Rosé from Italy

Cantalupi – the name is reminiscent of the wolves that once roamed the vineyards near Salice Salentino. The Zecca family has been cultivating these lands in the heart of Salento since 1580. Their Rosato, made from 80% Negroamaro and 20% Malvasia Nera, shows just how distinctive Apulian rosé can be: Bright light pink in the glass, with floral notes and red berry fruit on the nose. The ageing in cement tanks preserves the freshness, the lack of filtration the substance. Clear and harmonious on the palate, with lively acidity and a dry, juicy finish – with only 1.8 g/l residual sugar, a Rosato without compromise. Honest, precise, typically Salento. SUPERIORE.DE

Pure Montepulciano Rosato. Fine aromas of peach and strawberry. Taut and animating on the palate with a varietal fullness of flavour, yet lean and fresh. A racy and cheerful representative for lively afternoons on the terrace or with light Mediterranean dishes and fish. SUPERIORE.DE

Campirosa Cerasuolo only gradually unfolds its fresh strawberry and cherry flavours, which are adorned with sweet flowers. The palate is silky-soft and very convincing with its ripe red fruits and juicy acidity. A hint of liquorice, exotic spices and nuanced tannins emerge on the finish and seem to linger for almost a minute. Campirosa is already a charming favourite when young, but can also mature for another year in the cellar. SUPERIORE.DE

A rosato with an island identity – clear, fresh and imbued with Mediterranean vigour. Tre Torri is made from 100% Carignano grapes, cultivated in the limestone and clay-rich vineyards of the lower Sulcis. The grapes are harvested by hand and undergo extraction with a few hours of maceration at low temperature before being fermented in stainless steel tanks. This reduced vinification preserves freshness and terroir without distraction.

A rosé that tingles on the tongue like summer air, light, fragrant and full of vibrancy. Serra Lori is an unadulterated reflection of Sardinia: a cuvée made from four typical island grape varieties – cannonau, Monica, Carignano and Bovale Sardo. After just a few hours of maceration on the skins, it is a delicate pink colour, soft but not pale. It is matured purely in stainless steel, modern and clear.

Nieddera – an almost forgotten grape variety that has only survived in Sardinia. Attilio Contini has been preserving this heritage for decades and, with his Rosato, impressively demonstrates how much charm this old variety harbours. The wine is produced in the Valle del Tirso, not far from Oristano, where the warm climate and proximity to the sea ensure fragrant freshness. Brilliant salmon pink with copper-coloured reflections in the glass. The bouquet is lively and typically Mediterranean: ripe raspberry, pink grapefruit, rosehip and a hint of wild fennel. The palate is juicy, slightly herbal and delicately flavoured. The fine acidity provides freshness, the body remains round and balanced.

Cerasuolo – the name is derived from cerasa, cherry, and also describes the bright colour of this rosé made from pure Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. The Di Properzio brothers have been vinifying it in Spoltore near Pescara since 1990: hand-picked, 18 hours of maceration, then saignée and slow fermentation at low temperature in stainless steel. No wood, no frills – just grape variety and terroir. Cherry red in the glass, fresh sour cherry, strawberry and a hint of pomegranate on the nose. Lively acidity on the palate, juicy flavour and a salty minerality reminiscent of the proximity to the Adriatic. Not a pale terrace rosé, but a wine with a backbone – and one of Italy's often underestimated rosés. SUPERIORE.DE

A rosato that carries the light of Sicily within it. The Frappato grape variety, known for its fragrant elegance, brings a lot of finesse and lightness to the glass, especially in rosé format. Grown on sandy, calcareous soils near Trapani and Marsala, the wine is matured in stainless steel tanks to preserve its fresh, fruity character. Delicate salmon pink colour with copper reflections. Smells of wild strawberries, pink grapefruit and a hint of hibiscus. Juicy and clear on the palate, with lively acidity, a delicate fruity flavour and a finely salty finish. A Mediterranean rosato with a fine finish – ideal as an aperitif or with antipasti, seafood and light summer cuisine. SUPERIORE.DE

Cerasuolo is not a rosé – at least not in the fashionable sense. It is an independent type of wine with its own DOC since 2010, deeply rooted in Abruzzo's wine culture. The name is derived from cerasa, the dialect word for cherry, and describes the characteristic colour that has accompanied the region's tables for centuries. Zaccagnini's Tralcetto is a lesson in what Montepulciano can do without prolonged contact with the skins: The grapes are gently pressed and only the must is fermented at a low temperature – at a low temperature to preserve the fruit. Brief ageing in stainless steel, then into the bottle.

Castel del Monte Bombino Nero is the only DOCG in Italy reserved exclusively for rosé wines – made from at least 90% indigenous Bombino Nero grapes. The vineyards are located at 400–500 metres around Castel del Monte, the octagonal Staufer castle of Frederick II, whose mysterious geometry inspired the Torrevento logo. Limestone karst soils, Mediterranean sun, a constant sea breeze from 13 kilometres away – ideal conditions for a variety that tolerates heat, retains freshness and always remains light and direct in the glass. Gentle pressing, controlled temperature, four months of ageing in steel.

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.

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

Belvento – the good wind. This is the name of Petra's maritime wine project, born from the narrow landscape where the metal hills of the Val di Cornia meet the Tyrrhenian Sea. Velarosa is its rosé and the name itself is both an image and a promise: a pink sail that picks up speed. 100% Grenache, hand-picked at the beginning of September, briefly crushed and fermented in steel at a controlled temperature.

Delicate salmon pink with copper reflections – a rosé that already exudes Mediterranean elegance in the glass. Made from organically grown Nero d'Avola (30-year-old vines) from the hills near Noto, where chalky soils and sea breezes give the wine freshness and profile. Redcurrant, sour cherry, a hint of hibiscus and fine spice on the nose. Juicy and light-footed on the palate, with well-integrated acidity that combines freshness and drinking pleasure. A Sicilian rosé with style and lightness – ideal for warm evenings, sea dreams and the little escapes of everyday life. SUPERIORE.DE