Certainly, be serious and discuss the complexity, structure, aromas, flavours and terroir-driven attributes of that rosé in your glass.
Or, be frivolous, simply declare it delicious and quaff it in the sunshine.
That's the great thing about pink wine.
It bridges divides.
It's a favourite at bachelorette parties as well as dinner parties.
You can think long and hard about it, or you don't even have to give it a second thought.
Focus on its elegance or just its fun.
Deem it feminine because it's pink, or masculine because it's pink.
We're having this discussion because National Rosé Day is the second Saturday of every June.
That means tomorrow -- Saturday, June 13 -- is the day to drink pink, think pink, wear pink, be pink.
The day was launched in 2014 by Bodvar, a producer of rosés in its spiritual homeland of Provence in the South of France.
It seemed to coincide with a resurgence in rosés, as pink wines had a 'moment' that has only continued to gain momentum.
The ' rosé all day' mantra has become rosé all month, rosé all year, rosé all the time, every time.
The Greeks and Romans started making rosé as far back as 600 BC when they used red grapes, lightly crushed with hardly any skin contact to make a pink wine that could be enjoyed right away.
In the Middle Ages, winemakers in Provence started perfecting rosés as we know them.
And then, in the 1970s and 1980s some California winemakers started making sweet, characterless white Zinfandel which straddled ruining rose's reputation and being a commercial success.
Today, quality rosés are dry, crisp, juicy, fruit-forward, food-friendly, interesting and delicious.
So, without further ado, here are seven roses you can sip on National Rose Day, all summer and all year long at any occasion.
- Mission Hill Reserve 2024 Rosé ($26)
Made by the West Kelowna winery using grapes from a cool-climate region of California.
Aromas and flavours of strawberry, red cherry and blood orange.
As with any scrumptious rosé, it can be sipped on its own on a patio or show its versatility for food pairings with everthing from Nicoise salad (a favourite in Provence), crab cakes and grilled salmon to barbecued chicken, pesto pasta and pizza.
- Squealing Pig 2023 Rosé ($20) from New Zealand
Going back to the concept of pink wine being serious as well as frivolous, Squealing Pig Rosé is well-made, crisp, bright and light, but it is also playful, oh-so approachable and a little rebelliously named after the vocal wild pigs in the area of the winery in Marlborough.
The 2023 bottling is a pride special commemorating Squealing Pig being the official wine supplier for the Sydney WorldPride Festival.
- CedarCreek 2024 Pinot Noir Rosé ($26)
Made by the Kelowna winery of grapes from Oregon.
A profile of strawberry and Cara Cara oranges.
I had to look up what Cara Cara is.
It's a sweet and seedless variety of navel orange.
- Nk'Mip 2025 Storytellers Rosé ($26) from Osoyoos
Clean and crisp with a red cherry and pink grapefruit profile.
- Ex Nihilo Vampata 2025 Rosé ($33) from Lake Country
Aromas and flavours of watermelon and candy floss.
- Hester Creek 2025 Pinot Noir Rosé ($28) from Oliver
A pleasing tension of slightly sweet and slightly tart with its profile of strawberry, red currant and rhubarb.
- Hester Creek 2025 Cabernet Franc Rosé ($23) from Oliver
A dark and purposeful pink with a profile of strawberry, rhubarb and exotic pomegranate.
Nota Bene 'Hiatus'
In 2024, Black Hills Winery in Oliver had to decide the fate of its signature, iconic and cult-followed Bordeaux-style red blend Nota Bene.
Would it make a less-than estate wine, leave the 2024 vintage blank or would it rally and do something innovative.
The latter won out, thankfully, and Black Hills made the Hiatus Collection 2024 Nota Bene ($70) using specially selected grapes from Washington state and Oregon.
Of course, as has been explained many times, the 2024 grape harvest in the Okanagan was essentially wiped out by the severe cold of January 2024 that killed buds on the vines.
Thus the Nota Bene dilemma and solution.
Black Hills winemaker Ryan McKibbon said the goal was to craft "an extraordinary and collectible expression born form a unique moment in the winery's journey" rather than a substitute for the estate wine.
The Hiatus Collection, therefore, is a deliberate pause, not an absence.
It maintains continuity for collectors and wine club members while being totally up front about its origin and intent.
The resulting 2024 Nota Bene is not a replica of the classic Black Sage Bench Nota Bene that had been produced for more than 25 vintages.
Rather, it's an interpretation and a conviction to make something memorable from tough circumstances.
The 2024 Nota Bene is 43% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Cabernet Franc.
Black Hills has also made a bunch of other 2024 vintage Hiatus Collection wines -- Sauvignon Blanc, Bona Fide (red blend), Ipso Facto (red blend), Syrah, Tempranillo, Chardonnay, Viognier and Sangiovese.
The 2024 Nota Bene makes it debut at the wine club release event at the winery today and then tomorrow (Saturday, June 13) there's another party at the winery where the wine can be tasted and purchased.
Steve MacNaull is a NowMedia Group reporter, Okanagan wine lover and Canadian Wine Scholar. Reach him at [email protected]. His wine column appears every Friday afternoon in this space.
