This crisp palate opener from Marco Tintero blends the juice from red-skinned Barbera—a Piemontese staple—with a touch of local white varieties that Marco grows for other bottlings: his Arneis and floral Moscato. While “lifelong winemaker” would be enough to decorate his résumé, Marco also happens to be a salumiere hobbyist, meaning he makes homemade pork salumi, which pairs particularly well with his Rosato. Seasoned with sweet spices like clove, cinnamon, and peppercorns, the salumi is the perfect foil to a Barbera-based quaffer like this one.

Anne Amalric of Domaine de Marquiliani wins the proverbial prize for making the palest rosés we import. So much so with her 2022 vintage, I wondered whether “Pauline” was, in fact, really a rosé! But then I tasted it: white strawberry, melon, sea spritz—there is no mistaking it. For this bottling, a majority of Sciaccarellu grapes with small amounts of Vermentino and Syrah chill down after harvest, then undergo a delicate press cycle, giving us a rosé whose color may be understated, but whose impact is both bold and balanced.

The second rosé Kermit ever imported—Tempier’s Bandol beat it by a few months back in 1978—this cuvée from Charles Joguet is among the quintessential wines of the KLWM portfolio. Breathing in the beautiful aromas of red fruit and a touch of spice today, you might not believe that Kermit had to pull out every stop for years to convince clients—largely pink-wine skeptics—that top-notch and terroir-driven rosé had as much to offer as their beloved rouges and blancs.
       Fortunately, today, we all know this because many more domaines followed in the footsteps of Tempier and Joguet, collectively raising the reputation of high-quality rosé. Year after year, Domaine Joguet’s Kevin Fontaine produces a rosé from Cabernet Franc that is simultaneously delicate and full of flavor. He achieves this impressive balance by harnessing the juice from directly pressed grapes and guiding it slowly through long fermentations at cooler temperatures in stainless steel tanks, which preserve the wine’s freshness and bright berry notes. It is versatile enough to pair beautifully with a light summer salad, fresh goat cheese, or grilled chicken.