First, let’s get the vocab lesson out of the way: in Spain, rosé is called rosado. (It’s rosé in America and France, and rosato in Italy.)

Second, let’s discuss how awesome Spanish rosados are: amazing, incredible, yummy! They tend to be darker in color, and full of ripe, juicy red berry flavors. (And btw, that doesn’t mean they’re sweet – ripe fruit in wine descriptions just means the lushness of the taste or the intensity of the flavor, but has nothing to do with sugar levels and sweetness.)

Third, you need to know that these are the undiscovered big bargains of the rosé world. It’s hard to find a rosado over 15 bucks, and most are around 10. I’ll warn you that specific bottles and producers may be hard to find in your local wine shop, and even online, but just look for either the region (I love the ones from Navarra, and there are also a bunch from Rioja) or the grape (Garnacha is my jam, but I like the Tempranillo’s too).

On to the bottles!

ochoa 2011, $12

Grape: Garnacha.  Region: Navarra. Cool color: bright ruby grapefruit. Yum factor: watermelon, wild strawberry, orange peel.

gran familia 2011, $12

This one’s a Tempranillo from Rioja. Really deep berry flavor, and my favorite out of all of these!

ramon roqueta 2011, $8

This is a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon and Garnacha from Catalunya. Not the biggest fan of rosés made from Cab, but I give it a few extra points for the pretty label. Yes, I just said that.

artazuri 2011, $9-13

Another great Garnacha one! This is the second rosado from Navarra I’ve had that’s been neon pink. Why do they get like that? Who knows but it’s freaking cool and so are the wines. (Actually think it has something to do with cold soaking them before fermentation.) This one’s all strawberry with just a tiny bit of minerality.

marqués de cáceres 2011, $9

One of my fave neighborhood go-to places is this pub called Fred’s – there are goldfish on the bar, we’re not talking fancy pants wine lists – and I’ve had this there. Value at it’s finest, grapefriends.