Best Rose Wines For 2025

Round & About

Round & About’s resident wine columnist, Giles Luckett reveals his pick of the bunch summer rose wine

Days Of Wine And Rosés 

Summer’s here, and that means just one thing; no, not a hosepipe, it means it’s time to chill out with some rosé.  Over the last decade, rosé’s reputation has been resurrected.  Once upon a time, great rosés were as common as hen’s dentists.  Today, great wines abound, and being the selfless chap that I am, I tasted 50 (I’ve had tougher Tuesdays) to find my rosé recommendations for 2025. 

I’ve never had a wine named after a New York cabbie’s licence number, but if they’re as good as the Jean Leon 3055 (VINUM £14.35), then I’m onboard.  ‘Fulsome’ was a recurring word in my notes on this Spanish beauty.  From the fulsome cherry, strawberry jam, and nectarine nose to the, you guessed it, fulsome palate of apricot conserve, red pears, loganberries and crisp, mineral-tinted citric acidity, this is very easy to love and works brilliantly as a solo sipper. 

Next, one of Provence’s 18 Cotes de Provence Cru Classe properties, the Domaine de la Croix Cuvee Eloge Rosé 2023 (Perfect Cellar £18.72 down from £24.96).  Blending elegance with refreshment, this is a stunning wine.  Copper pink, the nose melds citrus and red berries while in the mouth it’s spicy, fresh and with spiced cherries, rhubarb and tangerine on the finish.  Perfect for summer salads, barbecued poultry or seafood, this has the fruit and structure to develop in the bottle. 

Highlighting rosé’s chameleon capacity, we have the Chateau Margui Coteaux Varois en Provence Rose 2023 (Perfect Cellar £19.96 down from £24.95).  Owned by George Lucas as part of his Skywalker Vineyards (nice hobby if you can get it), this is a mesmerising wine.  Ghostly pale and offering high-toned aromas of grapefruit, quince, pear and raspberry, I was expecting a tangy, reserved palate.  What I got was white Burgundy complexity with layers of red and white berries, savoury minerals, and a whiff of flint smoke.  A real showstopper, much as I love George’s films, I think I prefer his wines. 

When you think of rosés, you obviously think of Lebanon.  You don’t?  Oh, maybe it’s just me, then.  Anyway, you should because it’s home to the Musar Jeune Rosé (N D John Wines £16.95) from the iconic, Château Musar.  Musar’s wines are idiosyncratic, and this blend of Cinsault, Syrah, and Tempranillo was a new one to me.  Almost tawny in colour, aromas of beetroot, cherries and alpine strawberries rise from the glass, while in the mouth it’s full and ripe with raspberries, sweet and sour cherries, earthy herbs, spices and prunes.  One for food, pair this with charcuterie, pink fish, or creamy cheeses. 

Another left-field rosé wine nation is Germany.   Famous for their world-beating whites, including their peerless Rieslings and top-flight Pinot Gris, their rosé wines are rare but worth seeking out.  Take the Frederick Becker Petit Rosé (Cellar Door Wines £17.95).  The Becker’s are one of Germany’s finest Pinot Noir producers, scooping the Gault-Milau’s annual German wine guide award for the Best German Pinot Noir on numerous occasions.  This is an intriguing blend that includes Pinot and Dornfelder.  The nose is simultaneously fragrant and savoury, offering cherries and red stone fruits alongside sandy minerals and bread dough.  In the mouth there’s plenty of summer berries, cherries, plums and citrus, and while it’s only 11%, the gentle intensity would allow it to partner sheep’s cheeses, a minute steak, or smoky roasted veg with ease. 

Prosecco has been all the rage for some years now, but there’s been a quiet revolution running through its ranks as the focus moves from quantity to quality.  At the forefront of this has been Bottega Rose Gold (Majestic £22 or £20 on a mixed six).  So much more than pretty presentation, this vivid pink wine has cherries, raspberries, and pear drops on the nose, lifted by small, pink pearl bubbles.  These tones carry through to the dry, elegant palate where they’re joined by a touch of bramble fruit.  Joyous. 

South Africa seems to be able to do any style of wine brilliantly.  Their Cap Classique, like my house wine, the Graham Beck Rosé (Majestic £12 on a mixed 6, £12!), are amazing, their Cabernets are world-class, and they’re a dab hand at Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.  The Warwick First Lady Rose (the Savana £12.90) is, despite being made from Pinotage, a grape whose reds you don’t so much drink as grapple with, is poised, stylish, and pretty.  Winter rose pale, scents of watermelon, raspberry, and strawberry offer the perfect entrée to a wine that is light and gently intense with flavours of raspberry and strawberry with an underlying cherry and cranberry bitterness, and a tantalising touch of redcurrant. 

The number of Australian rosés has grown quickly, albeit from a low base.  My experiences have been mixed.  Too many, especially when made from Shiraz or Cabernet, felt like light reds rather than rosés.  Some producers are nailing it, though, as shown by the delightful Rogers & Rufus Rosé (Drinks Direct, £14.98). Made from the thin-skinned Grenache, its coral colour and refined bouquet with subtle notes of strawberry, cherry, cherry sherbet, and melon suggest they’ve gone too far in the other direction.  In the mouth its fuller though, with nectarine, cherry, almond, strawberry, and apricot dominating play, before a zesty, yet textured, finish of juicy berries at the end.  Sophisticated and lithe, this is gem of a wine. 

Sancerre is one of the world’s great wines, and while it’s best known for its whites, its rosés can be majestic.  Joseph Mellot is my favourite Sancerre producer, and their Le Rabault Rosé (Vinum £20.90) is the work of a winemaker at the top of their game.  Pure Pinot Noir, this is a floral, beetroot and blackberry-tinted wine whose power comes from its concentration of red berry, red cherry, and spiced pink grapefruit. Underpinned by minerals, this is a serious rosé that’s a delight on its own, but which really shines with lamb, fish, or roasted game birds. 

I’ll finish with the phenomenon that is Chateau d’Esclans, they of Whispering Angel fame.  While I admire Whispering Angel, I’ve always found its big sister, the Rock Angel (Waitrose £27.50), even more satisfying.  Made from Grenache, Cinsault and Rolle, the latter giving it a dash of freshness, it builds on Whispering Angel’s foundations with oak ageing adding structure and richness.  Salmon pink, honey-coated strawberries lead the charge with cherries, almond blossom, grapefruit, lemon, and a quarry-full of minerals on the finish.  This is a serious wine that deserves pairing with fine dishes such as guinea fowl, scallops, monkfish or artichoke roulade.