Expert’s choice: Spanish rosados
Spain’s astonishingly varied array of rosé wines are perfect for summer sipping. Sarah Jane Evans MW’s pick covers traditional, modern and rule-breaking styles
Sarah Jane Evans MW’s choice of 18 of Spain’s top rosés for summer sipping
The good news is that wherever you look in Spain you will find well-made, wellpriced, drink-me-now rosados, perfect for a summer’s day. Consistent, clean and fruity.
Of the 110 wines I tasted, only one was corked and there were no other faults. Reliability isn’t in doubt here, which is why I found it extremely difficult to pick out my favourites from the cluster of wines scoring 90 points.
The sheer variety of origins was highly impressive. While almost half of the wines I tasted came from Rioja, in the end they made up only about a quarter of my choices.
Navarra, once the traditional home of rosado, provided 10 samples, but only one wine made it through. Instead, you will find Méntrida, Condado de Huelva and Priorat and its neighbour Montsant in my top 18, along with two wines whose origin is merely ‘Spain’, as they don’t conform with the rules in their local region.
You will see that I am a Garnacha lover. Its juicy strawberry fruits with notes of orange are a great basis for a rosado. But I’m open to persuasion. Two of the most interesting entries in this selection are made with 70% white grapes: Viura and Palomino. There’s no single-variety Tempranillo here. But there is a 100% Monastrell, which is usually too bold, too red to make a good rosado.
A new entrant is XF, a Rioja with no less than 30% Sauvignon Blanc. It’s delicious, but may not be popular with those who think Rioja has enough traditional varieties not to need an intruder like
Sauvignon Blanc. The Riojan winery Marqués de Riscal working in Castilla y León has introduced Sauvignon subtly by ageing its GarnachaTempranillo blend on Sauvignon Blanc lees.
These are cleverly made and blended wines.
The variety that is missing from my top 18 is Mazuelo (Carignan) with its wonderful blue tinge and its crunchy blueberry fruit. Seek out the Marqués de Murrieta Rosado for a fine example (my review of the 2019 vintage is on decanter.com). Two others I did not taste but must mention in the line-up of Spain’s top rosados are R López de Heredia’s Viña Tondonia Rosado Rioja, with its lengthy oak ageing, and Antídoto’s Le Rosé de Antídoto, from Ribera del Duero, the ultimate in refinement. One that I would have included, but is sadly already sold out in the UK, comes from Alta Alella, next-door to Barcelona in Alella DO: Celler de Les Aus Rosé Pét-Nat.
Finally, a brief note on colour. Producers who want to export their rosados from Spain nowadays are making Provençal-pink wines with screwcaps. There are far fewer of the deep red rosados around now – once the signature of Navarra. Will this pale pink fashion prevail? I pity the winemakers trying to predict the market.
‘Wherever you look in Spain you will find well-made, well-priced, drink-menow rosados, perfect for a summer’s day’
Sierra Cantabria, XF, Rioja 2020
£21.50-£25 Exel, The Great Wine Co
A brand-new joint venture between Rioja’s Sierra Cantabria and Xandra Falcó, daughter of the late Marqués de Griñón. A confident, polished launch: deliciously perfumed with a palate of vivid strawberry and a punch of lime. The Sauvignon
Blanc in the blend gives a distinct international style, as well as lively freshness. Drink 2021-2023 Alcohol 13%
Arrayán, Rosado de Garnacha, Méntrida, Toledo 2020
N/A UK arrayan.es
Delightfully drinkable. It may not be especially intense but it blossoms to berry fruits with an icy freshness. Made from Garnacha Peluda (‘hairy Garnacha’), which gives a little more acidity and a little less alcohol. Tiny production: just 1,000 bottles. Drink 2021-2023 Alc 13.5%
Muga, Flor de Muga Rosado, Rioja 2020
£22.99 Majestic, Waitrose
This is the big brother to Muga’s popular Rioja rosado, and it’s definitely a cut above. Garnacha Tinta, fermented plot by plot in small oak vats. Subtle aromatics, blossoms in the mouth with white peach and strawberry. A fine texture and a long, dry finish. Love the stylish, cut-glass punt. Drink 2021-2024 Alc 13.5%
Dominio del Aguila, Pícaro del Aguila Clarete, Ribera del Duero 2018
£27.50-£30 Highbury Vintners, The Sourcing Table In a distant corner of Castilla y León near Aranda de Duero, Dominio del Aguila is producing wines of exceptional finesse. This clarete – a variety hunter’s delight, including Bobal and Tempranillo Gris – is excitingly fresh and textured. No simzple rosado – this is a wine to savour. Organic. Drink 2021-2027 Alc 14%
Clos de Lôm, Monastrell Rosado, Valencia 2020
£17.95 Bottles Worcester, Define Food & Wine, NY Wines of Cambridge, Tasting House, Vindependents
Valencia’s Alforins zone continues to impress, with family estates producing distinctive wines. In this rosado the hearty red Monastrell grape is tamed. Peachy aromatics, full-bodied, with a lively pink apple crunch and a hit of acidity. Drink 2021-2023 Alc 13.5%
José Luis Ripa Sáenz de Navarrete, Ripa Rosado, Rioja 2016
N/A UK joseluisripa.com
José Luis Ripa’s day job is with his wife María-José López de Heredia at her family’s winery in Haro. Ripa is his own wine, in its first vintage. Berry fruits with fresh herbs, and a fine layer of oak. One to watch. Drink 2021-2024 Alc 13%
Marqués de Riscal, Viñas Viejas Rosado, Castilla y León 2020
N/A UK marquesderiscal.com
Not to be confused with the ‘regular’ Riscal Rioja Rosado, this is sourced from ungrafted old vines on gravel terraces above the Duero river. Vividly aromatic – a mouthful of strawberries and red apples – due to spending several months on the fine lees of Sauvignon Blanc. Drink 2021-2024 Alc 13.5%
Máquina y Tabla, Páramos de Nicasia Clarete, Vinos de España 2019
£16.80-£16.95 Corky Winers, Lea & Sandeman It’s always worth keeping an eye on the wines of Máquina y Tabla. Its clarete, from ungrafted vines more than 50 years old within DO Toro, is full of deliciously plump berry fruit. The tangerine acidity and a line of fine tannin give structure. Drink 2021-2023 Alc 14%
Ramón Bilbao, Lalomba Rosado, Rioja 2020
£19.70-£25 Carruthers & Kent, Exel,
The Great Wine Co
Very aromatic, with lots of roses and strawberries. The palate is rich, laden with raspberries, fresh herbs and crystallised citrus peels. Complex and persistent. By no means a simple summer rosado, though it could be enjoyed as such. Drink 2021-2023 Alc 13% ▶
Scala Dei, Pla dels Angels Rosado, Catalonia 2020
£25 Hedonism
The vineyards overlook the Plain of the Angels, hence the name. Pale in colour, and delicate in aroma, but well flavoured with berries and crisp redcurrants, and a fresh finish. Priorat made its name with its reds; this wine proves rosados have their place too. Drink 2021-2023 Alc 14.5%
Celler de Capçanes, Mas Donis Rosat, Montsant, Catalonia 2020
£11.99 Alliance Wine, Iron & Rose, R&H Fine Wines Fun, exotic label from the ever-inventive cooperative at Capçanes. Aromatic, with a glorious burst of flavour: redcurrant jelly, strawberry jam. The Syrah adds backbone and a finishing grip. Perfect with shellfish and – dare I say it – paella. Drink 2021-2023 Alc 13%
Panorámico, Clarete, Rioja 2019
£16 Wanderlust Wine
A revival of the Rioja clarete style. Viura and Garnacha co-fermented and aged in a concrete egg, then blended with a portion aged in French oak. Delicate and elegant, with wild strawberry and bright citrus notes. This is a wine of originality. Drink 2021-2023 Alc 12.5%
Bodegas Manzanos, Castillo de Enériz Rosado, Navarra 2020
£9.95 Alliance Wine, Quaff
Typically tempting Garnacha aroma of strawberries in the sun. Very lively, fresh palate; bright, with a firm grip and a salty edge. Plenty of jammy fruit, with a vivid youthful appeal. Notes of rhubarb and red berries. Good value, popular style. Drink 2021-2023 Alc 13%
Celler del Roure, Les Prunes, Valencia 2020
£17.99 Alliance Wine, Carruthers & Kent, Marchtown, Noble Green
Strictly speaking, this is a Blanc de Mandó: white wine from the local red Mandó variety. Made like a white wine and matured in large undergound clay amphorae for six months, it’s floral and gloriously juicy in the mouth with orange zest. Drink 2021-2023 Alc 12%
Protos, Aire de Protos, Cigales, Castilla y León 2020
£10.33 Bibendum Wine
The first vintage from Protos’ new winery in Cigales. Cool-ferment rhubarb and raspberry aromas, together with pink grapefruit freshness supplied by the Verdejo grape. This pale wine is clearly designed to have international appeal.
Drink 2021-2023 Alc 12.5%
Borsao, Selección Rosado, Campo de Borja, Aragón 2020
£7.75-£8.95 All About Wine, Bacchanalia, Cheers, D Byrne & Co, Dennhöfer, Fintry Wines, NY Wines of Cambridge, Rannoch Scott, Ten Streets, Vino Fandango
Refreshing, with layers of ripe strawberry and vanilla. It’s finely balanced, lightly jammy, and comes with enough alcohol to encourage a siesta. Eminently drinkable, with or without food. Good value. Drink 2021-2023 Alc 14%
Contreras Ruiz, Edalo Rosado, Condado de Huelva, Andalucía 2020
£9.99 Alliance Wine, Iron & Rose, Smashed Grapes Fascinating! A Syrah rosado, and from Condado de Huelva (between Portugal and Jerez, best known for its whites).
Very aromatic, with red berries. Equally full-flavoured, with hints of oranges. A lively wine. Drink 2021-2023 Alc 11%
Vinos Oceanicos, Las Cepas de José Carlos, Vinos de España 2019
£17.99 Les Caves de Pyrene, Pickers Wine, Roley Short, Sip Wines, The Crouch End Cellars, Whole Foods Market
From the Sherry zone, though as it doesn’t fit the regulations, it’s merely ‘Spain’. An ‘orange’ rosado made by macerating red and white indigenous varieties on skins. The chalky albariza soil delivers a clean, saline, textured wine with notes of tangerine and menthol. Drink 2021-2023 Alc 11% D