Rosé for Mom: Aaron's Picks for Mother's Day
There seems to be a lot of historical data that points to rosé wine being the oldest type of wine, which makes a lot of sense—making an accidental rosé would be fairly natural as people learned and refined the winemaking process. Trying to make a red wine with very short skin contact would result in the aforementioned rosé. It just kind of makes sense, and that's why when Wikipedia told me that I totally believed it. Then my mind started to wander, as it often does, and I wondered if these early winemakers and wine buyers might have gifted their finest rosé wines to their own mothers and wives to celebrate them. I know that Mother's Day is a modern holiday, but the treasuring of the people most important to us has to be as old as time—it just feels right, doesn't it? I could probably more definitively answer this question with a couple of Google searches and a chat with some bot, but I’m mostly shootin' from the hip today, folks. So let’s just go with it.
When we think about rosé we often mentally wander towards Provence, especially when we want something that has some grace and elegance, some fruit, but then is bone-dry and crisp on the finish. Maybe that's not for you, but that's definitely for me, that's where yummy is. We have plenty of lovely examples on our shelves, plus some from the Mediterranean and the Rhône—they're all just fantastic, especially when they're just super crispy cold. I know super cold is not proper wine service temperature, but sometimes it's about what the mouth and body want, not about some proper service rule written by someone who is likely dead while we, the wine enjoyers, are very much alive. Sure if you serve it a little warmer, you'll get more of the overall complexity and depth, but crispy cold rosé is just such a perfect vibe and it's such a mood. Like omigawd.
I've put together a nice little bouquet of rosés for the season. Whether you choose a nice bottle to enjoy with your mother in the afternoon, to give as a gift, or to drink while you’re politely nodding to the third time she’s telling the same story, these will all fit the bill. And yes, everything here is under $35, because mom deserves good wine and you deserve to still pay rent.
Six Rosés for Every Kind of Mom
2025 Peyrassol "La Croix" Mediteranée Rosé $18.99 Lots of that pretty peach and wild strawberry, but there's a touch of something herbal in the background. It's overall lighter in the bouquet but also ultimately more floral, with lots of white and pink flowers. The palate is light and slightly tart for the merest moment, but then it bright and smooth. It shows a generous amount of fruit but not too much, and then the acidity pushes through and helps clean everything, with the lightest touch of grip at the end, like a tiny little hug.
2025 Domaine de Triennes Mediteranée Rosé $17.99 Easy and approachable, this is such a friendly bottle of pool wine. A little bit tropical, but then more raspberry and bright strawberry than anything else, with a pleasant but not too pushing acidity that goes through the whole palate. For people looking for a nice Provencal style rosé, this will be a hit. The lingering finish has a little touch of something floral at the very end, really ending on a pretty and lingering note. This is new to us, and what a nice surprise!
2025 Clos Cibonne "Tentations" Côtes de Provence Rosé $23.99 The nose is so beautiful on this, lots of white peach and wild strawberry grace us with their presence, and we're so happy they showed up to the party. There's just a touch of watermelon rind in the background, and this kind of chalky white flower. The palate is beautifully crisp with more peach, raspberry, watermelon, and then the finish has a lovely mineral push that ends in a salty saline finish. This is so good on so many levels, there's a juiciness to the finish that the salinity is helping carry through, giving it a lingering finish that is still finishing minutes later. Just sublime.
** Curious? You can taste the 2025 Clos Cibonne at our Open Cellar **
2025 La Bargemone Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence Rosé $18.99 Super lush and ripe nose, there's white peach, pear drops, with a tropical touch of Gros Michel sweet bananas. This is pool wine through and through, definitely for someone who wants something more fruit forward and inviting. The palate is where the wild strawberry starts to pop out. Then underripe raspberry, bruised pear, and vibrant lemon candy all are carried with enough acid to give it that thirst-quenching rosé vibe, but still with gobs of fruit through the palate. This is friendly and inviting, it's got a little bit of weight but still drinks light and fresh. Its tropical touches make it a touch more fun. Yummers! Yes, I say yummers sometimes, it's fine.
2025 Domaine de Fondrèche Ventoux Rosé $18.99 There's raspberry candy on the nose that's really interesting; it unlocked some kind of memory for me. There's white peach, wild strawberry, a touch of some tropical aromas. It has an enjoyable nose that's draws me in, and then the palate is a little wacky in the most enjoyable of ways. It's got a fruit crescendo at first sip, then light fruit and more mineral, getting more and more juicy. You’ll find a pushing salinity that emphasizes the bold flavors and then just a light little touch of tannin at the end that makes it have the slightest grip. It's crazy good and for this price might be one of my biggest go-to bottles this season.
2025 Château Vannières Bandol Rosé $33.99 While Bandol often evokes the image of a deeper and more fruited rosé for people, this one is absolutely a pretty little darling. Pretty pale salmon pink in the glass, there's a touch of tropical aroma on the nose, but that gives way to raspberry and white peach. It's pretty without ever being too much; it retains its elegance. The palate is crisp and lovely, with perfect acidity pushing through the whole thing. There's more raspberry, strawberry, cherry candy, and lemon oleo saccharum. This is such an easy bottle of wine to love.
I really do love all of these wines. They're all incredibly delicious—each a little different but none is heads and tails better than any of the others. They each have their place depending what you are looking for: do you want to just crush a bottle or have it with a meal? Everything has its time and place.