Is Rosé Wine Sweet or Dry?

From its pretty pink color to its thirst-quenching taste, rosé wine has emerged as a firm favorite among wine enthusiasts and has broken free from its confines as a summer sipper. The wine style can be enjoyed all year round and is perfect paired with a wide range of dishes.

Backed by celebrities like Jon Bon Jovi and Brad Pitt via their Hampton Water and Miraval brands, the U.S. is the world’s second-biggest market for rosé. The versatile wine style is perfect for backyard barbecues and summer picnics.

While easy to enjoy, understanding rosé’s different sweetness levels can be tricky, so if you’re interested in discovering where your preferred pink falls on the sweetness spectrum, read on…

Browse our delicious range of rosé wines from around the world.

How is Rosé Wine Made?

While some rosés are made from both red and white grapes, most rosés are made entirely from red grapes.

Rosé can be made anywhere in the world from various grape varieties. The signature blush wine gets its color from red grape skins during the maceration process, and the longer the juice is kept in contact with the skins, the darker color of the rosé will be.

There are two main methods for making rosé wine. The maceration method (also called “skin contact” method) is the most common. It involves keeping the grape juice in contact with its skins briefly during the fermentation process to extract color—just a few hours for darker-skinned grapes like Mourvèdre and up to 24 hours for lighter-red grapes like Grenache. Once the desired color is obtained, the juice is separated from the skins.

The second most common way to make rosé is the saignée method. This technique creates delicious rosé as a by-product of red wine. Saignée in French means ‘to bleed.’ During the fermentation of red wine, around 10% of the juice is “bled off” and then fermented into a rosé. The rosé sees higher contact with the red grape skins this way, developing a richer, bolder style with a more savory character than those made via the skin contact method.

Is Rosé Wine Sweet?

Rosé wines range from bone dry to moderately sweet, depending on where they’re grown and how they’re made.

In rosé’s heartland of Provence in southern France, the wine tends to be pale pink in color and dry in style, offering refreshing aromas of grapefruit, red berries and wild herbs.

Californian rosés are sweeter in style, with luscious examples including White Zinfandel, White Merlot and Pink Moscato. These wines are sweet because winemakers do not ferment all of the grapes’ sugars into alcohol during production.

While pale pink rosés tend to be dry in style, and darker rosés sweeter and fruiter, a rosé’s color alone can’t determine the sweetness level. A handy tip—look at its alcohol level on the back label—the lower the level, the sweeter the rosé will be, as wines containing higher amounts of residual sugar have lower ABV levels than their drier counterparts.

Popular Rosé wines

Provence Rosé

Provence is the gold standard for quality rosé production, and its elegant pinks are revered and emulated across the globe.

Pink wine has always been a priority in this southern French region, and it shows in the rosés they produce. Grenache plays a key role in Provence rosé wines, alongside Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Syrah. Sometimes a dash of white grape Rolle (aka Vermentino) is added for a little extra freshness. Provence rosés tend to be quite delicate in flavor, boasting notes of watermelon, grapefruit and strawberry, with floral hints and sometimes a savory finish. Provence pinks are refreshing and light to enjoy in the sunshine and pair deliciously with seafood and salads.

Tavel Rosé

If you think all French rosé was pale pink and understated, think again.

Rosés from the Tavel region in the Rhône Valley are a deep raspberry red and renowned for their complex character and spicy aromas. They’re so dark that they could easily be mistaken for light red wines. Said to be a favorite wine of author Ernest Hemingway, Tavel rosés are mainly made with Grenache and Cinsault.

Tavel rosés are among the driest out there. Their notes of summer fruits, spices and nutty hints make them a top rosé to pair with barbecued meats, as they have the structure to stand up to these strong meats.

Grenache Rosé

Of all the red grapes out there, Grenache has to be the most important in rosé wine production.

The juicy grape is key in Provence rosé production. It is also a significant player in Spanish rosés, where it works well as a solo act or when blended with the native Spanish variety Tempranillo. Grenache rosés radiate charm and character and boast appealing notes of ripe strawberry, cherry and raspberry, alongside more exotic notes of blood orange, hibiscus and allspice.

The color of Grenache rosé can vary from pale pink to raspberry red, depending on where it hails from. It makes a great partner for various cuisines, from spicy Moroccan and Indian dishes to Greek mezze.

Pinot Noir Rosé

Given Pinot Noir’s delicate nature, it’s no surprise the grape creates elegant rosés.

If you’ve seen the Oscar-winning movie Sideways, you’ll be familiar with Pinot’s demanding ways. It takes time, patience and a steely nerve to coax the best out of it, but when you do, the rewards are worth the effort. In California’s cool Sonoma County, you’ll find exciting expressions of Pinot Noir rosé with bright acidity and appealing flavors of raspberry and cherry with a lick of wet stone, making it a versatile food match. Crisp and dry, it pairs well with crab, smoked salmon and thyme-roasted chicken.

Try this elegant Pescadero Rock Pinot Noir Rosé 2020 from Monterey County, California.

Sangiovese Rosé

Italy is another of Europe’s vibrant pink wine hubs, where rosés are predominantly made from Tuscany’s flagship red grape, Sangiovese.

Bursting with sour cherry notes and thirst-quenching acidity, the grape is ideally suited to rosé production. Though Italy doesn’t have a long history of pink production, a growing number of wine estates are adding rosé to their ranges.

Dry in character but fruity in nature, Sangiovese rosés boast a broad spectrum of flavors, from cherry and raspberry to yellow peach, clove and cumin, making them a great match for classic Italian dishes like prosciutto or a delicious Caprese salad.

Mourvèdre Rosé

While most pinks should be drunk young, Mourvèdre rosés are known for their ability to age gracefully.

Their heartland is Bandol in southern France, where they tend to be coral-pink in color, fuller-bodied in structure and savory in style, offering floral notes of rose petals and violets. When sipping a Mourvèdre rosé, you can expect to taste everything from red plums and cherries to dried herbs and smoke. Similar to a light red wine in character, these complex rosés can stand up to various foods and pair fantastically well with grilled meats and savory Mediterranean dishes like tapenade.

Outside of France, Mourvèdre rosé has found a happy home in South Africa, California and Washington.

White Zinfandel

While the popularity of dry rosés from Provence has spawned a legion of imitations worldwide, moving pink wine in a drier direction, sweeter styles of rosé are still hugely popular here in the U.S., where White Zinfandel continues to lead the way.

The wine style is so popular that it accounts for around 85% of all Zinfandel production. Don’t let the ‘white’ in the name confuse you—this is a rosé made from red grape Zinfandel in an ‘off-dry’ style, with around ⅛ (an eighth) of an ounce of residual sugar per standard glass, making the wine moderately sweet. Given its sweeter nature, you can expect to find notes of ripe strawberry, cherry and watermelon when you uncork a White Zinfandel.Its higher sweetness makes it a delicious pairing for spicy dishes like Thai noodles and curries.

Find your favorite style of rosé wine from our selection.

Karen, Personal Wine Advisor

The best moments of life involve entertaining friends and family over great meals, great wine and genuine laughter. I sometimes can’t believe that I get to do this for a living!

WSET – Level 2 Wines & Spirits Certified

Rhône Reds • Sonoma Reds • Barrel-Aged Rioja • If I can get a good, sumptuous lip smack from my glass, I am pleasantly charmed!

karen@laithwaites.com | (203) 523-2157

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Is Rosé Wine Sweet or Dry?

How is Rosé Wine Made?

Is Rosé Wine Sweet?

Popular Rosé wines

Provence Rosé

Tavel Rosé

Grenache Rosé

Pinot Noir Rosé

Sangiovese Rosé

Mourvèdre Rosé

White Zinfandel

Other Wine Knowledge Articles You May Be Interested in

Karen, Personal Wine Advisor

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Is Rosé Wine Sweet or Dry?

How is Rosé Wine Made?

Is Rosé Wine Sweet?

Popular Rosé wines

Provence Rosé

Tavel Rosé

Grenache Rosé

Pinot Noir Rosé

Sangiovese Rosé

Mourvèdre Rosé

White Zinfandel

Other Wine Knowledge Articles You May Be Interested in

Karen, Personal Wine Advisor

Plus 1–Year Laithwaites
FREE Shipping Service