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The Best Rosé Champagnes to Drink in 2024
From Ruinart to Louis Roederer, these are the rosé champagnes you need in your cellar (and your glass)
If there’s one thing we know to be true, it’s that special occasions call for something equally special in your glass. While you may be more au fait with sipping classic champagne when celebrating, we’re here to tell you that a well-chosen bottle of blush bubbles can prove equally popular and open up a world of summer food pairings, too. Intrigued? Let’s get into it, shall we?
The best rosé champagne to drink in 2024
What exactly is rosé champagne?
It might seem like a fairly new fluffy booze category but our love for the pink stuff dates back to 1764, when the historic champagne house Ruinart claims to have sent 60 bottles to Germany for His Serene Highness the Duke of Mecklembourg-Strelitz. Today, it accounts for 10 per cent of champagne exports, and any snobbishness surrounding it is dissipating.
Unlike still rosé wine, which uses the ‘skin contact’ method (where grape skins are left in contact with the juice for a short period, to impart colour and flavour), Champagne is the only region within the EU that is legally allowed to blend white and red wine to create a blush. This technique results in a pure fresh flavour, without any tannins barging in to disrupt your delicate palate. No, doing the same thing at home with your leftovers will not result your own Premier Cru.
It’s made using just three grapes: chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier (the latter two being red grapes). Each champagne house will have its own cellar master — a figure responsible for selecting just the right quantity of each, to perfectly represent the brand’s signature style.
While chardonnay tends to bring with it elegance and finesse, pinot noir will make the juicy red fruit pop. If you like your fizz with a savoury, toasted note — think brioche and biscuit — look out for one that’s had a few years ageing in oak.
Rosé champagne pairings
Unlike regular champagne, which can be slightly more limited, rosé champagne is versatile when it comes to food pairings. Lighter styles work wonderfully with the natural sweetness in prawns and grilled lobster, while fuller bottles can hold their own with earthier flavours, including game and truffles.
The high acidity helps to cleanse the palate when paired with raw and cured foods, so don’t be afraid to serve it alongside oysters and carpaccio. As for sweeter varieties? Save those for young, buttery cheeses and fruit-forward desserts.
How we test rosé champagne
To find the finest rosé champagnes to drink right now, our discerning panel of consumers and experts were presented with 25 bottles from the leading champagne houses.
Their criteria? Ripe summer fruit aromas, well-integrated acidity and velvety bubbles. After plenty of popped bottles, these are their top recommendations for 2023.
Perrier-Jouët Blason Rosé Champagne
Perrier-Jouët Blason Rosé Champagne
The brand’s famous floral bottle gives a hint as to what you’ll find in the glass. Opening with a rich floral nose, it follows with crisp green apples and summer fruits.
The zippy acidity and smooth bubbles make this a winning aperitif, perfect for pairing with smoked salmon canapés and caviar.
75cl, 12%
Taittinger Brut Prestige Rosé NV Champagne
Taittinger Brut Prestige Rosé NV Champagne
Unashamedly indulgent, Taittinger allows chardonnay to dominate this cuvée, adding a lively, refreshing slant on crowd-pleasing strawberries and cream. Keep a bottle on ice for serving alongside a stracciatella-topped bruschetta when hosting your next dinner party and thank us later.
75cl, 12.5%
Ruinart Brut Rosé Champagne
While most blushes are best drunk young and fresh, this bottle will only gain complexity over time. Can’t wait that long? We don’t blame you. Fret not, for it tastes pretty special as it is now, with decadent notes of brioche and juicy cherries.
75cl, 12.5%
Gosset Grand Rosé Brut Champagne
Gosset Grand Rosé Brut Champagne
It might not be as well-known as say, Moët, but seek this out and you’ll soon see what all the fuss is about. It’s from one of the oldest houses in Champagne, and they use such a tiny percentage of reserve wine that this almost tips into the vintage category (without the price tag). With strawberry, cherry and raspberry all clamouring for attention, this is ideal paired with equally fruity desserts.
75cl, 12%
Veuve Clicquot Rosé Champagne
You’ve no doubt supped a glass or two of the brand’s yellow label in your time, and this rosé version is just as fresh. With layers of bittersweet red cherry and raspberry, the pronounced acidity cuts through the richer flavours of beef carpaccio. Date night starter? Sorted.
75cl, 12.5%
Bollinger Rosé Champagne
Bollinger Rosé Champagne
This weighty, full-flavoured fizz has been aged for twice as long as is legally required, to bring out the brand’s trademark pastry notes. There are also juicy strawberries, thanks to a hefty percentage of pinot noir in the blend.
75cl, 12%
Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé NV Champagne
Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé NV Champagne
This pale pink rosé may look delicate, but its gastronomic style means it’s powerful enough to complement meatier fish dishes such as baked turbot and lobster thermidor. It’s a well-balanced drop, combining rich biscuit notes with tart red fruit and apple, wrapped up in a smooth finish.
Looking to treat a fellow oenophile? You can get this one engraved with a personalised message for extra brownie points.
75cl, 12.5%
Louis Roederer Rosé Vintage Champagne
Louis Roederer Rosé Vintage Champagne
Having appeared in many a hip-hop video, Cristal needs no introduction. This rosé is part of the same Louis Roederer’s family, and although it’s the less flashy of the two, it’s just as ballsy.
Four years of oak-ageing brings out a toasty base, with fresh pink citrus and crunchy green apple layering on top.
75cl, 12%
Laurent-Perrier Rosé NV Champagne
Laurent-Perrier Rosé NV Champagne
Remember we told you how rosé champagne was made? Well, this one’s different. Here the saignée method is used to ‘bleed’ pink grape juice (rather than mixing red and white).
It creates a rich, nutty fizz, that’s both light and fresh too, making it an excellent aperitif.
75cl, 12%
Moët & Chandon Rosé Champagne
Moët & Chandon Rosé Champagne
Much like McDonald’s tastes the same worldwide, Moët & Chandon are masters in creating a consistently good cuvée (that's the only thing those two brands have in common). It’s not hugely complex but covers what we’re looking for, with sweet red berries, green apple and a whiff of summer flowers.
And the best bit? It's available on Amazon Prime for last-minute champagne-related emergencies. We’ve all been there.
75cl, 12%
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