Organic Rosé Wine

Montepulciano thinks in red. The Prugnolo Gentile, this stubborn Sangiovese clone, is bred for the long haul – for Nobile, for Riserva, for decades in the cellar. The fact that it is also so convincing as a rosato has to do with the terroir: the Toraia and Casale cru sites at 300 to 350 metres, clayey-silty soils, south to south-east exposure. Hand-picked at the end of September, cryomaceration for four to five hours.

Gròttolo means "small grotto". A fitting reference for an estate whose cellar is dug deep into the rock – four levels, designed according to the principles of bio-architecture by Edoardo Milesi. No pump, just gravity. This Rosato also matures down there, where the temperature remains the same and time runs differently. Sangiovese, gently pressed, short maceration at cool temperatures, steel – this is how Montecucco's most important grape variety is transformed into a rosé that expresses the character of the terroir in a different colour.

The name says it all, as this is a rosato that is reminiscent of the unconventional times of 1968 in terms of its lightness and vivacity. In the glass, it has a radiant, delicate peach-pink colour – almost as if a sunrise had taken wing. A floral bouquet of grapefruit, pineapple, apricot and wild meadow flowers heralds various adventures. On the palate, it remains dancingly light, with bone-clear acidity and crisp fruit, slightly salty notes and an expression of redcurrants round off the picture. Unfiltered, direct, fresh – an invigorating counterpoint to everyday grey life. Flower Power combines Sangiovese with reductive clarity, drinkability and catchiness – puristic, pink and full of emotion. SUPERIORE.DE

This organic Rosato by Umani Ronchi was born at the Centovie winery in Roseto degli Abruzzi. A project defined after several years of experimentation, with the aim of producing a wine that combines the expressive power of the Montepulciano grape with a soft and delicate vinification to emphasise its fresh and fruity nuances. Delicate pink colour with shiny reflections. Floral and fresh on the nose with delicate citrus notes, crisp on the palate with beautiful acidity and notes of red cherry, strawberry, blood orange and pink grapefruit. Complex and long on the finish – a serious wine with a great drinking flow! SUPERIORE.DE

Palmina comes from 45-year-old vines, is only produced in very small quantities and is an extremely successful example of a single-varietal Sangiovese Rosato and one of the best in Tuscany. An impressive wine with an independent profile, the bouquet of rose petals is extremely complex and delicate. The fruity flavour has an enchantingly elegant structure, juicy and fresh, with crisp acidity and an appealing finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Contrada Catavatta, Barile. The slopes of the extinct Monte Vulture, at 600 metres above sea level – a terroir of compressed volcanic ash, tuff and pumice that gives each wine an unmistakable minerality. The vines of the Verha line lay fallow here for years until they were awakened by Elena Fucci to create a new small line. Not as an experiment, but as an attitude: good soil should be cultivated. 80% Aglianico, 20% Primitivo – a rare encounter in the Vulture. Short maceration, gentle pressing, steel.

Monti in Chianti, at the southern tip of the Chianti Classico, seven kilometres south of Gaiole. Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi has been cultivating the same slopes here for generations – the family dates back to the Lombard era, and the winegrowing is no less ancient. The estate has been certified organic since 2010. The Rosato is made from the same Sangiovese vineyards that supply the fruit for the Chianti Classico and the Gran Selezione San Marcellino. Hand-picked, short maceration time of 40 to 50 minutes, must clarification at low temperature, around one month of fermentation in steel tanks, then three to four months sur lie. The result is not a light summer rosé, but a rosato with substance: lively acidity, salinity, fine minerality.

Top Italian rosé made from selected Montepulciano grapes from 45-year-old vines: Spelt Cerasuolo is a rosé with origin and character – obtained from organically grown Montepulciano in medium-high vineyards near Spoltore. The 2024 vintage was characterised by balanced ripeness and cool nights, which gives the wine freshness and clarity. After a short maceration period, the wine is matured in stainless steel tanks.

Inspired by Provence, born in Tuscany. When the Rivetti family decided to create a rosé, they chose their Casanova vineyard in Terricciola as the origin – and Sangiovese with Prugnolo Gentile as grape varieties. The latter is a local Sangiovese clone which, in combination with its "big brother", produces a rosato with a surprising character. The grapes come from twenty-year-old vines on sandy soils of marine origin, organically farmed. Destemming is followed by a short maceration of just one hour before the must is gently pressed. Fermentation lasts ten days, after which the wine rests for three months on the fine lees in stainless steel.

The Eloro DOC in south-east Sicily stands for Rosati with character, structure and regional typicity. Soft salmon pink with copper reflections. The nose has a complex aroma of wild strawberries, blood orange and Mediterranean herbs. On the palate, the 2024 is precise, fresh and delicately flavoured with delicate fruit, lively acidity and salty minerality. The Rosato is made exclusively from Nero d'Avola from the San Lorenzo vineyard, fermented spontaneously in stainless steel and matured on the fine lees – in the spirit of Gulfi: natural, purist and with a clear terroir expression. An elegant, authentic wine with a Mediterranean soul and energising freshness. Ideal with antipasti, grilled fish or on its own. SUPERIORE.DE

Abruzzo is the greenest region in Italy. 36 per cent of the area is protected – three national parks, one regional park and over thirty nature reserves. Valle Reale is located exactly where the Gran Sasso in the north, the Majella in the south and the Sirente-Velino in the north-west meet. Cerasuolo comes from the same vineyards near Popoli and Capestrano that produce the estate's great red wines – demeter-certified, on stony soils with strong drainage, exposed to the cool winds of the mountain passes and pronounced day-night temperature differences. The grapes for the Rosato are harvested earlier than those for the Montepulciano rosso – deliberately to preserve the freshness of the acidity. Only indigenous yeasts are used in the cellar, activated using the pied-de-cuve method: no intervention that is not mandatory.

La Rosé de Manincor is produced using the classic saignée method – as a juice extraction from the estate's best red wine batches. The grapes come from the Manincor, Seehof, Panholzerhof and Mazzon vineyards between 250 and 500 metres above sea level. Strong clay soils, interspersed with limestone gravel and glacial rock deposits, characterise the wines. The composition of the cuvée changes slightly from year to year – in 2025, it consists of 30% Cabernet Franc, 25% Merlot, 20% Pinot Nero, 13% Vernatsch, 4% Tempranillo, 4% Syrah and 4% Petit Verdot. After six to twelve hours of maceration, the must is drawn off – the part that makes the red wines more concentrated and gives the rosé its colour, structure and aromatic richness. Fermentation takes place in wooden barrels, partly spontaneously with wild yeasts. The wine then matures for five months on the fine lees, where the aromas are refined and the creamy texture that characterises La Rosé develops.