Five Recommended Spanish Rosés
Monday, July 1, 2013
Bodegas del Rosario Monastrell vineyards in Bullas |
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With the 4th of July holiday coming up I wanted to share picks for some of the better rosado wines I tried while in Yecla, Jumilla and Bullas. In case you missed it, these are from a trip I took to Spain last week. Read more about the trip here.
These wines are mostly Monastrell driven and usually present themselves in light shade of magenta. On average their flavors are more intense than what you'd find in say a Provençal rosé like this one. Alcohol levels ranged from 12.5% to 14.5%.
Most of these area available in the US - click the Wine-Searcher links to search for them at a nearby retailer. Prices listed are the average price where I saw strong availability at retailers according to Wine-Searcher.
2012 Castaño Rosado ~$9.99
Produced by Bodegas Castaño. Smells and tastes like fresh strawberries and watermelon candy but it never gets overly sweet. Medium acidity. Very satisfying and so easy to drink. No off notes. From the Yecla DO.
I'm pretty sure I've seent his one around in Massachusetts but the best availability seems to be at Total Wine stores. Find it on Wine-Searcher
Hard to complain about anything with this one. |
2012 Las Reñas Rosado ~$5.99
Produced by Bodegas del Rosario in the Bullas DO. Light magenta in the glass and so refreshing. The flavor profile is very satisfyingly intense and it's 14.5% alcohol but doesn't taste hot at all. 100% Monastrell. Hit the spot after some time in the warm vineyards. Poured by the glass as the house rosé at a restaurant we'd dine at later that evening and a terrific value. A Las Reñas white and red are available at Wegman's in the US for $5.99. Expect a rosé to follow in the future.
They also make a Liquid Geography Rosado with more widespread availability for around $8.99. Find it on Wine-Searcher
Look for an upcoming vintage of this at Wegman's for $5.99 |
2012 Bodegas Olivares Rosado ~$8.99
From Bodegas Olivares in Jumilla. Nice fruity nose and flavors. Medium-high acidity - would be great with food. Find it on Wine-Searcher
Solid. A crowd pleaser. |
Bodegas la Purisima is a cooperative in Yecla that's just bringing their wines to the US. Their rosado has an inviting nose of plush strawberries with leafy briar patch notes in the background Very clean and dry. 12.5% alcohol.
Not quite available in the US, but soon! |