The Best Vegan Rosé Wines Under $25, Just in Time for the Long Weekend

Nothing signifies the start of summer quite like a nice cold glass of rosé while sunning outside on a warm day. These days, rosé is abundant and can be found in just about any style: From sparkling to flat, from sweet to dry, from millennial pink (yes, that is a color) to magenta in color, and everything in between. But don’t reach for just any rosé at the market; you can do better than that—and there are actually good and compelling rosés if you know where to look. We’ve rounded up some of the best, all under $25, all with a unique story and character to sip on this summer and beyond.

First, a little rosé 101: Rosé is a wine made mostly from red grapes. Hristian ILIEV, a Las Vegas-based advanced sommelier, explains that the juice of grapes is actually white, and the process that follows turns the wine into the preferred color. “The way you get color in the wine is by pressing the grapes, so it turns into a mixture of juice, skins, and pits, then it sits for a period of time; the longer it sits the more color you get from the skins and the pits,” explains ILIEV. “When you make rosé, versus red wine, you keep the pits and the skins and the juice for a shorter time—sometimes less than a day—and when you extract the juice, which turns into wine, you get a slightly colored wine, hence rosé." Rosé is usually a light, elegant, less complex version of red wine. And of course, they are always to be served chilled.

Recall too that wine, in general, is not always—and often not—vegan. This is because winemakers sometimes use animal products and byproducts in the process of making the wine. (More about what makes wine not vegan in our wine guide, here.) All of the rosé recommendations we’ve rounded up are in fact vegan, and also made from organic grapes, so you can trust an animal-free clean pour in your glass.

Chateau de Roquefort’s Corail Rosé hails from Cótes de Provence in France, one of the largest appellations of the Provence wine region. It sits in the southeastern corner of France situated on the Mediterranean coast that is best known for producing high-quality rosé. In fact, humans have been making wine in this region for over 2600 years! Suffice to say they are experts in pink wine.

The warm, mild climate in this area makes for a perfect rosé breeding ground, and nearly 75 percent of the wine made here is rosé. Chateau de Roquefort Corail’s rosé is made from a certified-organic blend of Grenache, Syrah, and an amalgamation of some lesser familiar grapes. You’ll notice a darker hue, with aromas that conjure ground spice, red berries, and citrus. It's light to medium-bodied, and not your typical Cótes de Provence rosé, but it's better for it, showing some distinctive character and sure to please the palate on a warm day. It’s a rosé for any occasion and a good dining companion.

Price: $22

Where to buy: wine.com (and other select retailers)

While often rosé tends to be dry, this rosé from Luca Di Tomaso winery is not your typical lean and dry rosé. “This wine carries plenty of character, with tons of pleasant aromatics,” explains ILIEV. “Underripe red fruit with a light floral component, red apple, and ripe raspberries. Nice bright acidity keeps this rosé vibrant and elegant, slight minerality adds to the complexity. Great Monday night drink with a soyrizo vegan pizza!”

This Scigula Rosato comes from central Italy and carries a deeper pink color than you might expect of a typical rosé. Note that “Rosato” is the same thing as rosé: “Rosato”  essentially means “rosé” in Italian, so if you see a wine called “Rosato,” it is just Italian for rosé.

Price: $25

Where to buy: veganwines.com

Avaline, the wine-brainchild of Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power’s, came hot onto the scene last year with its white and red varietals, plus a sparkling wine. Their wines are beloved for easy drinking, transparent labels and organic grape use—and of course being vegan which is easy to identify thanks to it being displayed on the label, staying true to transparency. Avaline recently launched its Sparkling Rosé, extra light and dry bubbly emerged in subtle floral and fruity notes, perfect for sipping by the pool or on a hot summer day.

Avaline Sparkling Rosé brings new meaning to “rosé all day” since this one certainly makes it easy to do so. Grapes for their sparkling rosé hail from Raventós i Blanc, located in Penedès, Spain, one of the oldest wineries in the world and family-run since 1497. The family is dedicated to the heritage of their wine-making estate with biodiversity and sustainability in mind. You can thank the Avaline team—as well as the Raventos family—for bringing deliciously drinkable and conscious sparkling rosé wine to the States.

Price: $25 (for a half bottle, in limited production)

Where to buy: Available only on avaline.com

Turning our attention to California, Margerum winery is a mainstay on the California coast, churning out one of their most beloved wines, the Riviera Rosé. This light pink and orange-hued wine delivers fresh creamy aromas of strawberry and watermelon. Dry and crisp on the palate with a nice finish, meaning flavors linger on your palate with each sip. The fruitiness is undeniable without being overly sweet. With a medium to light-bodied richness, you know you are drinking a rosé that is emblematic of a Provincial style wine. You can find Margerum’s rosé in a traditional glass bottle, and also by the can, perfect for a day at the beach, pool, or other adventure where canned is preferred.

Price: $24.50

Where to buy: Find on margerum.com, at their Santa Barbara tasting room, Bulton tasting room, and various other retailers.

Ruth Lewandowski is gaining momentum and has grown to be one of the most compelling natural wine producers in California. Natural wine, also often referred to as “low intervention wine” means that wine is made primarily of just the grapes, void of any added agents, and with low to no sulfites. The Ruth Lewandowski rosé is a knockout and one that commands attention and admiration for standing out from the pack. “Ruth Lewandowski’s 20 Rosé is perfectly deep, savory, complex, and more of a food wine than any,” says Drew Cuddy, a sommelier and purveyor of natural wine from around the world, sold from his wine bar in Santa Barbara.

“High altitude, super unique soils, and steep slopes produce extremely particular fruit.” Cuddy explains that the Tempranillo grape is picked from and directly pressed to form the delicate, spicy, snappy strawberry component for this wine. Blended with a host of other grapes it creates a more savory, earthy, and structured pink wine. “It's just as it looks: sunset rosé,” says Cuddy. “And it's not just for porch pounding or deck drinking. Although, feel free to continue to do so.”

Price: $25

Where to buy: ruthlewandowskiwines.com, Satellite Wine Bar in Santa Barbara, Ruth Lewandowski Wine Tasting Room in Healdsburg, in Sonoma County.