Something to Wine About: Sparkling Rosé Two Delicious Ways! 

While some autumn days might be less than sunny, there’s a sure-fire way to brighten them: sparkling rosé!

Two examples of delectable and fun rosés are Fresh Vine Wine’s Brut Rosé Sparkling Wine and Gancia Prosecco Rosé DOC. Both of these rosés are a bold, bright pink color, with the Fresh Vine Wine Brut Rosé Sparkling Wine just a slightly deeper shade of crimson. Neither are the pale, barely pink colors one might usually expect from a rosé.

Both wines also use the Charmat or Prosecco method to produce their bubbles. This method, in the sparkling winemaking process, traps bubbles in wine through carbonation in steel tanks as opposed to the traditional method, or méthode champenoise. In the traditional method, wine is bottle-fermented, meaning it goes through its second fermentation in the bottle to produce bubbles. The traditional method is more labor intensive and that is often reflected in the price. Both of these wines are an absolute steal!

Fresh Vine Wine Brut Rosé Sparkling Wine

The first, Fresh Vine Wine’s Brut Rosé Sparkling Wine, is as bold in bouquet and flavor as it is in color. Fruit-forward notes of ripe fresh strawberries and raspberries are up front with lighter notes of green apple keeping the finish fresh. While this is most definitely a dry wine the fruit-forward flavor keeps it from being overly dry or acidic.

It has a luscious mouth feel and a long finish with notes of red fruit. While Fresh Vine Wine — co-founded by actress Nina Dobrev and dancer, singer, actress, and fitness guru Julianne Hough — is marketed for a healthier lifestyle and shares info for a 5 oz glass of wine as: 94 calories, 1.0 grams of sugar, 3.8 carbs and an ABV of 11.5%.

This really is just terrific wine. And honestly, it’s unlikely after a sip that anyone is going to limit their imbibing to a 5 oz glass. The wine is produced in Napa, California and retails for $24.99 at freshvinewine.com.

Gancia Proseccco Rosé DOC

The second wine is Gancia Proseccco Rosé DOC from Piedmonte, Italy.

One might wonder what the initials D.O.C. stand for. The DOC system specifies the production area and methods for each wine, and guarantees the quality standard of certain wines that pass a government taste test. In the DOC system a DOC wine, which means Denominazione di Origine Controllata, translating to “designation of controlled origin,” is the second highest level of quality.

The highest level is DOCG, which means Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita and translates to “denomination of controlled and guaranteed origin.” Lower levels of wine also get a designation. These wines without a geographical indication are called Vino da Tavola, or VdT, which means “table wine.” There’s also Indicazione Geografica Tipica or IGT, which is the broadest category. The grapes in IGT wines should come from the IGT region stated on the label, but don’t have to conform to the same strict standards regarding the style of wine.

This sparkling rosé wine is also deliciously fruit-forward with lovely floral notes. This is a dry wine at 11% alcohol, but the fruit-forward nature will most certainly please even your sweet wine-loving friends. And it’s another bargain retailing for only $13.95!