Buyer’s Guide to Vintages June 7th Release

The Rosé Roundup, Thomas Bachelder’s Centerfold, and International Values: A Buyers Guide to the June 7 Vintages release
By Sara d’Amato with notes from David Lawrason, Megha Jandhyala and John Szabo

Rosé season has officially begun, ushered in by warm, balmy days and the first wave of pink-hued bottles. In the wine world, however, rosé doesn’t arrive all at once — it trickles in, a patchwork release of regions and styles.

Here in Ontario, the locals lead the charge, followed by the now elusive American offerings, with French and Spanish cuvées drifting in soon after, unless, of course, they’re the longer-macerated Tavel types or ultra-premium, barrel-aged Provençal rarities, which take their time. International clarets tend to arrive fashionably late, while some bottles miss the party entirely until fall, often delayed by shipping hiccups or élevage that refuses to be rushed. What’s on the shelves now is far from the full picture, but even in this early showing, there are real standouts. Notably absent are the deeper-hued, off-dry rosés of the Loire Valley, France’s third-largest rosé producing region after Provence and Languedoc, which deserve far more attention than they tend to receive.

Rosé is still selling strong, though the dizzying momentum of the 2010s has begun to level off. Gone are the days of panic-induing headlines like “The Great Hamptons Rosé Shortage” of 2014, which helped spark a pink wave from Long Island wine producers. Still, the category holds firm, emboldened by its reputation as the quintessential seasonal sipper. But with all this breezy branding, one can’t help but ask… is rosé a serious wine?

Even within the wine trade, this question will result in a myriad of responses. Without a doubt, we in the wine world often take ourselves (and our beverages) a bit too seriously. If anything, rosé offers a welcome reminder that wine can still be joyful, inclusive, and dare we say it, fun. It has the ability to disarm even the most fastidious of wine snobs.

Still, rosé suffers from a lingering image problem. Thanks to the wildly successful campaigns, led in large part by the marketers of Wines of Provence, rosé has become a lifestyle brand as much as a wine: playful, poolside, pink and refreshingly uncomplicated. And while we could all use a little more “rosé state of mind,” this favourable marketing result has inadvertently painted the entire category with the same pastel brushstroke. The global wine world quickly followed suit, embracing the escapist “c’est la vie” narrative. Take for example Gerard Bertrand and Jon Bon Jovi’s “Hampton Water” from this release, a Languedoc-grown rosé that pairs its pale hue with a stylized diver and calls for North Americans to plunge headfirst in a vision of summer leisure.

Yet, to relegate rosé to mere seasonal novelty is to sell it short. Many rosés are quietly complex, food-versatile, and in some cases, ageworthy. In France, rosé isn’t just a summer fling; it’s a year-round companion, often occupying just as much shelf space in the grocery stores as reds or whites. Its adaptability as a pairing partner from a wide array of fish dishes to bold sauces, grilled meats, and even assertive cheeses that can do in many a red and white wine, makes it one of the most versatile wines at the table. In this light, the beach-and-brunch narrative, though charming, doesn’t do the category justice. Rosé deserves to be taken more seriously — not instead of being fun, but precisely because it can be both.

Rosé can be crafted through a range of techniques, each contributing to the notable diversity of styles that make this category so rewarding to explore. The palest of the pale often result from “direct pressing,” where red grapes are pressed immediately after harvest, limiting skin contact to the brief window of the press itself. With so little time for the juice to extract colour, tannins, or phenolic depth, these wines present a challenge that require winemakers to get creative, often through the management of lees contact and oxygen, techniques that discreetly leave their mark for the attentive wine drinker to discover.

Other rosés are made using the “saignée method” — I recently read this translated to the gleefully gory “bloodletting” which is a term I’m adopting with deference — in which juice is drawn off from partly macerated red grapes. Still others are crafted through blending, combining red and white wines to build complexity and balance. Each method or combination of methods offers a different window into what rosé can be, from crisp and ethereal to textured and expressive — all worth seeking out.

Even though most rosé on the market should be drunk with haste or at least by the end of the year, others can age in bottle, especially those with longer maceration times or those with more extensive barrel and lees aging. Cellaring opportunities include last month’s release of Château d’Aqueria’s Tavel which is made using pairs of co-fermented red and white grapes. The winery is known to bottle a significant amount in magnums specifically because it’s dark-hued rosé matures exceptionally well over the mid-term. Also to consider cellaring in this release is the gently barrel-aged Provençal rosé by Sacha Lichine, Cave d’Esclans Rock Angel.

Sara at the Rosé Symposium

For those keen on getting a jumpstart on the rosé season or just wanting to know more about rosé production and where you can find the latest releases both in and outside of the LCBO, you likely attended this year’s second annual Rosé Symposium at Verity in Toronto the week before last — the brainchild of rosé importer, professional figure skater, and a Marseillaise at heart, Chantal Fry. We loved seeing the WineAlign subscribers who came out to taste and talk rosé along with participating in our Sustainable Rosé discussion panel. Our panel explored the idea that rosé may quietly be one of the wine world’s most inherently sustainable styles. There are more than a few common sense reasons that led us down this path. With respect to its environmental efficiency, rosés can be produced from early-harvest grapes, potentially reducing irrigation needs and vulnerability to drought. The shorter maceration periods for rosé mean less energy use, and the lower alcohol levels in many rosés can result in slightly lower carbon emissions during fermentation. When it comes to vintage variability, rosé offers a kind of viticultural insurance — its flexible blending allows winemakers to adapt grape selections in response to extreme climate events, turning unpredictability into opportunity. Because of its minimal use of barrique aging as compared to reds, there is less reliance on resource-intensive oak barrels. Shorter cellaring time lowers energy costs, such as cooling and storage, which also makes it a quicker cash flow for producers. In a case study, we looked at how the reputed California producer, Tablas Creek, used the public’s open-mindedness about rosé packaging to put their premium pink in a $90 bag-in-box.

Before leaving you with our international recommendations from this week’s Vintages release, I’d be remiss not to pause and extend congratulations to local terroir-seekers Thomas Bachelder and Mary Delaney for their well-deserved centerfold in the print edition of the Vintages magazine, now available in stores.

Together, Thomas and Mary have built the Bachelder Niagara project into a benchmark for site-driven winemaking in Ontario. Their tireless exploration of Niagara’s hidden vineyard gems has helped place once-overlooked parcels firmly on the map. With unrelenting curiosity and contagious enthusiasm, they’ve inspired a broader movement: elevating growers, celebrating their legacies on the label, and carving out a vision of Niagara’s own “crus.” Their journey has been one of humble persistence: trial-and-error cuvées, opinion-seeking, deep dives into the idiosyncrasies of soil and site, and a rare ability to know when to step back — and when they’ve struck something truly special. Always with reverence for the land and those who’ve farmed it before, they’ve helped propel Niagara’s reputation as a region of serious, world-class potential.

This Vintages release also offers a rare treat to purchase these cuvées from the LCBO stores instead of buying directly from the winery. Our scores speak to their quality, but more than that, they speak to a vision still unfolding. You’ll find those we’ve singled out below.

Buyer’s Guide June 7th: Rosé

Cuvée Françoise Crémant De Limoux Rosé Sparkling, Languedoc, France
$25.95, Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.
Sara d’Amato – An effortlessly elegant cuvée that takes its name from Maison Antech’s sixth generation winemaker Françoise Antech, this wine is rife with botanicals and a deliciously mouthwatering hint of bitterness, with notes of pumpkin seeds, peony and orange zest. Chardonnay, chenin blanc and pinot noir from France’s southernmost sparkling wine growing region offer a substantial degree of freshness that is balanced by creamy lees from 18 months sur latte. Great value.
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There are 15 other Vintages recommendations this week that are currently only available to our premium members. This complete article will be free and visible to all members 30 days after publication. We invite you to subscribe today to unlock our top picks and other Premium benefits

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“For the cost of a good bottle of wine we’ll help you discover hundreds of great ones.”

Santé!
– Sara

(Bonus) Sara’s “Piscine” Recipe

In this critic’s option, summer heat calls for ice in your wine. Yes, ice. Don’t scoff — the French do it all the time, particularly the effortlessly chic Niçoise who order “rosé piscine” wile lounging at seaside cafés on the Riviera. Bonus: it’s perfect for those dabbling in the “no-low” alcohol category.

What You’ll Need

Large, Burgundy-style glasses
Ice cube tray or large silicone ice molds
An uncomplicated bottle of rosé
Water

Instructions:

In a large measuring cup, mix 2 parts rosé to 1 part water
Pour into mold and freeze overnight
When ready to serve, add the frozen cubes to a glass of the same chilled rosé you used in the mix. (Consistency is key.)

Note: if you’re using a high-alcohol rosé (14% ABV or more), increase the water ratio slightly to ensure it freezes properly.

Use these quick links for access to all of our June 7th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 30 days prior.

Lawrason’s Take – June 7th
Megha’s Picks – June 7th
John’s Top Picks – June 7th
Sara’s Selections – June 7th

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