For one thing, the history of Italian wine pretty much starts with rosato because the farmers who produced and consumed wine in olden days didn’t have the time or techniques for making distinct red or white wines that require long skin macerations and temperature control. Back then, most wines were some shade of pink and if you consider the etymology of many of the regional names for rosato, they stem from dialectal words for “to crush,” “to press” or to “make wine in a hurry.”
Thanks to its reputation for freshness, fruitiness, ease and drinkability, rosato is one of the hottest, albeit small, wine categories in Italy. Massimo Di Cintio, author of a popular rosato guide, estimates that rosato has increased by 20 percent over the past three years, resulting in more than 500 distinct labels today.
“The most important production areas include Puglia, Abruzzo, Alto Adige, the Lake Garda areas around Brescia and Bardolino and up-and-coming areas in Tuscany and Campania” he explains. Some 95 percent of rosatos are made with red grapes and these include Negroamaro, Malvasia Nera, Montepulciano, Lagrein and the Valpolicella varieties. “Although rosato is distinct and different on a national level, it is very homogenous on a local level,” says Di Cintio.
Rosato offers excellent value, with many products priced well under $15 and a broad affinity for food. “As Italian cuisine becomes increasingly refined and delicate, our reds wine are moving in the opposite direction by becoming more powerful and alcoholic,” says Di Cintio: “Consumers want a wine that meets them in the middle and that wine is rosato.”
Increasingly popular in Italy are wines called ramato, which are copperish in color instead of pink. Made from Pinot Grigio in the Trentino and Veneto regions, the must is briefly left in contact with its reddish skins to make a uniquely colored wine that shares many characteristics with traditional rosato. —Monica Larner
88 Aldegheri 2006 Zaleo Rosé Veronese; $NA. Fine and delicate aromas of rose petal, a light touch of raspberry and pretty almond tones make this a generous and feminine wine with high appeal among rosé enthusiasts seeking a wine from the eastern shores of Lake Garda. The wine has crisp acidity and refined nuances in the mouth that are protected and enhanced thanks to the use of a novel glass closure that fits snugly into the lip of the bottle just like a traditional cork. —M.L.
88 Cantina Terlan 2005 Lagrein Alto Adige; $15. One of Italy’s reliable rosés year after year, the 2005 is getting a bit long in the tooth, but still boasts scents of dried rose petals tinged with leather and earth. There’s plenty of richness, weight and complexity, but drink up, or look for the 2006, which should arrive in the U.S. this summer. —J.C.
86 Leone de Castris 2005 Five Roses Salento; $12. Here’s a style of rosé that takes you straight to the sunny deep south of Italy, thanks to its bouquet of ripe red fruit and its velvety mouthfeel. The cherry and fruit aromas are penetrating and long lasting. First made in 1943, many consider this Italy’s first quality rosato. —M.L.
86 Feudo Maccari 2006 Re Noto Sicilia; $NA. The wine’s color is a dark shade of raspberry, and its nose is expansive and intense with raspberry-soda-like aromas, almond paste, mint cream and white stone. The red berry fruit is less vibrant but the wine remains full and tasty thanks to its hot-climate Sicilian roots. Pair this wine with more structured foods like oven roasted chicken, potatoes au gratin or pasta with red sauce. —M.L.
85 Carpineto 2006 Rosato Toscana; $10. A blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Canaiolo, this light ruby-colored wine is richly redolent of white cherry, forest berries, white flowers, chalky minerals and herbal tones too. It’s floral and fresh in the mouth, clean, informal and easy to drink. —M.L