Rosé wines from southern Italy: 10 labels with the best value for money awarded by Gambero Rosso

Jan 12 2024, 18:10

In Italy, excellent rosé wines are produced, which in some areas are part of the wine-making tradition. Here, we present a small but significant selection of excellent labels from Abruzzo, Puglia, and Basilicata that cost less than 20 euros.

Nowadays, it seems that the times are ripe to assert that hardly anyone considers rosé wine (or rather, "rosa," as defined by Luigi Cataldi Madonna, dean among Abruzzo producers) as a by-product, something that producers are forced to create to complete their range. And we hope, above all, that the times are equally ripe to affirm that everyone knows (though we're not so naive) that rosé is not produced by mixing white wine with red wine (a practice that is, moreover, illegal in Italy).

Data from the Observatoire Mondial du Rosé, published last June and related to 2021 data, tell us that our country is the fourth largest producer of rosé by volume (after France, Spain, and the United States) and the fifth in terms of consumption; we also hold a reassuring third place for major exports (still behind Spain and France, in that order).

In short, we produce good, sometimes excellent, rosé wines, and the world is aware of this fact. There are areas in Italy where pink wines are not just a trend but an integral part of the winemaking tradition. This happens in the north, with Chiaretto from both shores of Lake Garda, Valtènesi, and those from Bardolino, but it happens especially in the south, particularly in regions like Abruzzo, with its Cerasuolo, and in Puglia.

Rosé wines from southern Italy with the best value for money for the Berebene 2024 Guide

In the following list, we have mainly selected wines from these two regions (but there's also a welcomed guest from Basilicata): these are wines reviewed in the Gambero Rosso's Berebene 2024 guide, labels rated with scores ranging from 90 points and above, and priced at less than 20 euros in wine shops and online. It's a small list, but it's quite interesting; undoubtedly, it's a good starting point to navigate this delightful production landscape.