In Finland, Alko has a monopoly in selling alcohol including wines. There have been some initiatives in order to obtain wines to supermarkets but that is far away from happening. However, Alko has improved a lot it’s wine supply. On the other hand Finnish tax for alcohol drinks does not favor wines instead of strong beverages, which it should.

But this post was about best rose wines at Alko, so let’s move to that topic. Best with questionmark, because there are quite many interesting rose wines at Alko but these two have excellent price quality ratio.

Neiss Pinot Noir Rosé 2013

Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir

THE LOOK

Color with hints of orange-brown looks a little bit fanciful.

THE NOSE

Strawberries, jewing gum Hubba-Bubba came to my mind but scent was not that strong.

THE TASTE

Dry and citrus, very close to the white wines. Threfore, if you do not like rose wines but like white wines, this is the rose for you. Pairs with same foods like white wines.

Tommasi Bardolino Chiaretto Rosé 2013

Grapes: Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, Molinara

THE LOOK

Hints of orange-brown but more close to typical rose than Neiss.

THE NOSE

Light strawberry aroma, hints of fruit alphabet candies, otherwise scent is delicate. More typical rose than Neiss.

THE TASTE

Dry, pleasant, balanced rose type of flavor. Excellent aperitif but suits also with Antipasto, Chicken, pasta and asian cuisine.

Facts:

WINE             Neiss Pinot Noir                                         Tommasi Bardolino Chiaretto
Alcohol:     12.00 %                                           12.00 %
Extract:     33 g/l                                               27 g/l
Acidity:      7.6 g/l                                              6 g/l
Sugar:        9 g/l                                                 8 g/l
Energy:      80 kcal / 100 ml (330 kJ / 100 ml)  80 kcal / 100 ml (320 kJ / 100 ml)

Some might think that there are only two type of wines; white and red. Especially if one has tried not so pleasant-tasting sweet and maybe even too warm rose wine. I find good roses enjoyable. They can be basic rose wines or sparkling ones. Especially rose champagnes might be extremely drinkable. You just have to find right roses. Try these two.

OVERALL GRADE: Neiss 4+/5 – BANG FOR THE BUCK ++(+)/+++

OVERALL GRADE: Tommasi 4,5/5 – BANG FOR THE BUCK +++/+++