Italian rosé wines, rosati, don’t get enough attention imo, and it’s a shame! Rosé wine in Italy traditionally was considered a winemaker's family wine – made for family parties or for the nonna. Italian rosé or rosati just didn’t tickle the international, or frankly, local drinker’s fancy.
Italian Rosati have pleasant acidity aka mouth watering freshness plus body/structure from the bit of tannins extracted. They also have incredible versatility in food pairing! Of course these perks depend on the grape/region but I feel like a good pair is rarely wrong with Italian rosati!
Generally most can match with savory aged cheeses, bold seafood dishes that aren’t totally lean, mushroom or other earthy flavors, tomato-based pastas, and even grilled meat depending on how it’s prepared and especially if that rosato is from Sangiovese.
You may already love rosé, but if you don't, I recommend you give it another try! Italian rosati (plural for rosé) pair well with almost any food and can stand up to a good red wine at any table.
With that in mind, here is your guide to the best of Italian rosés.
But first, some background on rosés
Paradoxically, there is no generally accepted definition of what constitutes a rosé wine. Technically, a rosé is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from red grape skins but is not colored enough to be called a red wine.
It’s made in three main ways:
Skin contact: The practice of crushing grapes and keeping them in contact with the skins for only a short period of time, after which the must is pressed and then fermented while the skins are discarded. The longer the period of contact between the must and the skins the darker the resulting color.
Saignée/salasso or bleeding: The practice of drawing off a portion of the must from a tank where the juice is being macerated on the grape skins. The portion drawn off can then be fermented producing a lighter colored wine.
Blending: Mixing red and white wines together.
Italian rosés producers
Italy has four main rosé producing areas, all of which have a very distinctive and easily recognizable style.
Veneto
Around Lake Garda, where the Veneto and Lombardy regions converge, the production of rosé is a long-standing tradition. Known locally as Chiaretto, meaning “light” or “pale,” it was first made in the area in 1896, which makes the region one of the oldest rosé producing areas in Italy. These are light, refreshing wines with very little color. They typically have a very slight saline element and always have very low tannins.
Tuscany
Rosé production in Tuscany has taken off over the last several years, especially in the famous Bolgheri region. While some winemakers use the bleeding method to create bright pink rosés with structure, an increasing number of producers now harvest grapes specifically to craft crisp, energetic offerings through other production methods that employ minimal skin contact.
The local grape Sangiovese’s high acidity makes it extremely adaptable to various winemaking techniques. However, the best and freshest are made with Sangiovese grapes destined for rosé, not any sort of red wine spin-off. A Sangiovese rosé has a moderate acidity and a touch of tannin to cut through the fatty softness and protein of prosciutto.
Abruzzo
Nestled between the peaks of the Apennines and the Adriadic Sea, Abruzzo’s hilly and coastal wine regions are well suited to the Montepulciano grape. Its signature rosé is the Cerasoulo di Abruzzi. The name Cerasoulo comes from cerrasi, the local dialect for cherry. Not surprisingly, the wine has a distinct cherry color and flavor. It also features aromas and flavors of fresh red fruit, including cranberry, strawberry and raspberry.
Before climate change, these grapes grown in the mountains struggled to reach jammy levels of maturation and resulted in a rosè-like existence. These days the grapes typically undergo a short maceration period of a few hours before the must and juice are separated. So these rosés have slightly less acidity than their Chiaretto cousins, and have a ripe, well-integrated, but noticeable tannic backbone.
Puglia
One of Italy’s warmest regions, it includes the heel of the Italian boot, and sits astride the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. The soils here are rich and fertile, comprised primarily of calcareous limestone.
While the vibe in Puglia may be relaxed, the wines are serious. Rosé production dates back more than 75 years, with the first commercial bottling attributed to Leone de Castris’ Five Roses. Clearly, this is no passing fad. They are produced mainly from Bombino Nero grapes, and blends of Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera. These varieties delivers both structure and bright acidity, key for a quality rosé, along with fruity and floral elements that help round out the blend and result in bold yet balanced wines.
The wines
Chiaretto di Bardolino
The most famous appellation in the Veneto region is typically made from a blend of Rondinella and Corvina. These wines feature notes of fresh citrus, grapefruit pith, orange and tangerine, along with red fruit notes of raspberry and strawberry as well as flavors of apple and pear. They feature well rounded acidity with a creamy quality and a refreshing, slightly bitter note on the finish.
Until five years ago, most winemakers obtained Bardolino Chiaretto by bleeding the must of their red wines. Critics argue that the technique’s true purpose is to create more concentrated red wines, and the resulting rosé are simply byproducts.
My fav pairing: Herb-rich Persian legume stews or dizi!
Bolgheri DOC rosé
Tuscany’s Bolgheri DOC rosé usually contains a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, which gives elegance and structure, Merlot, which gives soft fruity notes, and Syrah, which helps to enrich the bouquet with a touch of spice. The freshness and pleasantness of the fruit are maintained and enhanced thanks to an early harvest of part of the red grapes dedicated to the production of the red.
The result is an intense, fruity rosé, rich in intriguing aromatic facets, which stands out for its ‘onion skin’ pink color and aromas of red apple, pomelo, cherry and rosehip accompanied by subtle herbaceous and saline nuances. In the mouth, the freshness and salinity are softened by a creamy consistency.
Pairing ideas: Fresh soft cheese, crudo meat plates (i.e. tartare), tomato-based pastas like amatriciana and sushi.
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo was the first rosé wine in Italy to achieve DOC status. Unlike many other rosés, Cerasoulo has the distinction of being one of the few rosés that can be aged for years.
These wines can be deeply colored. In a blind tasting, you might easily mistake them for red wines. If you have ever hankered for a red wine that you can serve chilled, then Cerasuolo from Abruzzo is the wine for you.
Pairing ideas: Skewered meats like pork or lamb with herbaceous dressings, wild salmon and of course even pizza.
Bombino Nero
Bombino Nero is a thin-skinned grape that shows uneven bunch ripening. This results in high acidity and low sugar, both welcome attributes for rosé production. To preserve flavor, grapes are typically picked between 4 am and 10 am. The grapes are crushed immediately, and the must is then cooled to about 41˚F (5˚C) and given extended contact to maximize flavor extraction. The skins don’t have much color, so even with the extended contact the resulting wine is still a very light pink.
Wines produced from the variety are typically boisterous and fruity in strawberry and watermelon flavors, which make them immensely accessible and easy to enjoy. They offer a crisp acidity with fine, well ripened tannins.
Pairing ideas: Grilled vegetables, cold cuts, fish and seafood.
Bonus round:
Lambrusco di Sorbara Rosato
Not one of the celebrated Italian rosés, but one of my personal favorites. Sorbara is the least colorful variety of Lambrusco, but it is also the most elegant, with fruity and floral aromas and a subtle but crisp and taut taste. The grapes are gently pressed to extract a very pale pink juice. This ferments in concrete vats with no contact with the skins. Then the wine is added with yeasts and sugars and bottled; the bottle closed with a crown cap. At the end of the second fermentation the pressure developed by the second fermentation in the bottle is light and the wine is dry and has a sparkle.
The result is a dry, herbal sparkling rosé that’s versatile with food, yet refreshing enough to enjoy on its own. It tastes like watermelon, thyme and sea salt.
Pairing ideas: Prosciutto or soft cheeses (like mozzarella!) drizzled with aged balsamic or mortadella crostini
