It’s Fashion Week, so what are you drinking? For me, it’s rosé, a wine category that effortlessly transitions over from summer into fall, especially as we’re still enjoying sunny days. Here are a few fashionable bottles that not only straddle both sides of Labor Day, but also make great style statements with their packaging or backstories.
Take five from Provence
By Ott, Côtes De Provence AOP 2023
This soft-shouldered, shapely bottle offers a delicate, light-pink wine that carries all the flavors of a classic Provence rose: fresh strawberries, a tinge of saline, along with juicy peach tones; fresh and lively.
The sister wine, Domaines Ott Chateau de Selle Cru Classe, comes in a tall curvy bottle and what’s inside lives up to the elegant packaging, starting with the glinty pink hue. That leads to a medley of apple flavors—green and yellow—a herbal quality of mint and thyme typical of Provence, and a fresh wet-stone minerality.
Château D’Esclans Domaines Sacha Lichine Côtes De Provence AOP 2022
With an embossed crest on the bottle and a gold-etched, almost filigree label decoration, this evokes a classic style (think prep-school jacket!). This offering from the maker of Whispering Angel is a substantial blend of classic grapes from the region: Grenache, Rolle (Vermentino) and Syrah. Red-fruited with strawberries and cherries, a bit of Mediterranean savory herb.
The sister wine, Château D’Esclans Les Clans 2021, has a similar taste profile, but is sturdier all the way around: a stout and substantial bottle, 14% ABV and more structured with deeper fruits. It veers off slightly onto a spicier route with some ginger and fennel, making this a gastronomic partner for roasted fish, poultry and spicy dishes.
Château D’Estoublon Roseblood
From an esteemed estate, this new bottling is produced with French/Italian fashion icon and musician and former French First Lady Carla Bruni. So, right there is enough cred to belong on the runway (also, the estate is a member of a council of leading luxury brands, along with Hermès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Cartier). Roseblood is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Rolle, comes in a pretty bottle with a botanical theme, evoking the Garden of Eden with a little snake snuck in among the leaves. It’s light and crisp, very delicate for pre-dinner sipping. A bit of an unusual profile for a classic rose, relying on lavender, pomegranate, crunchy stone fruit and a little bit of mineral smoke.
A trio of stylish roses from Provence
Château Minuty ‘Prestige’ Rose Côtes De Provence AOP 2023
Château Minuty has been one of the pink-wine success stories in the past couple of decades, coming into the U.S. market as a high-end luxury rosé at a time the category was just gaining ground. The Prestige comes in a tall thin, svelte bottle (just like a model!) and offers flavors of small red berries, a snap of pink grapefruit and a streak of acidity to keep it fresh.
The bottle of the Château Minuty “281” Côtes de Provence AOP sports a mysterious cloak of midnight blue (Pantone 281 for which it is named) like an off the shoulder drape and is made from a selection of 25-year-old clonal Grenache grapes with some select-parcel Syrah. That aspect of the viticulture gives this a deeper concentration of fruit and structure, but, in the tradition of classic Provence, still maintains its freshness and verve. This one is a little more exotic than its little sister, leaning toward plush and fleshy tropical fruits.
The third in the trio is Rose et Or, replete with simple elegance, nuanced fruits and carrying the mantle of a true cuvee. Copper-penny pink, this is a savory, herbal wine that relies on a more textured minerality for its sophisticated flavor profile.
Alternate formats and styles for Fashion week
Dominio Imperfetto Queen Rhapsody, Vino Rosato D’Italia From Famiglia De Cerchio
A blend of 40% Merlot, 30% Montepulciano and 30% Sangiovese from Abruzzo’s Trabocchi Coast in far east Italy. This is an spirited wine coming from an area that is enjoying new attention for its authentic wines made from mostly indigenous grapes (the Merlot here is an excpetion). This one expresses market-basket fruits such as strawberries and blueberries and the more brambly brush red currant. It has a creamy texture from aging on its less for two months.
Donnafugata, Rosa Sicilia DOC Rosato
Though it’s in it fifth generation, Donnafugata is very young in spirit and is one of the energetic brands that has revitalized winemaking in Sicily. This rosato comes in a pretty, colorful patterned box with a label to match—a little more subdued than its usual portfolio of graphics and artwork on the labels—but said to have been inspired by the traditional Sicilian wooden cart. The blend of native Nerello Mascalese and Nocera is from grapes located high on Mount Etna—up to 2,460 feet above sea level. This has an exotic nose of heady white flowers and rose petals and the palate follows that with seductive fleshy peach tones, melon and a tropical twist. Happy on its own or with light fare.
Miraval, Côtes De Provence AOP
If you follow any of the celebrity mags or sites, you’ll know the A-list, red-carpet associations with Miraval, the estate purchased by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. (There’s also another celebrity aspect to this: super star winemaker Famille Perrin is the producer.) Miraval is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah and Rolle, and brings out the red and black fruits of those varieties: strawberry, currants, raspberry, forest berries, along with some fleshy peach. Light, refreshing, refined and very approachable. This packs more flavor, less drama than its owner(s).
Pasqua ‘Y’ By 11 Minutes Rose Trevenezie IGT
This is a new offering from the mod-ish winery in the Veneto, self-named “House of the Unconventional.” Featuring a fun, peekaboo window label, this is a sprightly rose that dances on the palate with fresh strawberries and raspberries, ripe cherries; a bit of melon and blood orange zest. It’s a medium-bodied wine that’s more soft than structured, with a clean finish. This is an ideal partner with any seafood, particularly shellfish and specifically shrimp or lobster.