France is world-renowned for its exceptional wines, and rosés are no exception. Here is a selection of the 10 best rosé wines in France, combining quality, flavour and unique terroirs.
| Rank | Wine & Vintage | Average price | Main flavours | Awards (source links) | Site URL |
| 1 | Château de Berne Rosé 2024 (Côtes de Provence) | 15-20 € | Mandarin, peach, mango, citrus, roundness, freshness | 4 stars, 30 medals including 10 gold | https://chateauberne-vin.com/collections/vin-roses-de-provence |
| 2 | Château Miraval Rosé 2024 (Provence) | 15-20 € | White peach, hibiscus, amaryllis, minerality | Best Seller, Voted best rosé in the world | https://www.miraval.com/ |
| 3 | Château Sainte Marguerite Symphony 2024 (Provence) | 25-30 € | Fresh red fruit, citrus, white flowers, minerality | Organic Farming | https://www.chateausaintemarguerite.com/ |
| 4 | Château d'Esclans Garrus 2022 (Provence) | 100-120 € | White fruit, peach, woody notes, great complexity | World-renowned prestigious rosé | https://esclans.com/ |
| 5 | Muse de Miraval 2021 Magnum (Provence) | 120-150 € (magnum) | Jasmine, white peach, melon, strawberry, raspberry, citrus fruit | A rare and prestigious vintage | https://www.miraval.com/ |
| 6 | Charlopin-Tissier Marsannay Rosé 2023 (Burgundy) | 33 € | Ripe red fruit, spices, freshness | Grand vin de Marsannay | https://www.charlopin-tissier.com/ |
| 7 | M de Minuty 2024 (Provence) | 15-20 € | Orange, redcurrant, marine freshness | Minuty's flagship wine | https://minuty.com/fr/ |
| 8 | By Ott 2024 (Provence) | 15-20 € | Yellow fruit, citrus, exotic fruit, minerality | 4 stars, Organic Farming | https://www.domaines-ott.com/fr/ |
| 9 | Château Montaurone "Cuvée Tradition" 2024 (Aix-en-Provence) | 10-13 € | Red fruit, freshness, floral notes | Good value for money | https://chateaumontoaurone.com/ |
| 10 | La Suffrène Bandol Rosé | 18-22 € | Red fruit, spices, structure, minerality | Regularly rewarded | http://www.lasuffrene.com/ |
Château de Berne, a major player in the Côtes de Provence RosésRosé 2024 is an exceptional wine. Renowned for its roundness, freshness and delicate aromas of tangerine, peach, mango and citrus fruit, this wine embodies the elegance of Provence. Its reputation is backed up by numerous awards, including 30 medals, 10 of them gold, testifying to its excellence and consistent quality.
Le Château Miraval Rosé 2024, famously owned by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, is much more than a celebrity wine. Voted "best rosé in the world" on several occasions, this best-seller from Provence seduces with its subtle aromas of white peach, hibiscus and beautiful minerality. It's an elegant, well-balanced rosé, perfect for lovers of fine, refreshing wines.
Château Sainte Marguerite Symphonie 2024 is distinguished by its commitment to organic farming, producing a pure, expressive rosé. Its aromas of fresh red fruit, citrus fruit and white flowers, accompanied by a touch of minerality, make it a symphony of flavour. A guarantee of quality and respect for the environment, this wine is an excellent expression of the terroir of Provence.
A true icon of prestige rosés, Château d'Esclans Garrus 2022 is an exceptional wine. With its notes of white fruit, peach and subtle hints of wood, it offers remarkable aromatic complexity. Renowned worldwide for its superior quality and ageing potential, Garrus is the choice of connoisseurs looking for a unique gourmet rosé.
Muse de Miraval 2021 in Magnum format is a rare and prestigious cuvée from the Miraval estate. This exceptional rosé reveals delicate aromas of jasmine, white peach, melon, strawberry, raspberry and citrus fruit. Packaged in Magnum, it is ideal for special occasions, promising a memorable and refined tasting experience.
Let's step away from Provence for a moment to discover Charlopin-Tissier's Marsannay Rosé 2023 from Burgundy. This great Marsannay wine is characterised by its aromas of ripe red fruit, enhanced by spices and a lovely freshness. It's a more structured rosé, with a long finish and an interesting alternative to rosés from the south.
M de Minuty 2024 is a flagship cuvée from Château Minuty, the emblem of Provence rosés. Easily recognisable by its elegant silhouette, this wine seduces with its aromas of orange and redcurrant and its marine freshness. It's a classic rosé, synonymous with conviviality and lightness, perfect for aperitifs and sunny moments.
By Ott 2024 is another creation from Domaines Ott, renowned for its fine Provence wines. Certified organic, this rosé offers aromas of yellow fruit, citrus, exotic fruit and a beautiful minerality. Its purity and balance make it a much-appreciated wine, rated particularly highly for its consistent quality.
Château Montaurone "Cuvée Tradition" 2024, from the Aix-en-Provence region, offers excellent value for money. This rosé is characterised by its red fruit aromas, thirst-quenching freshness and delicate floral notes. It's an accessible, enjoyable wine, perfect for light meals and casual occasions.
La Suffrène Bandol Rosé stands out for its structure and minerality, typical of wines from the Bandol appellation. This award-winning rosé reveals intense aromas of red fruit and spices. It is a more powerful wine, capable of marrying with more elaborate dishes and ageing elegantly, offering great complexity.
Rosé wine is a type of wine with a colour between red and white. It is made from red grapes whose skins are macerated with the must for a short period (a few hours), giving it its pinkish hue. There are various production methods, including maceration (the most common in Provence), bleeding and blending (rare in France).
France has several wine-growing regions that are emblematic of rosé wine production. Provence is undoubtedly the most famous, particularly for its dry, pale, fruity rosés. The Loire Valley is also renowned, particularly for its livelier, more refreshing rosés. Other regions such as Languedoc-Roussillon (Corbières, Faugères), Bordeaux (with Clairet) and the South-West also produce quality rosés.
A good rosé wine is distinguished by its balance, freshness and aromas. Its colour can vary from pale pink to deeper pink, but this has no effect on its quality. On the nose, it may offer notes of red fruit (strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant), citrus fruit (grapefruit, lemon), white-fleshed fruit (peach, apricot) or flowers (rose, peony). On the palate, it should be lively and thirst-quenching, with good acidity and a lingering, bitter-free finish.
The choice of rosé wine depends on the occasion and the food being served. A light, fruity rosé (such as a classic Côtes de Provence) is perfect for aperitifs, summer salads or grilled meats. A more structured, complex rosé (such as a Bandol or a Burgundy rosé) is the perfect accompaniment to richer Mediterranean dishes, white meats and even some mild cheeses.
Provence rosé wines are often made from a blend of several grape varieties. The most common are Grenache (roundness, fruit), Cinsault (finesse, freshness), Syrah (structure, spicy aromas) and Mourvèdre (complexity, ageing potential). Tibouren is an emblematic local grape variety, producing rosés with floral and spicy notes.
Rosé wine is best enjoyed chilled, between 8 and 12°C. Start by observing its colour to appreciate its hue. Then smell it to identify the primary and secondary aromas. On the palate, we assess its attack (first impression), its development (mid-palate) and its finish (aromatic persistence). A suitable glass, preferably a stemmed one with a slightly flared chalice, will help release the aromas.
Rosé wines are extremely versatile at the table. They go perfectly with Mediterranean dishes, grilled meats, mixed salads, seafood, grilled fish, mild spicy dishes (light Asian cuisine) and fresh cheeses. The more structured gourmet rosés can even be enjoyed with white meats or poultry.
Rosé de saignée is obtained by drawing off part of the juice after a short maceration of the red grapes with their skins (generally 12 to 24 hours). The rest of the must is then vinified as red wine. This rosé is often more colourful and structured. Direct pressing involves pressing the red grapes directly to obtain a lightly coloured juice, which is then fermented like a white wine. This rosé is generally lighter in colour.
Rosé wine is a fragile wine that is best kept away from light, heat (stable temperature between 10 and 14°C) and temperature variations. A wine cellar is the ideal place, but a cool, dark, stable place will also do. Most rosés should be drunk within two to three years of bottling to enjoy their freshness and fruity aromas.
Although the majority of rosés are designed to be drunk young, some terroir rosés, which are more structured and complex, can improve with a few years' cellaring. This is particularly true of certain Bandol rosés (made from Mourvèdre) or prestige cuvées such as Garrus or Muse de Miraval, which develop more complex aromas and a richer texture with age.
