I started tasting some of these wines in January and February of this year and at the start, some of them were nice to GREAT. This year, brings the return of Israeli Roses and white wines, after the Shmita year of 2022.

While rose wine in the non-kosher market is exploding – especially Rose wine from Provence; a wine region of France, kosher roses have ebbed and flowed. Last year, the kosher market for roses went into a tailspin. It is now clear that 2022 was the year of Peak-Rose. The 2023 year had the Israeli Shmita year of 2022 wines, which meant a smaller number of Roses. However, what was VERY clear, was that the Kosher wine market was in Rose-fatigue. The good news is that the online merchants are dumping the older vintages, mostly, and we are seeing 2023 roses proliferate online. Stores are still an issue, at least outside of NY and NJ. The motherland of kosher wine, no not Israel, NY/NJ, is firmly in 2023 mode and there are some options.

Part one of my 2024 rose season posts can be found here. I stand by my statement that I do not need Rose wine, many still like it, and this post is for you!

QPR and Price

I have been having more discussions around my QPR (Quality to Price) score with a few people and their contention, which is fair, in that they see wine at a certain price, and they are not going to go above that. So, instead of having a true methodology behind their ideas, they go with what can only be described as a gut feeling. The approaches are either a wine punches above its weight class so it deserves a good QPR score. Or, this other wine has a good score and is less than 40 dollars so that makes it a good QPR wine.

While I appreciate those ideals, they do not work for everyone and they do NOT work for all wine categories. It does NOT work for roses. Look, rose prices are 100% ABSURD – PERIOD! The median rose price has risen a fair amount from last year, some are at 40 to 45 dollars – for a rose! So far, it is around 32 bucks, this year, up from 29 last year, that is NUTS!

As you will see in the scores below, QPR is all over the place and there will be good QPR scores for wines I would not buy while there are POOR to BAD QPR scores for wines I would think about drinking, but not buying, based upon the scores, but in reality, I would never buy another bottle because the pricing is ABSURDLY high.

Also, remember that the QPR methodology is based on the 4 quintiles! Meaning, that there is a Median, but there are also quintiles above and below that median. So a wine that is at the top price point is by definition in the upper quintile. The same goes for scores. Each step above and below the median is a point in the system. So a wine that is in the most expensive quintile but is also the best wine of the group gets an EVEN. Remember folks math wins!

Still, some of the wines have a QPR of great and I would not buy them, why? Well, again, QPR is based NOT on quality primarily, it is based on price. The quality is secondary to the price. For example, if a rose gets a score of 87 points, even though that is not a wine I would drink it if it has a price below 32 dollars (that is 10 dollars more than two years ago – like I said crazy inflation) – then the QPR score is GREAT. Again, simple math wins. Does that mean that I would buy them because they have a GREAT QPR? No, I would not! However, for those that still want roses, then those are OK options.

Please remember, a wine score and the notes are the primary reason why I would buy a wine – PERIOD. The QPR score is there to mediate, secondarily, which of those wines that I wish to buy, is a better value. ONLY, the qualitative score can live on its own, regarding what I buy. The QPR score defines, within the wine category, which of its peers is better or worse than the wine in question.

Finally, I can, and I have, cut and paste the rest of this post from last year’s Rose post and it plays 100% the same as it did last year (minus the 2022 Shmita story).

So, if you know all about roses and how it is made, skip all the information and go to the wines to enjoy for this year, of the wines I have tasted so far. If you do not know much about rose wine, read on. As stated, I stand by my opinion that Rose is a fad, at best, and now is the time to join team white wine! White wines have cheaper prices, better scores, and therefore a better overall value. IF YOU MUST have a rose wine stick to the few that I state below in my Best Roses section, right above the wine scores.

Kosher Rose pricing

I want to bring up a topic I have been hammering on in my past posts, price! Yeah, I hear you, Avi Davidowitz, of KosherWineUnfiltered, please quiet down, gloating does not suit you – (smiley face inserted here). The prices of Rose wines have gotten out of control. They are now median priced at 34 dollars with some crazy outliers like 45 or 50 dollars, for a rose! The worst offenders are from Israel followed by the U.S.A. Interestingly, Europe is not the high-priced leader, though that will change once the new Roubines arrive here in the USA, they are still selling the 2022 Inspire and Lion/Dragon in France.

Outside of the prices, the 2023 Roses are not as “phoned-in” as I felt like in 2021 and 2022. Overall, I see more work being done, but the overall feeling of need for this segment of the kosher wine market – for me – is non-existent.

Wine Color

What is a rose wine? Well, simply said, a rose is a wine that can best be defined as the wine world’s chameleon. Where white wine is a pretty simple concept – take white grapes, squeeze them, and you get clear to green-colored juice. Yes, the white grape juice is clear – well so is red grape juice, but more on that in a bit.

White wine is not about color – almost all color in a white wine comes from some oak influence of some sort. So, an unoaked Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris can sometimes look almost clear, depending on the region and how the wine was handled. Now oaked Chardonnay, of course, is what most people use as an example of dark white wine. As the Wine Folly linked above states, different wine regions oak their Chardonnay differently, and as such, they are sold with different hues from the start. With age, the wine changes color, and the light gold moves to darker gold shades.

The only real exception to the stated rule above – that white grape juice without the influence of oak is somewhere in the clear to the green color spectrum, is – orange wines. We have spoken about orange wines – mostly thanks to Yaacov Oryah. Outside of Yaacov’s work, there really is no orange wine in the kosher world to speak about. Orange wine is made exactly like red wine, which means that the clear grape juice is left to sit on the yellowish to dark yellow grape skins (depending upon what varietal is used to make the orange wine). Another name for them is skin-macerated white wines or extended skin-macerated white wines.

Red wine juice – straight from the grape comes out the same color as white grapes. You see the juice from grapes is mostly clear to greenish in color. The red wine color comes from macerating the juice on the grape skins. The longer the juice sits on the grape skins (wine must) the redder in color the wine becomes until it reaches its maximum red color potential.

The only real exception to the rule of a grape’s juice color is the Teinturier varieties. The grapes are called Teinturier, a French language term meaning to dye or stain. The list of grapes whose juice is red-colored is long – but the list of kosher wine options that is a wine made from these grapes – is the Herzog Alicante Bouschet. The Gamay de Bouze is not a normal Gamay grape, it is one of those grape mutations that are very red.

Rose wines are the in-between story – hence the chameleon term I used above.

Rose Wine

Rose wine is made in one of three ways. I will list the most dominant manners and leave the last one for last.

Limited Maceration:

This is the first step of the first two options and the only difference is what you do with the rest of the juice after you remove it. You see, as we stated above, the color of the juice from red grapes is clear to green, and for one to get the lovely red hues we all love from red wine, it requires the juice to lie on the grape skins – AKA maceration.

The rose hue depends on how long the juice macerates. I have heard winemakers say 20 minutes gives them the color they like, and some say almost half a day or longer. The longer the juice macerates the darker the color. While the wine is macerating, the skins are contributing color by leaching phenolics – such as anthocyanins and tannins, and flavor components. The other important characteristic that the skins leach into the rose is – antioxidants that protect the wine from degrading. Sadly, because rose wines macerate for such a short time, the color and flavor components are less stable, and as such, they lack shelf life – a VERY IMPORTANT fact we will talk about later. Either way, drinking rose wine early – like within the year – is a great approach for enjoying rose wine at its best!

Now once you remove the liquid, after letting it macerate for the desired length of time, the skins that are left are thrown out or placed in the field to feed organic material into the vines. This is a very expensive approach indeed because the grapes are being thrown away, instead of doing the Saignée process which is described in option #2. This approach is mostly used in regions where rose wine is as important as red wines, like Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon. Mind you, the grapes used in this method are most often picked early, as they are solely used for making the rose.

Many producers, especially those in Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon, take a more traditional approach when making rosé wine. Grapes are grown and selected exclusively for rosé production, as stated above, and then often crushed as whole clusters, and then gently pressed until the juice reaches a desirable pale color.

Most think that Saignee wines would have a higher alcohol level, as the fruit used to make that wine is picked later, but actually, that is not always correct, as winemakers can water back the rose juice and get what they want, at least here in the USA. When you taste the wine, look for the acid, is the acid natural or out of place?

Saignée:

The second approach for how Rose wine is made, is essentially the same as maceration – the only difference is that they do not remove all the juice. In the second method for making Rose wine, the Rose is the afterthought – in DRASTIC contrast to the first approach, where the rose is primary.

Now, many winemakers may take affront to this statement, and one did actually, but that is my opinion. When the juice is removed to fortify the red wine, the rose wine, again IMHO, is an afterthought. That DOES NOT mean, that the winemaker does not take the rose wine seriously. Any decent winemaker that makes wine, should be doing it with 100% focus. My point is that if the rose was important to you, you would pull the fruit earlier, but hey that is my opinion, and yeah, I am not a winemaker.

So in places like California and Rhone in France, winemakers will pick the grapes when they reach their appropriate phenolics. Then to concentrate the wine, the winemaker will bleed some of the juice – hence the term Saignée in French which means bleed. By removing this juice, after the juice has been macerated long enough, the resulting wine is further intensified, because there is less juice lying on the same amount of grape skin surface.

The interesting thing here is that the grapes used to make this kind of rose are normally one with higher Brix, as the grapes are destined for red wine. So, when you bleed the juice out of the must, what is being pulled out is juice at a higher alcohol level than Rose wines made using the first method (as explained above). So what do you do when you have a wine that is too high in alcohol so early in the game – well that is simple you water it down! Now remember this wine is already low on phenolics and color, so if you know that your rose will be high in alcohol when all is said and done, you have lots of options here. You can leave the juice to macerate for longer, yes the juice you finally pull out may well be darker than you desire. However, you will be watering it down, so it is all a question of numbers, and winemakers who make these kinds of wines, are used to it and know how to handle it.

Now you ask what is wrong with the high alcohol rose. Well, a rose is normally meant to be light and fruity wine, and personally, watered-back roses are less so, but I have also enjoyed a few Saignee wines in the past.

Blending Method:

Finally, what do you get when you mix some white wine with some red wine – a rose by George a rose! This last method is the least common method for creating still rose wines. That said, it is very common in the world of Champagne and sparkling wines. Next time you enjoy sparkling rose wine, you can almost be sure that it is a blend of Chardonnay (white wine) and either Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier (red wine).

As stated before, in the still rose wine market, there is very little of this kind of rose wine being made.

State of kosher rose wines

Types of Rose made:

1. Red Rose wines: There are truly a few examples of this, but they have been made and they are not rose wines. They are billed as a rose at times, but to me, they are essentially a light red wine, much like a Gamay
2. Sweet/Ripe Rose wines: Sweet wines are created because either the winemaker could not get the wine to finish primary fermentation or because they stopped it. Sweet rose wines sometimes lack balance because they lack the screaming acid needed to make it all work. This year, the vast majority of the kosher roses were ripe, sweet, or unbalanced messes.
   That said, sweeter rose wines are the gateway wines to get people to try drier wines. The best of the sweet/ripe rose this year if that is even a statement that makes sense, would be the 2021 Hajdu Rose.
3. Dry rose wines: Dry is not a subjective concept it is measurable in a lab and can be tasted as well. That said, what we as humans can perceive does seem to be subjective. Some of us will think a Sauvignon Blanc is sweet unless it is a Sancerre – you know who you are EP! Dr. Vinny was asked this question here, and essentially we can start perceiving sweetness at 0.5% residual sugar, but as the Doc says, sometimes a bone-dry wine can be perceived as sweet because of its ripeness and/or lack of acidity to balance it. To me, that was where the Chateau Roubine was this year, dry, but not complex in any way.
4. Dark rose wines: Color in any rose or red wine is defined by the amount of maceration the wine goes through, as described above. Some people like that salmon color and some like that darker rose color. There are so many colors in the rose spectrum, and no, the darker roses are not based on what grape is used in the making of the wine, unless it is based on a Teinturier grape – which I have yet to see.

So where does that leave us? To recap IMHO, rose wine is meant to be light, refreshing, tart, and low in alcohol. It can have a varying rose hue, from Gris (gray in French – light color) to Salmon, to rose, and up to dark red. Yes, there have been wineries that tried making heavier rose wines, which were essentially red wines, which I will not mention and they have all been epic disasters. If you want a red wine – make a Gamay and leave me alone! Rose is about summer, tart, and refreshing wine.

White and Rose wine education

Royal Wines has done a great job of bringing in white and Rose wines, but I must stress – we need more education! Any wine distributor today can sell a Cabernet Sauvignon in its sleep! Why? Because the kosher wine-drinking public is programmed to drink big bold red wines! Nothing light and lithe, only sledgehammers! Now, who am I to disagree with what someone likes – if you like a particular wine great! What I would like to see is people finding a way to expand their palate – by doing so they will learn more about wines and maybe they will see why they like and dislike a wine more – education is the answer! Now to those who say – why bother, if they like it let them enjoy it. To that answer, I say – sure, when u were three years old you liked mud, and you liked spreading it all over your sister’s new white dress! Should we have let you enjoy it forever?? Of course not!

Now your reply will be, come on we are talking about wine – not about personal growth and their humanity! Of course, but like everything in this world – we should want to strive and learn more about what makes us happy and why! Are you still eating Mac and Cheese for dinner? What about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch? I have nothing against, P&J – I like them, but I have grown out of them which is the point here!

If you like a Monet painting – you owe it to yourself to learn why. What grabs you when you see 100+-year-old paint on a canvas? So what he painted a haystack – good for him? What makes you want to stare at it for hours? The answer is inside of you – and you need to learn the answer. I hope we can all find the answers to what makes us tick, why we all love some things, and why we hate other things. That is called human evolution – it makes us what we are – human! Anyway, I am off my soapbox now, but I hope we can agree that growth is good – no matter the subject.

I beg distributors and wineries to get out and teach! Get out and go to wine stores and pour wines – pour wine to anyone who wants to taste or even to those who do not! Education is the foundation of this industry – and without it, we are doomed to stasis – something that terrifies me!

The temperature to enjoy Rose

Please do yourself a favor and enjoy rose wine at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Meaning if you leave a bottle of wine in your refrigerator and pull it out after half a day of fridge time or more, it will probably be at the refrigerator’s frigid temperature of 37 or so degrees Farenight – which is HORRIBLE for a rose. Rose at room temperature of 70 or so degrees is also not fun. It needs to be a bit cold, but not over the top. Please do not think that it needs to be iced down in an ice bucket either, that is for sparkling wines.

Drink the rose at the beginning of the meal

Rose is NOT a long-term drinking animal. It is not meant to be enjoyed for more than a meal. Why? Because as we explained above once it is fully oxygenated, it will go bad – quickly. The tart fruit notes and the acid will dissipate faster than air leaves a punctured tire. It is simply the life of Rose, drink it very young and fast. Never stock up on Rose, there is no purpose in that! Go to the store and buy a rose and drink it, if they have none, then no worries drink something else.

White and Rose wine drinking in the kosher wine world

The good news is that white wine is selling better than it ever has. There is a large number of very good, solid, white wines from California and Europe, with a few Israeli wines as well, that are reasonably priced and very enjoyable. Of course, there are also higher-end white wines that are even more fascinating, but overall the good news is that white wine consumption and availability have been on the rise in the kosher wine market, just not where I live, LOL! I still cannot pour white wine on my table, though in the end, who cares, I will enjoy it and the guests can drink more red wine, win-win.

The very sad state of affairs with Roses in 2024 (much like all the previous years)

So where are we in 2024 with kosher Rose wines? We are still selling old vintages and that has to stop. This is a broken record already. There are still too many brick-and-mortar and online wine shops, that have Rose wines on their shelves, from the 2020 and 2021 vintages. Why is that a problem? As stated above, Rose wines are NOT meant for aging. Rose wines should NEVER be sold after their drink-by date, which is the summer after the wine’s vintage. So, 2023 wines should be sold out by the summer of 2024 – simple! Sadly, I still see 2021 wines being sold all around! There is simply too much older rose lying around and too many new 2023 Rose wines coming in. The outcome is that someone is going to eat a lot of rose wines, or they will push them on to the unsuspecting public, who do not understand roses at all.

I BEG the manufacturers to work with the stores and merchants to eat the older wines, one way or the other, and get them OFF the shelves. Please DO NOT attempt to put them on sale, they are not wines that should be pushed to consumers, as it only ends up hurting the wineries and the companies selling them. Please remove them and figure out how to handle the loss. No one will be drinking Rose wines for Rosh Hashanah.

One part that is better than last year is that many of the rose wines are here already, even earlier than last year. I wish they would have all arrived already, and some have, but with the world we live in, it is still better than last year. Please dump the old roses and move on!

Best rose so far in 2024

OK, I have finally had the chance to taste through most of the roses, both here and in Europe. The overall market is ok, I like some of them and some are even reasonably priced. Still, the median has moved to 33 or so dollars, which is INSANE! That said, I just write about wine, I do not sell it!

If there are two ideas you get from this post that would be great. ONE: Drink only 2023 roses now. TWO: Drink refreshing roses. A rose that feels heavy, unbalanced, and one that does not make you reach for more, is not a rose I would recommend.

There are now a total of Eight QPR WINNER wines, two of them are from California, four from Israel, and two from France. Sadly, the Non-Mevushal Roubine is not coming to the USA. The Whispering Angel should be here soon. The rest of them, from Cali and Israel, are already here

In Israel, there are almost none of them! The 2023 QPR WINNERS have not released as they are waiting to sell through the 2022 Shmita wines. The French wines may be there soon, who knows?

1. 2023 Hajdu Rose – one of the two Cali WINNER
2. 2023 Covenant Rose – the other Cali Rose WINNER
3. 2023 Bat Shlomo Rose – One of the four Roses from Israel that are WINNER – but most expensive
4. 2023 Recanati Rose, Gris de Marselan – One of the best of four Israeli WINNER
5. 2023 Chateau Roubine Rose, Premium, Cru Classe (Only in Europe)
6. 2023 Cave D’Esclans Whispering Angel, Cotes de Provence – Nice wine!
7. 2023 Flam Rose, Judean Hills – Nice wine as well!
8. 2023 Teperberg Rose, Judean Hills – Best Israeli Rose, IMHO along with the Recanati

Still, if asked, I would drink the Covenant or Hajdu Roses – as I feel they are a hair better than everything else available here in the USA. The two Cali versus the non-Mevushal Roubine, the Roubine wins. Still, all eight QPR WINNERs are great options, and we have the chance to enjoy seven of them here! Enjoy!

The wine notes follow below – the explanation of my “scores” can be found here and the explanation for QPR scores can be found here:

2023 Bat Shlomo Rose, Galilee – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER) (tasted blind)
The nose of this wine is nice, with good strawberry, raspberry, a bit of slate, and orange blossom. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, with great acidity, nice orange blossom, orange notes, grapefruit, and smoke. nice! The finish is nice, a bit ripe, but balanced and showing a bit of tension and slate/mineral. Drink now. (tasted January 2024) (in Jerusalem, Israel) (ABV = 11.7%)

2023 Covenant Rose, Lodi, CA – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is fun, classic Grenache, with ripe strawberry, tart raspberry, passion fruit, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is lovely, ripe, juicy, and refreshing, with tropical notes, passion fruit, strawberry, dark raspberry, and minerality. Nice! The finish is long, ripe, balanced, and fun, fruity, refreshing, tropical, flinty funk, nice! Drink now. (tasted February 2024) (in Berkeley, CA) (ABV = 12.3%)

2023 Hajdu Rose, California – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is fun, a bit serious, and austere, with strawberry and cream, lemon, lime, and sweet notes. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is fun, with good acidity, fresh, juicy strawberry, raspberry, and guava, with great flint and smoke, a really fun wine and refreshing wine. The finish is long, flinty, smoky, and ripe, but fresh and juicy, Bravo! Drink now. (tasted February 2024) (in Berkeley, CA) (ABV = 13.5%)

2023 Recanati Rose, Gris de Marselan, Galilee – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is nice enough, it has more minerality, but it also has more pith, with peach, gooseberry, strawberry, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, the pith throws me, and the acidity is enough, with gooseberry, strawberry, hints of raspberry, nice saline, the cleanest rose so far, with good refreshment, the pith is a bit much, but it recedes with time. The finish is long, tart, refreshing, and correct, with the salinity, flint, and gooseberry lingering long. Drink now. (tasted April 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 11.5%)

2023 Chateau Roubine Rose, Premium, Cru Classe, Cotes de Provence – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is ripe, with ripe strawberries, rhubarb, pomegranate, and smoke. This medium-bodied wine’s mouth shows lovely fruit, refreshing, smoky fruit, with good acidity, strawberries, creme, pith, rich salinity, nice fruit focus, and a long finish. Nice! Drink now! (tasted May 2024) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%) (Available only in Europe)

2023 Cave D’Esclans Whispering Angel, Cotes de Provence – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is screaming with ripe strawberry, raspberry, classic strawberry & Creme, followed by lovely minerality, smoke, pink flowers, and lovely honeysuckle. Nice! The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is really on point, with no pith, ripe with fresh fruit, and great acidity, showing more strawberry & creme, plum, grapefruit, and gooseberry, along with great minerality, and slate. The finish is a bit short, but very refreshing, with more minerality, slate, and gooseberry. Nice! Drink now. (tasted June 2024) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Flam Rose, Judean Hills – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
WOW! Bravo! This is a fun, ripe, darker rose – nice! The nose of this wine is pretty, and ripe, but controlled, with plum, watermelon, and hints of passion fruit, gooseberry, and orange, very nice! The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is ripe, not round, with great acidity, showing nicely, refreshing, with no pith at all to be found, gooseberry, orange, rose hip, plum, and hints of almond paste. The finish is long, ripe, not candied, showing good balance, acidity, and refreshing, with more orange, plum, and tart/juicy strawberry. Nice! Drink now. (tasted June 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Teperberg Rose, Judean Hills – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
This is a fun rose, it has no pith issues, clean, acidic, and fun! This wine is a blend of 40% Caladoc, 40% Barbera, and 20% Grenache. The nose of this wine is fun, with ripe fruit, ripe watermelon, strawberry & creme, orange blossom, peach, cherry, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, showing good acidity, nice mouthfeel, nice peach, saline, grapefruit, lime, strawberry, and minerality. It is refreshing and fun. The finish is long, tart, and fruity, showing saline, slate, and smoke. Drink now. (tasted June 2024) (in KFWE, NJ & San Jose, CA) (ABV = 11%)

2023 Mayacamas Rose, Grenache, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 91 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is clean, with no pith, no bitterness, just lovely fruit, strawberry & cream, nice minerality, good gooseberry, peach, apricot, and pear. The mouth of this medium-bodied rose is nice, it shows good fruit, great acidity, and nice freshness, with gooseberry, ripe strawberry & cream, pomelo, peach, lovely saline, a nice attack, with good fruit focus, wrapped in salinity and minerality, very nice. The finish is long, tart, refreshing, and enjoyable, with good saline, flint, rock, and fruit lingering long. Nice! Drink now. (tasted March 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.33%)

2023 Elk Rose, Sierra Foothills, CA – Score: 91 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is a classic strawberry and cream, raspberry, orange blossom, and lovely fruit. The mouth of this full-bodied wine has great acidity, lovely balance, and a rich mouthfeel, nice, with great strawberries, watermelon, lovely tension, juicy and fresh, and really fun! The finish is long, ripe, juicy, fresh, and flinty, with saline, and smoke. Nice! Drink now. (tasted February 2024) (in Berkeley, CA) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Matar Rose, Galilee – Score: 90+ (QPR: GREAT) (tasted blind)
This wine is a blend of 85% Grenache & 15% counoise. The nose of this wine is lovely, classic strawberries, strawberries and creme, nice raspberries, and flint. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, with good acidity, a bit hollow, with nice strawberries and creme, raspberries, and some tension. Nice drink now. (tasted January 2024) (in Jerusalem, Israel) (ABV = 11%)

2023 Sainte Beatrice B Rose, Cotes de Provence – Score: 90+ (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is classic Cotes de Provence, with strawberry and creme, rich saline, minerality, rosehip, raspberry, peach, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice with ripe red fruit, strawberry & creme, nice salinity, dark raspberry, and smoke, with a bit too much pith for me, but overall, the rose is nice and the finish is long with nice smoke. It is refreshing, mouth-filling, and smoky. Drink now. (tasted May 2024) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%) (Available only in Europe)

2023 Rose Adasa Rose, Bordeaux (M) – Score: 90+ (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is nice with raspberry, cherry, strawberry, nice minerality, and creme. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine shows nicely, with good saline, gooseberry, peach, raspberry, saline, no pith, good acidity, a nice finish, and an overall good approach. The saline, minerality, and gooseberry linger long. Nice! Drink now. (tasted May 2024) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Puzzle Grenache Rose, Samson (M) – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
This wine is nice, showing clean lines, Grenache rose, good strawberry, cherry, and peach. The mouth is good, the acidity is good not a pith monster, refreshing and not hollow, nice! (tasted February 2024) (in Jewish Link Wine Tasting, NJ) (ABV = 12%)

2023 Recanati Rose, Galilee – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
This is one of the most classically correct roses I have tasted from Israel’s 2023 vintage, so far. The nose of this wine screams strawberry and cream, rich salinity, nice raspberry, peach, and flint, nice! The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, with good acidity, with strawberry and cream, raspberry, good mouthfeel, nice freshness, peach, and grapefruit. The issue is the finish is short, and that makes it less refreshing, with too much pith. Drink now. (tasted April 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 11%)

2023 1848 Rose, Two, Galilee – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
BEFORE I start on the notes – BRAVO for the screwtop! Hey, I campaigned for a decade to get wineries to use composite corks, and I thank you all! Now, let’s be honest, for wines like this, screwtop all day!! People want to come home, pop the wine open and enjoy, simple! The nose of this wine is clean, with peach, orange blossom, gooseberry, strawberry, and nice saline. The mouth of this refreshing medium-bodied wine shows good acidity, with nice strawberry, gooseberry, and some peach (relax AD if you can find it!), with a nice refreshing mouthfeel, and enough complexity. Sadly, it feels a drop hollow. The finish is okay, showing good fruit, nice acidity, minerality, saline, and a bit of pith, which is not out of control. Drink now! (tasted June 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Sainte Beatrice B Rose, Cotes de Provence (M) – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
This is the Mevushal version of this wine.
The nose of this wine is classic Cotes de Provence, with strawberry and creme, less saline than the non-Mevushal, rosehip, raspberry, pith, and smoke.
The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice with ripe red fruit, strawberry & creme, some salinity, dark raspberry, and smoke, but again too much pith, even more than the non-Mevushal. Overall, the rose is nice and the finish is long with some smoke. It is refreshing, mouth-filling, and smoky. Drink now. (tasted June 2024) (in Teaneck, NJ) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Memorias del Rambam Rose, Utiel-Requena (M) – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
This is the second 2023 Memorias del Rambam I have tasted on this day, and I will say they have upped their game, which is good for them!
The nose of this wine is solid, with no cooked fruit, bright orange peel, orange blossom, funk, quince, strawberry, white flowers, and stone fruit. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is another GREAT QPR wine, unique, a bit simple, but solid, with funk, quince, strawberry, good acidity, nice structure, and good mouthfeel. The best part is the clean finish with no pith and no cooked fruit. Nice! Drink now. (tasted June 2024) (in Teaneck, NJ) (ABV = 11.5%)

2023 Shirah Rose, Santa Barbara, CA – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is ripe with candied strawberry, raspberry, rhubarb, honeysuckle, and watermelon. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, it has good acidity, with not enough complexity, but showing nice strawberry, raspberry, and a good refreshing punch. The finish is good with some orange notes and nice saline. Drink now. (tasted June 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.3%)

2023 Golan Heights Winery Rose, Yarden, Galilee – Score: 89+ (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is nice, it has good salinity, red fruit, strawberry, along with ripe fruit. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has enough acidity, showing good saline, and strawberry, but it lacks the verve and has too much pith, and the overall feeling is nice enough. Drink now. (tasted June 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Mony Tale of Rose, Samson (M) – Score: 89 (QPR: EVEN)
This wine is good enough, showing enough acidity, not too much pith, peach, strawberry, nice saline, good fruit and acidity, nice focus, good. (tasted February 2024) (in Jewish Link Wine Tasting, NJ) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Roubine R de Roubine, Mediterranee (M) – Score: 89 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is nice, the pith is there, with raspberry, strawberry, smoke, and rock. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine shows too much pith, but the acidity is okay, with good salinity, nice fruit focus, good raspberry, strawberry, more pith, nice rock, minerality, and it feels refreshing. The finish is not long but better than others, with more saline, rock, and fruit. Drink now. (tasted May 2024) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12%)

2023 Roubine Hippy, Mediterranee – Score: 89 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine smells like a white wine, with peach, apricot, gooseberry, and hints of strawberry, with nice smoke, and orange blossom. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, with some acidity, I would have liked more, showing nice peach, apricot, orange, orange blossom, smoke, gooseberry, and strawberry in the background, all wrapped in salinity and rock. The finish is longer than other wines with good salinity, smoke, and flint. Drink now! (tasted May 2024) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12%) (Available only in Europe)

2023 Chateau Genlaire Rose, Bordeaux (M) – Score: 88 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is smoky, with good saline, raspberry, cherry, pith, peach, and hints of strawberry. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has good acidity, but the pith and lack of finish are an issue with the pith, raspberry, peach, and apricot showing strong, with some mineral, smoke, and saline lingering. Drink now. (tasted May 2024) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Ramon Cardova Rosado, Rioja – Score: 88 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is funky and smoky with peach, pith, raspberry, strawberry, and cherry. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice with enough acidity but the finish and pith once again mess with the wine, a short finish and pith are there but the salinity and funk with the lemon, lime, gooseberry, and peach are okay. Drink now. (tasted May 2024) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Domaine du Castel Rose, Judean Hills – Score: 88 (QPR: POOR)
The nose of this wine is lovely, strawberry and creme, cherry, slight salinity, and good flint. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is solid with raspberry and strawberry, but the wine feels hollow, like much of 23 from Israel, with enough of a finish. Drink now. (tasted February 2024) (in KFWE, NJ) (ABV = 13.5%)

2023 Capcances Peraj Petita Rosat, Montsant (M) – Score: 88 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this Grenache Rose is lovely, showing ripe strawberry, gooseberry, orange rind, orange blossom, grapefruit, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine shows good acidity to start but fails quickly, with nice strawberry, nice fruit focus, a bit short, nice grapefruit, raspberry, saline, smoke, and unfortunately a bit too much pith for me. The mouthfeel is nice enough, starts refreshing, and enjoyable. Drink now. (tasted June 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.5%)

2023 Yaffo Rose, Judean Hills – Score: 87 (QPR: EVEN)
This wine shows nice enough fruit, with strawberries, and smoke, and while the fruit is nice the mouthfeel feels a bit light. (tasted February 2024) (in Jewish Link Wine Tasting, NJ) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Chateau Les Riganes Rose, Bordeaux (M) – Score: 87 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine has the dual issue of pith and finish though again, many will find this wine very nice with good saline, raspberry, peach, and gooseberry. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has enough acidity, with nice raspberry, peach, and apricot, but the finish is nowhere and the pith takes center stage at the end with the good acidity and pith lingering. Drink now. (tasted May 2024) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Chateau Roubine La Vie en Rose, Cotes de Provence – Score: 87 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is lovely with floral notes of rose, yellow flowers, strawberry, peach, raspberry, and hints of plum, along with hints of pith, smoke, and flint. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, showing good acidity, but the finish is a bit short, and the pith is overpowering, still, it is good enough with nice fruit. Drink now. (tasted May 2024) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Clos de Caille Anomis, Cotes de Provence – Score: 87 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine follows much of Provence, with strawberries, raspberries, some floral notes, peach, smoke, pith, and rock. The mouth of this wine is okay, it lacks the acidity I need, it has pith, its finish is a bit short and while it has some acidity lingering along with a mouth of peach, strawberry, and smoke, it is not as refreshing as I had hoped. Drink now. (tasted May 2024) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Summer Ice Rose, Pays d’Oc (M) – Score: 86 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose is nice on this wine with strawberry, raspberry, watermelon, and sweet notes of guava and melon.
The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has residual sugar (RS), with sweet notes, but overall, refreshing, tart, and very simple. This is not a Rose I would buy or drink but it is still perfectly fine for those that like a lump of sugar in their drink.
The finish is long, tart, balanced, and has good fruit without those annoying bitter notes. Drink now! (tasted February 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Shiloh Rose, Shomron (M) – Score: 86 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is solid, for mevushal, with good enough brightness, nice strawberry, peach, and quince.
The mouth of this light-bodied wine has too much pith, still, the acidity is correct and the fruit is a bit underdeveloped with green notes and cooked notes. Drink now! (tasted February 2024) (in KFWE, NJ) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Mony Rose, Reserve, Samson (M) – Score: 86 (QPR: EVEN)
The wine is OK, it does not have enough acidity, showing strawberry and no pith, peach, and cherry notes. Drink now. (tasted February 2024) (in Jewish Link Wine Tasting, NJ) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Chateau Roubine Rose, Premium, Cru Classe, Cotes de Provence (M) – Score: 86 (QPR: GOOD)
This is the Mevushal version of the Roubine.
The nose of this wine is ripe, with ripe strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, and smoke. This medium-bodied wine’s mouth shows overripe fruit, strawberries, cooked peach, pith, and smoke. The finish is short, drink now. (tasted June 2024) (in Bayonne, NJ) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Psagot Rose, Shomron – Score: 85 (QPR: POOR)
The nose of this wine is nice enough, it has raspberry, strawberry, and pith.
The mouth of this light to medium-bodied wine is ok, but the pith is overpowering, with strawberry, and almond paste. (tasted February 2024) (in KFWE, NJ) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Eclat de Diamant Rose, Pays d’Oc (M) – Score: 85 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is its best characteristic, with lemon, lime, and strawberry, but even here the nose is muted.
The mouth of this medium-bodied wine lacks complexity, though it is tart, with enough acidity, the Mevushal approach affects this wine, I think.
The finish is a bit short with dried melon, lemon, and too much bitterness. Drink up! (tasted February 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Cantine Leuci Cisaria, Rosato, Salento (M) – Score: 84 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is ripe and sweet with ripe strawberries, raspberries, and sweet fruit. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is ripe and has RS, with strawberries, raspberries, good acidity, and not much else. Drink now. (tasted May 2024) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Sirocco Gris du Sud, Pays d’Oc (M) – Score: 83 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine feels stunted, not as bright as I had hoped.
The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has less acidity than I need, with strawberry, raspberry, and creme.
The finish is okay, drink now! (tasted February 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.5%)

2023 Les Chemins d’Andrea Cabernet Rose, Pays d’Oc – Score: 82 (QPR: EVEN)
This is an off-dry Rose and yeah, no! It is well made, but not for me. (tasted February 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Cantina Giuliano Rosato, Tuscany – Score: 81 (QPR: POOR)
This wine is a blend of 85% Sangiovese & 15% Vermentino. The nose of this wine has strawberry, lemon, grapefruit, orange, and pith. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine lacks the acidity needed to carry the fruit that is needed for this rose to be good. The orange, strawberry, and pith are all you get and in the end, it needs more. (tasted May 2024) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)