Note: Oliver’s 20% Off Rosé sale runs from July 16-22, 2025 at all four Oliver’s Market locations.

Rosés are the ultimate summer wine! Bright & vibrant, with beautiful hues from pale pink to almost red, they often have pronounced aromas of strawberry and watermelon, and are mouthwateringly refreshing on the palate. Possessing many white wine qualities, combined with attributes from their red grape origins, their crispness, body, and acidity make them outstanding aperitifs, and they are beautiful wines for pairing with food. Salads and pastas, fish courses and poultry are all excellent partners, and given the right accompaniments, these wines will make a perfect match with many a cheese.

Here at Oliver’s Market, we have an amazing domestic and international selection of Rosés, including some delicious gems from right here in our own backyard. Take advantage of this special pricing to stock up on your favorites or try something new. We have our top picks from our Wine & Spirits team below, so there is another great reason to try something new this week!

Making Rosé

Before we get any further, do you know how Rosé is made? Any red wine grape can be used and it can happen in any one of three ways:

Direct Press Method: A winemaker harvests and presses fully ripe red wine grapes, leaving the skins with the juice for a limited period to extract desired color before removing the skins from the tanks.

Many people are not aware that the juice inside of both red and white grapes is a clear liquid. Grape skins contain pigments which give the grape – and wine — its color. In contrast to red wine making, the winemaker removes the skins once the fermenting must has achieved the desired pink color.

Many winemakers profess that direct press rosé is the purest form. It preserves all of the light red fruit, citrus, melon, and floral aromatics of the wine

Saignée or Bled Method: Saignée (sohn-yay) means “to bleed,” and is one of the most common ways to make rosé. Like the direct press method, a winemaker starts with ripe red wine grapes, but in this case the grapes are harvested for making a red wine.

When the grapes are brought to the winery, they are put into a fermentation vessel for anywhere from two hours to several days. During this time, the weight of the grapes on top of each other cause the grapes to break open, allowing the juice to come out. Similar to the direct press method, the clear grape juice comes in contact with the pigments of the grape skins. Since the juice and grapes are together in a large vessel, the amount of pigment that the juice extracts from the skins is greater, causing the juice to turn a darker hue of pink. Once the desired time frame is up, the winemaker will “bleed,” or drain off a portion of the juice from the tank. A lovely shade of pink juice is now separated and able to ferment on its own without any more color extraction.

Saignée method rosés are often darker in color than direct press rosés and sometimes have more dark fruit notes of dark cherry, blackberry, blueberry, and herbal notes like eucalyptus or bay laurel. This method is very popular in Spain where they produce very dark red wines such as Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mencia, Bobal, and Trepat.

Blending Method: A less common third option is also used, which involves blending red and white wine lots together to achieve the desired style outcome.

Rosé Color, Style, and Enjoyment

The color, body, and overall style profile of Rosé varies based on the red grape variety used, the winemaking method selected, and the winemaker’s desired style. As a result, color is not always an indicator of body, but is a great place to start!

One thing is for sure when shopping for Rosés this week at 20% off: It will be hard to go wrong with any of our selections! Our buying team tastes every wine we carry to ensure we are offering our customers the best possible selection, so you can select your wines at our stores with confidence.

Manager Picks

As mentioned above, we asked our Wine & Spirits team for their personal top picks in Rosé. We hope their endorsement will provide that extra nudge to try something new this week — and save 20% in the process!

• Oliver’s Own Grenache Rosé, 2024 Dry Creek Valley
“Oliver’s very first private label Rosé! Fresh picked strawberries and ripe red cherry aromas. Raspberry, crushed watermelon and citrus zest dominate the palate, finishing with driving minerality and bracing acidity. Love!” – Josh Kirchhoff, Corporate Wine & Liquor Coordinator
• Miraval Rosé, 2023 France
“It does not get more prestigious than Rosé from Provence. A blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Rolle and Syrah. Floral on the nose, fresh fruit on the palate that is perfectly balanced with natural acidity and minerality. Welcome the summer weather with a glass of Rose!” – Matteo Polverari, Montecito Wine Department Manager
• Pizzolato Spumante Brut Rosé, NV Italy
“Pizzolato Spumante, a light and fruity Italian sparkling wine from La Cantina Pizzolato, a family-owned organic winery, presents refreshing aromas and flavors of apple, pear, peach, lemon, and flowers.” – Brandon Witwicki, Windsor Wine Department Manager
• Domaine de Triennes Rosé, 2023 France
“Always a winner! Flavors of strawberry, vanilla, floral notes, light minerality. Full of flavor, yet light, dry, silky mouthfeel. Perfect with salmon, roasted chicken, mild soft cheese. Cheers!” – Justin Bowman, Cotati Wine Department Manager
• Rodney Strong Rosé of Pinot Noir, 2023 Sonoma County
“Sonoma County Harvest Fair Double Gold winner! This lively Pinot Noir Rosé bursts with fresh berry aromas and flavors. Enjoy solo or with grilled veggies, seafood, or salads.” – David Riley, Stony Point Wine Department Manager

Need more Rose inspiration? Other Rosés to check out this week at Oliver’s Market include:
• Angels & Cowboys Rosé, 2023 Sonoma County
• Trecini Rosé of Grenache, 2023 Clarksburg
• Bieler Rosé, 2023 France
• De Chansac Rosé, 2021 France
• Martin Ray Rosé, 2024 Sonoma Coast
• La Prenda Rosé, 2024 Sonoma Coast
• Joel Gott Rosé, 2022 Central Coast
• Mumm Napa Brut Rosé, NV Napa Valley
• La Crema Rosé, 2023 Monterey
• AIX Rosé, 2023 France

Perfect for a Picnic

Rosé is so versatile and delicious, but one place it really shines is with a delicious Wine Country picnic! Chill your Rosé, pack your basket, and make a plan. Will it be the coast? A favorite grassy knoll? Or maybe a table in the Redwoods. Our buying team gathered up some great items at special pricing this week, so take a look and make some plans to enjoy Rosé and the beautiful place we are fortunate to call home al fresco!

Enjoying Rosé

Versatile and delicious, enjoy your glass of chilled Rosé anywhere and anytime. It seems to be especially lovely when sipped outdoors at a picnic or on a patio, but that is just the beginning! Check out our Rosé cocktail recipes for Rosé and Berry Mojito, Raspberry Rosé Wine Floats or Grown-Up Rosé Slushies. Take your Rosé focused evening to new heights by making Rosé Coq Au Vin,  a Rosé Granita or Rosé Poached Peaches.

Delicious, versatile, refreshing, and celebrating the season, Rosés are just the ticket to make summer (and all year) just that much more fun! Cheers!