palomino white- priced below €6 in Spain. Labels feature a seahorse, as a reminder of the time when the Sherry Triangle was underwater and a tribute to the rich content in marine fossils in the area’s chalky soils. The wine is a blend of Palomino and Tintilla de Rota. Both varieties are handled together throughout the process, but the producer guards jealously the exact amount of each of them. This is a light, summer wine with red apple aromas and the distinctive sapid, chalky flavours of the Sherry Triangle. Despite being an unfortified wine with no aging under flor at all, it makes you think of sherry.
Find this wine for €5,95 € at Bodeboca.
It is not common no find the word “guarda” (meant for ageing) on the label of a rosé, but this is exactly the point for Fernando Chivite’s most personal project so far. An staunch advocate of the aging ability of rosés, he also stresses this fact by releasing part of the production in magnum bottles. In the end, there is no other secret than the careful selection of old vine Garnacha grown on hillsides in the subarea of Baja Montaña where yields are naturally low due to the old age of the plants and the poor soils. At a time when Garnacha is gaining ground among reds in Spain, this wine helps to rediscover how delicious and elegant its rosé version can be. The nose, fragrant and delicate, combines red fruit and petal aromas. The palate is balanced and juicy, with both structure and finesse; lovely texture with slightly chalky notes on the finish. A real bargain at under €10 in Spain and one of the best rosé expressions found in Navarra.
Find this wine for €8.90 at Lavinia.
Celler del Roure's underground cellar containing dozens of old clay vessels continues to produce little wonders like this rosé, which also reinforces the recovery of Mandó. This late ripening grape variety with distinctive high acidity has obvious qualities for producing rosés. The bottle I tasted, by the way, evolved wonderfully for over a week in my fridge. Interesting mix of red fruits (cherry, sour strawberry), with floral and subtle herbal notes. Tasty, sapid and juicy palate with briny and earthy notes on the finish adding character. A really interesting addition to the category.
Find this wine for €19.90 at Bodegas Bio.
This excellent value rosé made with Garnacha grown in Gredos north of Madrid should be on the summer list of all wine lovers. "It's a wine that needs a very specific grape profile: potential alcohol of around 13% abv and pH of 3 that fits in with a fresh, floral style," producer Jesús Soto points out. The name (Blue Oranges) comes from the time when Jesús worked at Belondrade in Rueda, where owner Didier Belondrade always wanted to go one step further – hence the expression "blue oranges". This pale-coloured rosé is fragrant on the nose with floral and cherry aromas. The juicy palate showcases sweet fruit and the slightly saline finish acts as a perfect counterpoint. It is so quaffable that we recommend a magnum bottle for gatherings of over four people.
Find this wine for €45 at Decántalo.
As a red wine, Cariñena can sometimes be a little rustic, but we find that this variety has great potential for rosés. The proof is right here in this delicious Sota Els Angels where it accounts for 50% of the blend (the rest is 30% Merlot and 20% Garnacha). Grapes were swiftly pressed and the wine finished fermentation in a 1,800-litre foudre where it was aged for a year. The colour is very pale and the style is elegant and sophisticated. Smoked, floral and peach skin aromas stand out on the nose. The palate is subtle, yet sapid and vibrant, with juicy fruit (cherry, grapefruit). A perfect choice for a special occasion.
Find this wine for around €26 in Ca l’Angel or at info@sotaelsangels.com.
Another nod to Cariñena (or Mazuelo as it’s usually called in Rioja) with 60% of the blend, taking central stage over Tempranillo (40%). Carlos Serres, a historic winery owned by Vivanco since the early 2000s, has launched this Reserva rosé special edition bringing back one of the house’s traditional styles. Founded in 1896 by a Frenchman called Charles Serres, it was first based in Haro's Railway Station District. The Onomástica range is reserved for single-vineyard wines. Grapes are sourced from El Estanque, a vineyard in the southeast of Haro. After bleeding the grapes, the wine was aged for over 1,000 days in barrel and bottle. The oak is present both on the nose (toasted notes share space with red fruit) and on the palate, yet Mazuelo leaves its mark on the finish adding tension and acidity so the wine is vibrant and lively. With its structure, this rosé undoubtedly calls for food. It can be a good summer substitute for full-bodied reds and would pair well with red meats or relatively consistent dishes. Only 1,200 bottles were produced. Could this be the beginning of a renaissance of barrel aged-rosés in Rioja?
Find this wine for €22 at Carlos Serres.
This vintage of Ramón Bilbao's premium rosé has gone through some changes. Finca Lalinde is now part of the company's new single-vineyard range of wines alongside two other reds set to be released soon (read more details here). The sophisticated screen-printed bottle has been dropped in favour of a minimalistic presentation inspired by the impressive new winery where all the wines are fermented in tulip-shaped concrete tanks. Lalomba is one of our favourite Rioja rosés. It displays a fragrant, elegant nose with red berries, grapefruit and petals, followed by a well-defined palate with acidity playing a major role (grapes, including 10% Viura, are sourced from high altitude vineyards on the slopes of Mount Yerga in Rioja Oriental) and pleasant sapid notes on the finish. This rosé develops well in bottle, particularly in magnum.
Find this wine for €18.56 at Decántalo.
Our third rosé from Rioja breaks the mold and could perhaps be better described as a Clarete. It is really bold in many ways. The blend is really atypical. It includes destemmed, unpressed Maturana Blanca and Maturana Tinta grapes. Both are fermented together and during the process some extra whole bunches of the red Maturana Tinta are added to the tank -this is the ancient “madreo” technique. A small amount of the wine is fermented separately in a clay vessel. After fermentation, grapes are in contact with the skins for three months, then the wine spends some time in oak barrels with almost no racking and is bottled without adding sulfites. It is therefore a natural, orange-rosé wine that benefits from generous decanting to offset reduction. This full-bodied wine with lively acidity has notes of orange peel, herbs and the distinctive tannins resulting from the extended skin contact. Suitable for adventurous wine lovers eager to explore new styles. 1,450 bottles were produced.
Find this wine for €19.40 at Lavinia.
While very few may associate Ribeira Sacra with rosés, this is one of the new categories approved recently by its Regulatory Board, as we reported recently in one of our articles on the area. Grapes for this wine are sourced from vineyards planted in the Sil Canyon, but it is sold without a geographical indication -Sílice Viticultores is one of the quality producers that are not part of the Consejo. Behind it are brothers Carlos and Juan Manuel Rodríguez, with family roots in Sober, and the restless winemaker Fredi Torres, who was born in Galicia but grew up in Switzerland and now makes wine in various Spanish and European regions. This year they have released two new rosés: a deep-coloured Clarete and this pale, suggestive and wonderfully easy to drink wine with moderate alcohol (12% abv.). A blend of Mencía, Merenzao and Palomino grown in granite, sandy and slate soils, it fermented with its own yeasts and was aged on its lees for four months partly in oak barrels and the rest in stainless steel tanks. Watermelon and pomegranate aromas blend in with floral notes (rose, pumice) over a slightly smoky background. It feels fresh and juicy, with vibrant acidity leading to a persistent, chalky finish. Like everything that comes out of this winery, quantities are tiny (only 1,651 bottles were filled), but it is definitely worth trying.
Find this wine for €17.95 at Vinícola de Información.
Rosé wines are not prevalent in Galicia, and certainly not in the Salnés Valley, an eminently white-producing region. Despite the dominance of Albariño, a handful of dedicated producers are recovering traditional red varieties in the area. One of these is Zárate, which has launched this blanc de noirs which blends 60% red Caíño with 20% Espadeiro and the same amount of Albariño grapes grown in Fontecón, a single vineyard in Meaño. After bleeding, the Caíño and Albariño, both de-stemmed, ferment with their lees in a stainless steel tank for three months while the Espadeiro bunches are pressed whole and kept in French oak for three months with their lees before being blended with the other two varieties. It is an original combination with the vibrant red fruit of the red grapes and the minerality and freshness of Albariño. The use of lees adds volume and makes it a very food-friendly wine.
Find this wine for €20.50 at Vila Viniteca.
Located in Villanueva de Alcardete, in Toledo, Bodegas Recuero is one of the few producers in Castilla-La Mancha on a mission to recover indigenous varieties like the red Moravia (or Brujidera) and the whites Airén, Malvar or Verdoncho. Through family, they grow grapes in Sierra de Gata further west in Extremadura. This fruit is fermented and aged in their winery in Toledo under the brand Antier. These coexisting projects have resulted in a third range of crossbred wines named Mélangé which are aged under a veil of yeasts in concrete vessels. This Clairette blends equal parts of an early-harvest Pinot Noir from Toledo and Ojo de Liebre (hare’s eye), a white variety resembling Albillo and grown in the village of Villamiel in Cáceres. In this saca of barely 960 bottles, the flor is less noticeable than in the appealing white Mélangé Bajo Velo. It is more about herbs, dried flowers and baked apples. The palate is slightly earthy, yet fresh and tasty and with distinctive saltiness on the finish. Another choice for adventurous wine drinkers.
Find this wine for €12.40 at Lavinia.
Puro Rofe's efforts to raise the profile of Lanzarote's exciting wine heritage continue with the launch of Mentidero, its first single-vineyard wine. Made from hundred-year-old vines planted with Malvasía Volcánica, Diego, Listán Blanco and the red Listán Negro and aged in French oak and stainless steel tanks for six months, it is labelled as a rosé wine for bureaucratic reasons. According to Rayco Fernández, they were not looking to make a rosé but a traditional wine, "as a tribute to those field blends of the past that were not made in terms of colour or variety". It comes from Mentidero, a vineyard planted in the traditional hand-dug holes in the volcanic soil of Masdache which is drawn on the label. It belonged to Juan, the uncle of grower Ascensión Robayna, but she has taken care of it since he died. At 12% abv., it's a fresh, agile wine with well-integrated acidity but also serious and with good volume and capable of complementing food thanks to the structure of the Listan Negro variety. The initial reduction in the nose disappears with good aeration and opens up to red fruit and herb aromas such as marjoram over a saline background. Only 1,600 bottles of a unique and complex wine that dispels the cliché that rosés are second-rate wines. As Rayco says, "it's like the baritone in the comic opera genre. So necessary!
Find this wine for €36.50 € at Coalla Gourmet.
This wine is the result of a partnership between Rioja producer Carlos Fernández from Bodegas Tierra and Sara Martínez and León Flórez, who run the export consortium of which Tierra is a member. It is a blend of white and red grapes, a style known in Spain as Clarete. The wine blends old Palomino vines and young trellised Prieto Picudo, both planted on the banks of the river Órbigo in the province of León. Part of the vineyards belong to León's family, but the wine is sold without appellation because it is made at Bodegas Tierra in Rioja. As other rosés in this selection, it was made for an importer and is therefore sold almost entirely outside of Spain. The base is Palomino, which accounts for over 90% of the blend. The Prieto Picudo grapes are pressed softly (Carlos was surprised by the deep colour of this variety). The traditional "madreo" technique is used and involves adding whole clusters of white grapes until the wine achieves a pale, salmon-like shade. Chalk aromas give way to floral and pumice notes over a red fruit background. The palate is fresh and unctuous, with good acidity and tension (it's got a white heart after all) and the chalky notes add character. Some extra roundness was achieved by aging a small part of the wine in seasoned barrels. Only 2,000 bottles were produced.
€10. More info about this wine at Bodegas Tierra.
