National Rosé Day

The story

Rosé is a pink wine made from red grapes whose skins stay in contact with the juice only briefly, usually a few hours to a couple of days. That short maceration gives the wine its color, which can range from pale salmon to bright raspberry, along with fresh, fruity flavors of strawberry, citrus, and melon. A smaller amount is made by the saignée method, bleeding off juice from a red wine tank, and blending red and white wine is rare outside of rosé Champagne.

Pink wines are among the oldest styles in the world. Ancient Greek and Roman wines were often light in color because grapes were pressed quickly, and the region of Provence in southern France has been making pale, dry rosé for more than 2,000 years. Today Provence remains the benchmark, but excellent rosé also comes from Spain, where it is called rosado, Italy's rosato, and California.

For decades, many Americans knew rosé mainly as sweet White Zinfandel, a hit of the 1970s and 1980s. Since the 2010s, dry rosé has surged in popularity, earning the summer nickname "rosé all day." It pairs well with salads, grilled fish, charcuterie, and picnic food.

On National Rosé Day, chill a bottle, invite friends outside, and toast the start of summer.