The delicious diversity in Italian rosato

It is really hot in a lot of areas of the country right now, and I hope you all are staying cool. I don’t handle heat and humidity well, and these days I’m far more likely to reach for sparkling water than a glass of red wine. But this weekend, it’ll be pink wine time. I recently tasted through some Italian rosatos that are perfect for this time of year.

Italian rosato is a huge and diverse category of wines, as each region has its own indigenous grapes, climate, winemaking culture, and history. This week’s selections represent a drop in the bucket in terms of what’s out there, but the deliciousness and complexity is great across the board. Most of these wines are imported by Dalla Terra, and the quality-to-price ratio is crazy high. If you’re having a party, enjoy Italian food, or just want to have a nice tasting with friends, picking up a few of these is a great way to parse through the nuances of each grape. It’s a lot of fun to compare and contrast the mouthfeel, flavor, and overall vibe of these wines.

These wines were received as samples and tasted sighted

2022 Masseria Li Veli Negroamaro Rosato “Torrerose” - Italy, Puglia, Salento IGT
SRP: $15
Medium watermelon color. The nose has a really interesting spicy but inviting kick, with green herbs, white pepper, sliced cucumbers, basil, on top of honeydew and watermelon, white cherries and crunchy red apples. The palate is racy but shows a pleasantly creamy texture, with lovely balance and flavors of watermelon, McIntosh apples, wild strawberries. The fruit is mixed together nicely with tones of salt brine, celery seed, mind, while some minerals and crushed limestone elements really give the wine verve and personality. For the price, there’s an awesome amount of flavor and complexity in this Negroamaro Rosato. Easy half-case buy for summer parties (or any time of year, rather). (90 points)

2022 Masseria Li Veli Susumaniello Rosato “Askos”  - Italy, Puglia, Salento IGT
SRP: $25
Pale copper color. So spicy and fresh on the nose, with white cherries, watermelon rind, and tangy strawberry, tossed with saline, basil, chalk dust, and dandelion. The palate is vibrant and crunchy with a nice textural weight, deep but vibrant. Red apples and white cherry fruit mixes with bracing minerals and mountain stream vibes – really exciting and inviting. There’s a lot of spicy basil, nettle, celery seed tones, mixed with some honey and white flowers. Fun, fresh, but complex – Salento rosato is quite a thing! Made from Susumaniello. (90 points)

2022 Tenuta Sant'Antonio Rondinella Rosato “Scaia”  - Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT
SRP: $15
Light salmon color. Bright and salty with lemon, quince, kiwi, along with bright flowers, celery seed, honeysuckle, a pleasantly fresh and floral display. Crisp and perfumed on the palate with flavors of watermelon rind, lemon zest, white cherries, and the fruit is tossed with floral perfume, honeysuckle, talc. Fun and fresh but has a lot of complexity and focus, with these flavors of raspberry tea, honeyed, mint tea on the finish. Wow, what a screaming value, estate grown Rondinella rosato – one to seek out for a case buy! (89 points)

2022 Garofoli Montepulciano Rosato “Komaros”  - Italy, Marche, Marche IGT

SRP: $14
Pale copper color. A breezy, floral, perfumed display on the nose, with peaches and limes, white and yellow flowers, some watermelon rind and lemon zest. The palate is brisk and salty with a bright, hot weather-friendly vibe, and flavors of tangy white cherries, wild raspberries, and red apple fruit. Notes of white flowers, perfume, chalk dust, and some wild green herbs add complexity. So fun and food-friendly, made from Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. (88 points)

2022 Capezzana Carmignano Rosato “Vin Ruspo” - Italy, Tuscany, Carmignano
SRP: $19
Deep copper color. The nose pops with strawberries, red cherries, and crunchy red delicious apples, with tones of slate, yellow flowers, honeycomb, and dandelion. The palate has a nice creamy texture and crisp acidity and all sorts of minerals, rocks, mountain stream, and chalk. Juicy red apples, raspberries, cranberry relish fruit mixes well with a minty, white peppery vibe. Lovely honeyed depth and all sorts of floral complexities buried in here. Delicious and complex rosato based on Sangiovese with some Cab Sauv and Canaiolo. (90 points)

2022 Masciarelli Rosato Colline Teatine IGT - Italy, Abruzzi, Colline Teatine IGT
SRP: $14
Juicy watermelon color. Flavors of ripe raspberries, red cherries, this has a creamy aromatic depth with juicy peaches and white tea, some dusty minerals and white pepper. The palate shows a crunchy, bright display with tangy white cherries, raspberries, with watermelon rind and lemon zest. Bright tones of wildflowers, basil, along with some flinty, salty vibes. Lots of fun, and surprising complexity and depth for a wine of this price point. Would be a great by-the-glass Montepulciano rosato. (88 points)

This post first appeared on the daily wine blog Terroirist.