INSIDER'S PICK: 2024 CIAVOLICH CERASUOLO d'ABRUZZO (Vinous 92points) $24.99

It may seem a little late in the 'Rose season' to be getting excited over something new. This is an 'All The Time' rose, however, one that is just too good to limit to just a few months of the year. Much of the Abruzzo region's past has been dominated largely by bulk wine production and large co-operatives, with little to get excited about with regards to quality. Recent history has seen exceptional improvement, with each generation seeming to elevate the reputation further and further. Initially the region only had DOC designations for white and red wines, but the quality of the local rose wine-Cerasuolo-has improved to such a degree that it was elevated to its own DOC in 2010. Smaller family estates like the one run by Chiara Ciavolich are making wines that challenge well established regions like Tavel for juicy, fleshy dry Rose that are every bit as exciting as those from Provence or anywhere else in Europe. Built from the Montepulciano grape, the first pour immediately calls the name of the wine to mind (literally 'cherry red'), looking like a cran-cherry cocktail at first. Aromas are quickly much deeper and interesting than a cocktail, full of cherry skin, mint stems, and more savory berry notes, generally a bit wilder than usually found in a Rose. The palate is more substantial than expected, lots juicy cherry at first but quickly getting fine tannins and light bitterness that is nicely persistent and fresh. This is also keeping a nice spine of acidity throughout the profile, which is often found lacking by those that tend to dismiss the more ruddy-colored roses of the world. Take this all the way to the Thanksgiving table and beyond this year.

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