Top 10 great-value sparkling rosés

Having completed an extensive tasting of pink wines from right around the world, we bring you 10 fantastic value sparkling rosés, taking in countries from England to New Zealand.

All the following recommendations hail from 2020’s Global Rosé Masters, a competition that sees all sources of pink wine judged side by side with only the most basic knowledge of style and cost.

The aim of the tasting is simple – find the best wines for the price. And because that’s the sole purpose of The Global Masters, we tend to unearth great samples from unlikely places, quite simply because the classic, benchmark wine-producing areas, while brilliant in terms of quality, don’t always offer the best value for money.

Of course, great value doesn’t necessarily mean cheap, and hence the selection below takes in a range of wines from under £10 to over £50, and sources such as the UK, Italy and France as well as the New World.

In each case, we believe it would be hard to find a better rival for the same price.

So, read on for our top-value pink sparkling wines, as well as some words on the independent, ‘blind’ tasting process that led to their medal rating.

10. Valdo pink spumanti

Valdo, a Prosecco producer based in the historic heart of this fizz-producing region, Valdobbiadene, was responsible for two enticing, high-scoring and inexpensive pink sparkling wines in this year’s Global Rosé Masters, so I have featured both below.

Valdo Marca Oro Rosé Brut
Producer: Valdo Spumanti
Region: Veneto and Sicily
Country: Italy
Grape(s): Glera, Nerello Mascalese
Vintage: NV
Price: Under £10
Residual sugar: Brut (12g/l)
Medal: Silver – The Global Rosé Masters 2020

This sub-£10 creamy-textured pink fizz is bursting with rose petal and crushed strawberry aromatics, sweet peach flavours, and ripe apple refreshment, making it a bright and crowd-pleasing colourful sparkling wine that could enliven a party.

Valdo Floral Rosé Brut
Producer: Valdo Spumanti
Region: Veneto and Sicily
Country: Italy
Grape(s): Glera, Nerello Mascalese
Vintage: NV
Price: £10-15
Residual sugar: Brut (12g/l)
Medal: Silver – The Global Rosé Masters 2020

This strikingly-packaged, special-edition rosé is crammed with ripe strawberry and peach, and a touch of sweet pear and fresh apple too, making it a balanced, fruity, easy-drinking and fun-looking fizz.

9. Matahiwi Estate Brut Rosé

Producer: Matahiwi Estate
Region: Wairarapa
Country: New Zealand
Grape(s): Pinot Noir (65%), Chardonnay (35%)
Vintage: NV
Price: £10-15
Residual sugar: Brut (10g/l)
Medal: Silver – The Global Rosé Masters 2020

Proving that New Zealand can play alongside Italy when it comes to affordable fruity pink fizz, this sparkling from Matahiwi Estate has plenty of ripe red berry fruits, frothy fizziness, and palate-cleansing apple and citrus characters too.

8. Louis Bouillot, Perle d’Aurore, Crémant de Bourgogne

Maison Louis Bouillot
Region: Bourgogne
Country: France
Grape(s): Chardonnay (45%), Pinot Noir (35%), Aligoté (5%), Gamay (15%)
Vintage: NV
Price: £15-20
Residual sugar: Brut (10g/l)
Medal: Silver – The Global Rosé Masters 2020

If you love the combination of delicate fruit, chalky dryness, citrus freshness, and bready richness, but you can’t afford to purchase fine pink Champagne, then this Cremant de Bourgogne is a brilliant alternative. Ok, so it might not have the finesse of its more famous neighbour, but this salmon-coloured sparkling rosé from Maison Louis Bouillot offers a fantastic value taste of traditional method fizz, with its creamy-textured bubbles, yeasty flavours, and pretty fruits, from white cherry to ripe apple.

7. Fantinel, One & Only Rosé Brut

Producer: Fantinel
Region: Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Country: Italy
Grape(s): Pinot Noir (90%), Chardonnay (10%)
Vintage: 2019
Price: £15-20
Residual sugar: Brut (8g/l)
Medal: Silver – The Global Rosé Masters 2020

A bright salmon-pink rose with fresh raspberry and cherry fruit aromatics, and a nice balance of ripe red fruit flavours, fine bubbles, and an apple-fresh dry finish.

6. Bollé, Vino Spumante Rosé, Extra Dry

Producer: Andreola
Region: Veneto
Country: Italy
Grape(s): Incrocio Manzoni (a cross between Riesling Renano and Pinot Bianco)
Vintage: NV
Price: £15-20
Residual sugar: Extra Dry (16g/l)
Medal: Silver – The Global Rosé Masters 2020

A deeply-coloured rosé with masses of morello cherry, peach, and grapey sweetness, along with a frothy fizz and a sour cherry note to refresh. Such a powerfully flavoured, slightly sweet pink sparkling such as this would be ideal with a range of foods from strong cheeses or cured and cold meat. For an authentic Italian experience, why not pair this pink spumante with Mortadella?

5. Rosa Regale

Producer: Banfi
Region: Piedmont, Brachetto d’Acqui
Country: Italy
Grape(s):Brachetti
Vintage: 2019
Price: £15-20
Residual sugar: Doux (102g/l)
Medal: Silver – The Global Rosé Masters 2020

If you are looking for something at the opposite end of the rosé spectrum, then try this sweet, deeply-coloured, gently jammy pink sparkling, that would be ideal for the end of a meal, rather than the beginning. Packed with rose petal aromatics, ripe red fruit, and a touch of gently bitter herbs, this is a wild card in the world of rosés, and worth trying for that reason alone.

4. Louis Bouillot, Perle d’Or Rosé 2015

Producer: Maison Louis Bouillot
Region: Bourgogne
Country: France
Grape(s): Chardonnay: 46, Pinot Noir: 49, Gamay: 5
Vintage: 2015
Price: £20-30
Residual sugar: Brut (8g/l)
Medal: Gold – The Global Rosé Masters 2020

Although this top pink sparkling expression from Cremant de Bourgogne’s Maison Louis Bouillot is not cheap, relative to top sparkling rosé from Champagne, it is outstanding value. Why? It delivers so many of the hallmarks of great pink fizz, such as fine, soft bubbles, toast, fresh ripe fruits from red apple to melon and raspberry, followed by a dry chalky finish, along with a touch of creamy vanilla – some oak barrels were used in the winemaking. This is definitely the thinking person’s fine pink fizz.

3. Gusbourne Rosé

Producer: Gusbourne
Region: Kent
Country: UK
Grape(s): Pinot Noir (60%), Chardonnay (39%), Pinot Meunier (1%)
Vintage: 2016
Price: £30-50
Residual sugar: Brut (8g/l)
Medal: Gold – The Global Rosé Masters 2020

If you were in any doubt as to the ability of English vintners to craft high quality fizz, then try this pink sparkling from Gusbourne. Using all three ‘Champagne grapes’ grown in Kentish soil, it yields a delicious, refreshing, pale salmon pink fizz with apple and pastry favours, a touch of redcurrant, and mouth-filling fine bubbles. Lovely in that cool, taught, pure-fruit style that the UK seems to do so well.   

2. Nicolas feuillette Cuvée Spéciale Rosé

Well, we couldn’t have a list of top pink sparkling wines without a Champagne, and, in keeping with our aim to find fantastic fizz at keen prices, we bring you not one but two brilliant rosé at different levels.

To begin, we bring you a more affordable option…

Nicolas feuillette Cuvée Spéciale Rosé
Producer: Nicolas feuillette
Region: Champagne
Country: France
Grape(s): Chardonnay (30%), Pinot Noir (45%), Pinot Meunier (25%)
Vintage: NV
Price: £30-50
Residual sugar: Brut (9g/l)
Medal: Gold – The Global Rosé Masters 2020

A fizz with all the classic characters of pink Champagne, from citrus, to red berries and rhubarb, a touch of chalk, brown bread and a creamy-texture, this is a refreshing, if quite fruity rosé at a good price by pink Champagne standards.

1. Palmes d’Or Rosé Intense Vintage 2008

Producer: Nicolas feuillette
Region: Champagne
Country: France
Grape(s): Pinot Noir (100%)
Vintage: NV
Price: £100
Residual sugar: Brut (5.5g/l)
Medal: Master – The Global Rosé Masters 2020

Picking up the ultimate accolade of sparkling rosé Master this year was this top pink expression from Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte, called Palmes d’Or. Using only Pinot Noir grapes from the brilliant 2008 vintage in Champagne, it is a wonderful example of truly great pink fizz with the delicious characters that come with extended maturation – this is now over 10 years old. Expect a blend of beeswax, rhubarb, stewed apple, and a refreshing fine-stream of bubbles, along with a chalky taste and texture on the finish. This is a fizz packed with personality that would perform brilliantly if served throughout a meal.

About the competition

As for the tasting that led to their selection, The Global Rosé Masters is an annual competition exclusively for all styles of pink wine, run by the drinks business. This year’s event saw almost 200 entries judged blind, with the best wines were awarded medals that ranged from Bronze through to Gold, as well as Master, the ultimate accolade, given only to exceptional wines in the tasting.

Those wishing to enter future competitions can enter online here or by emailing Sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com

Meanwhile, please click here to read more about the competitions.