Best Provence rosés for under £20/$30
Whether you're having a night of al fresco dining or planning a picnic in the park, these top Provence rosés will provide an ideal accompaniment to the summer sunshine without breaking the bank.
With temperatures continuing to climb this summer, but a higher chance of not getting abroad, bring a taste of the south of France with this selection of some of the best Provence rosés, all recommended by our experts and available for under £20 / $30 – plus one just above £20, which was one of our best panel tasting wines of 2020.
Choosing Provence rosé
These wines normally are a blend of the grapes Cinsault, Syrah and Grenache.
‘When choosing your wine, don’t be fooled into thinking that ‘all these wines should be pale,’ judge Rod Smith MW noted last year’s panel tasting. ‘But pale doesn’t always mean good – once you’re stripping out colour you’re also homogenising flavour.’ Many of the best rosé wines can have a deeper colour.
As for what to drink when, Smith said: ‘At the beginning of the summer, try drinking the end of last year’s rosés rather than the early new one, especially if they’ve only just been bottled. People think it has to be the youngest vintage, but it doesn’t.’ There are plenty of 2019s in the selection below to choose from. Overall, the 2019 vintage was a good one, both size and quality, and could be ones to allow to age a few years.
Serving rosé wines
Recommending the perfect way to serve these wines, Elizabeth Gaby MW previously told Decanter.com: ‘Some crucial advice for rosé lovers: serving your wines ice cold does them no favours. The ideal temperature should be about 11°C to 15°C – between how you’d serve white and red wines. Sometimes decanting brings out greater complexity too.’
Rosé wines can also ‘be one of the best partners for a wide range of food,’ wrote food and wine expert Fiona Beckett, in our matching rosé wines with food guide, and a dry rosé can always work well as an all-rounder barbecue wine.
Look out for Elizabeth Gaby MW’s pick of 30 top Provence rosés, in Decanter magazine this summer.
Best Provence rosé wines under £20: Ten to try
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Château la Coste, Coteaux d'Aix en Provence, Provence, France, 2019
95
Launched in 2008, this certified organic and biodynamic estate situated between Aix-en-Provence and the Luberon National Park houses not only vineyards and a modern winery designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, but a spa hotel complete with 28 villa suites, restaurants and an art gallery. The winery itself is made up of two large corrugated iron cylindrical buildings with a vast chamber 17m below ground containing all the vats and wine storage. This wine is a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Cinsault from the 208ha vineyard surrounding this beautiful luxury complex. Elizabeth Gabay MW: Strong pink. Good weight and structure – quite a serious rosé with lots of intense, wild red berry fruit, a few black berries, mineral core and firm phenolic finish. A lovely, serious, gastronomic rosé. Joanna Simon: Deep dayglow copper-pink. Peach and pear aromas, quite complex. Fleshy peach and peppery spice on the palate. Full-bodied, powerful, rich and leesy. Complex. Rod Smith: Mid-pale pink colour. Earthy cranberry and raspberry fruit aromas. Some spice. Fruity and flavoursome, with good depth and spice. Balanced acidity and some creaminess.
2019
Château la CosteCoteaux d'Aix en Provence
Chateau Barbebelle, Rosé Fleuri, Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence, Provence, France, 2019
93
Ripe stone fruit, summer berries and rose aromas. Raspberry and ripe cherry provide sunny, warm fruits on the palate that sit alongside balanced acidity and an appealing weight.
2019
Chateau BarbebelleCoteaux d'Aix-en-Provence
Château La Gordonne, Provence, France, 2019
91
A bright, expressive rosé with berry, peach and pink-grapefruit aromas. Made from a classic Provence blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault, it’s generous and refreshing, with strawberry and raspberry juice offset by a subtle floral touch, finishing dry and full of citrus zest.
2019
Château La Gordonne
Kylie Minogue, Côtes de Provence Rosé, Côtes de Provence, Provence, France, 2020
91
Prettily packaged in a dumpy bottle, this petal-pink wine has classic creamy, teasing Provence aromas: acacia blossom, whispered fruit, pounded almond. On the palate, it’s a little brisker than you expect (promptly harvested to keep the acidity fresh?), and the fruits (tangerine, strawberry, lemon) have an appealing saline edge. There’s plenty of vinosity and structure to carry the wine and give it palate presence; look out for a faint anis hint afterwards. Sourced from Ch. Ste Roseline at Arcs-sur-Argens.
2020
Kylie MinogueCôtes de Provence
Château des Ferrages, Mon plaisir, Côtes de Provence, Ste-Victoire, Provence, France, 2019
91
Radiant cherries and juicy red berries infused with energetic orange peel and spice and a lively mineral freshness.
2019
Château des FerragesCôtes de Provence
Domaine la Suffrène, Bandol, Provence, France, 2019
91
Enriching blackcurrant, floral and fresh thyme aromas; glossy and slick with mouthwatering orange peel acidity and a succulent texture.
2019
Domaine la SuffrèneBandol
Domaine Clos Sainte Magdeleine, Rosé, Provence, France, 2019
90
From coastal vineyards between Cassis and Bandol, this is only the domaine’s second vintage of this rosé. It is subtle, with gentle spices and creamy red fruits. Cleansing acidity gently prods the salivary glands, and the pithy grapefruit finish is slightly bitter and very refreshing.
2019
Domaine Clos Sainte Magdeleine
Domaines Ott, By.Ott, Côtes de Provence, Provence, France, 2019
90
A wonderful celebration of Provence here with intensely juicy straberry flavours on the nose and palate alongside crisp apricot, fleshy peach and a hint of mango. A lively ending with a good lift of lemon and lime zestiness adds freshness and appeal.
2019
Domaines OttCôtes de Provence
Mirabeau, Classic, Côtes de Provence, Provence, France, 2019
90
An expressive nose of berry notes that, on the palate, transforms into succulent and juicy red cherries, raspberries and strawberries. The palate offers a light creaminess and silky texture with a round, crisp finish. Made from 60% Grenache, 25% Syrah and 15% Cinsault, it has complexity and drive, delivering great quality and value.
2019
MirabeauCôtes de Provence
Morrisons, The Best Provence Rosé, Côtes de Provence, Provence, France, 2019
88
Fresh white peach, candied pear on the nose, juicy strawberry and cranberry fruits and crunchy green apple on the palate. The 13% alcohol of the 2019 vintage is felt on the body but refreshed by the 5.9g/l acidity. An elegant and clean Provence rosé made by blending Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault and Cabernet Sauvignon.
2019
Morrisons
