Chiaretto 2020: 22 top Italian rosés worth seeking out

Guerrieri Rizzardi has spent several years adjusting this blend of Corvina, Rondinella, Sangiovese and Merlot, sourced from vines between three and 50 years old. The result of this iterative process is delicious: slightly peachy and floral on the nose, it has a saline attack with juicy, peachy fruit followed by plenty of peppery spice and subtle, earthy red fruits. Clean and fresh on the long finish.

Santi's winery was completely renovated in 2016. This Chiaretto, made from Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara, has fresh red fruit scents with a touch of salinity on both nose and palate. Juicy in the mouth, zesty lemon, peach and red fruits are followed by a fresh grapefruit finish. Minerally, stony, and bright, this is an excellent rosé to pair with food.

Elegant, slightly creamy red fruit aromas are joined by a brush of herbs. A bit tacky in the mouth at first, it bursts with creamy peach, yellow plum, red fruits, lemon and floral notes, followed by good acidity on the mid-palate which freshens up and lengthens the stony finish.

This newly released 2018 has a stony red fruit nose with some herbal touches. Intense and focussed in the mouth, it has a bright citrussy attack with soft red fruits and peppery spice. Elegant and refined, the extra ageing has worked its magic here. It has a saline finish with a concentration of sticky black cherry and raspberry.

This cooperative was founded in 1958 and counts over 200 growers farming 1,000 hectares. A banana note accompanies red fruits, with some herbs in the mouth. It demonstrates good intensity, with focused red fruits surrounded by pithy grapefruit, lemon juice and some herbs. Fresh and saline through to the long finish, it leaves you wanting more.

Bold and slightly earthy strawberry aromas are joined by a creamy hint. It has a slightly grippy, sticky attack of cherry, strawberry and raspberry fruits followed by grapefruit and then some saline acidity on the finish. Not as elegant as the cooperative's Cantina del Garda but with more oomph and texture.

Benati was founded in 1920. A blend of Corvina, Rondinella Molinara and Merlot, this has good intensity of strawberry, grapefruit and peach with decent texture and fresh, slightly saline acidity.

This family-owned estate encompasses 11.5 hectares of vines in Castelnuovo del Garda and Sona. Lemon-tinged red fruits are intense on the creamy, soft palate, and cleansing acidity comes in at the end, carrying a sweet strawberry and raspberry finish with some herbs. Bold yet balanced.

Second-generation Roberta has converted the family estate's 53 hectares of vines to organic viticulture. Notes of pepper and sweet spice aromas overlay soft red fruits. Light and fresh in the mouth, it features saline red fruits with a touch of textural grip. Creamy and peppery on the mid-palate, it has a long floral raspberry finish.

This Chiaretto from Lenotti undergoes a slightly longer maceration than the estate's Decus. It has a clean nose of red fruit with some herbal touches. Bright, bold blackberry, black cherry, raspberry and strawberry flavours are joined in the mouth by some herbs and a saline lock. It displays good freshness and balance, elegant despite its intensity.

A subtle stony nose with hints of pure, ripe red fruits and peach leads to a textured palate with a good intensity of hedgerow berries. Good acidity freshens and lifts the palate, leading to a long, fresh and clean finish.

Marchesini Marcello farms 12 hectares of local varieties following organic practices. This Chiaretto, a blend of 30% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 20% Molinara and 20% Rondinella, is subject to bâtonnage during maceration as well as during ageing in stainless steel tanks. It has a light herby, saline nose with soft red fruit hints. It's similar in the mouth, with a crisp saline attack followed by touches of creamy red fruit and peppery spice. Bright and lively.

A blend of 40% Corvina Veronese, 30% Rondinella, 10% Molinara, 10% Corvinone and 10% Merlot, this Chiaretto has softer, bolder red fruits than the estate's Mont'Albano, with some peppery spice and a long, intense finish. Less subtle, more fruit-forward yet still fresh.

Soft red fruits nose. Full and round, with pear, strawberry, raspberry, cherry, some spice and cream. Fresh finish with citrus and floral lift.

Villa Calicantus has been organic since 2011 and biodynamic since 2014, and Chiar’Otto was the DOC's first barrel-fermented and aged Chiaretto. It's fermented with indigenous yeasts in 225L oak before ageing for five months. A briochey nose with tangy red fruits and a touch of cream leads to a palate with fresh, pure raspberry and strawberry fruits. Complex spices and a touch of rich brioche accompany stewed apple and preserved lemon hints on the mid-palate, and it finishes very dry. A unique style.

Macerated for no longer than four hours, this has a slightly funky, earthy nose with red fruits and a hint of orange peel. The palate has some texture to it, with dry, juicy red fruits, elegant acidity and a saline finish with a touch of cream.

Intense cherry and strawberry fruit flavours with subtle sweet and peppery spice leading to a long, freshening finish that balances the bold attack well.

Light notes of lemon and raspberry are accompanied by bright, sparkling lemony acidity filled out with lemon drizzle cake, subtle peach and a hint of grapefruit. White wine, surely!

This organic Chiaretto, 80% Corvina and 20% Rondinella, has a clean, fresh strawberry and herb character on both nose and palate. It has some peachy notes on the finish along with a touch of grapefruit.

Fragrant red fruit and floral aromas are followed by an intense palate of pithy grapefruit, peach, and light raspberry and strawberry. The acidity provides balance without being too bright or overbearing.

Light and elegant, this Chiaretto has ripe cherry and strawberry flavours with some herbal touches and stony acidity. It's pretty straightforward but ideal for drinking with a salad or white fish.

This offers a bold mouthful of savoury red fruits, with some sweet spice on the mid-palate. It has reasonable acidity and a peachy finish.