Showcasing a bevy of thirst-quenching rosés packed with fruit and spice, the five star rating system stresses value for price.
Pentâge
2012 Rosé
Penticton, Okanagan Valley
$19
A eye- and palate-pleasing blend of Gamay Noir and Tempranillo, this enticing rosé displays a vivid, strawberry hue and intensely-refreshing flavours of cherry, strawberry, grapefruit and pepper, cleansed by a crisp, dry finish. Excellent with salads and fish soup.
Château D’Anglès
2011 La Clape Classique Rosé
Saint-Pierre La Mer, Languedoc-Roussillon
$19.99
Go to Narbonne in the hot, arid deep south of France for this dry, minerally rosé from a blend of Mourvèdre, Syrah and Grenache. Exotic flavours suggest white rose petal, strawberry, peach, grapefruit and aromatic spices. Serve with summer salads and grills.
B•S
2010 Rosé Table Wine
Summerland, Okanagan Valley
$18.99
If there is a refined rosé, B•S’s pink Gamay makes the grade. Bright strawberry in the glass, it features softly-textured ripe strawberry, melon and grapefruit with notes of mineral and black pepper, crisp acidity and subtle tannins. Takes fish or chicken salads.
Haywire
2010 Gamay Noir Rosé
Summerland, Okanagan Valley
$16.95
Evolved rosé shows vibrant fruit, crisp acidity and a stylish personality. It offers fragrances and flavours of crushed strawberry, raspberry and apple with notes of pink grapefruit, flower petal and black pepper. Partners pasta, tomato sauce and Chorizo.
St. Hubertus
2012 Summer Symphony
Kelowna, Okanagan Valley
1/2 $19.95
Made from ultra-ripe gamay noir grapes, this apricot pink, dessert-style wine is perfect with fresh fruit, cheese and on ice cream sundaes. Medium sweet with a tangy twist, it features essences of crème de cassis, grapefruit peel, milk chocolate and cinnamon.
Tantalus
2012 Rosé
Kelowna, Okanagan Valley
$21.90
Blending pinot meunier from vines planted in 1985 with young vines pinot noir, this potent, sweet-smelling, cherry-bright rosé offers strawberry and cranberry fruit with rose petal, grapefruit, and black pepper, and a firm, dry finish. Washes down paella, fish soup.
Seven Directions
2012 Pinot Noir Rosé, Kalala Vineyard
West Kelowna, Okanagan Valley
1/2 $27.90
From Central Okanagan-grown grapes, the free-run juice has been partially fermented and briefly aged in new French oak. It combines bright, juicy cranberry, strawberry and pink grapefruit and refined notes of vanilla and toast. Superb with grilled seafood.
Arrowleaf
2012 First Crush Rosé
Lake Country, Okanagan Valley
$14.99
Made from a mouth-watering mix of Pinot Noir and Zweigelt, this crisp, dry rosé exhibits a raspberry pink colour, an intensely aromatic palate suggesting red apple, raspberry, strawberry, cola and rose petal, and a zesty finish. Enjoy with salads and grilled chicken.
Gray Monk
2009 Odyssey Rosé Brut
Okanagan Centre, Okanagan Valley
1/2 $19.99
A sexy blend of gamay noir, pinot meunier and pinot noir, this frothy, traditional-method bubbly serves up bewitching flavours of strawberry, cherry, apple, grapefruit and watermelon, and a balanced, off-dry finish. Enjoy as an apéritif or with a gourmet picnic.
