For a small twist to your sipping, try a light, refreshing rosé.

We often take our social cues from nature — drinking more refreshing white wines in summer and richer, heavier reds in winter — so it’s appropriate now that summer is officially in full swing and the garden is bursting with roses, that we should sing the virtues of pink wines, and start to drink more of them.

Whether we like to admit it or not, a glass of sweet white Zinfandel has probably passed under our noses at some point, and while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, white zin isn’t the only rosé wine available. Frankly there are many better examples out there and now is the ideal time to find them.

Rosés are wonderful quaffing wines for entertaining in the backyard or sipping on a patio. They’re refreshing, fruity and generally low in alcohol — and good ones have a crisp acidity that cuts through their sweetness. Remember pink wines are the lightest red wines available and match wonderfully with grilled meats, seafood and spicy dishes and many offer good value at less than $15 a bottle.

These are not wines you cellar for years, so when you’re choosing a bottle at your local wine shop, select the youngest vintage you can find. Because these wines have low tannins (short time with the skins) and a simple bouquet, aged rosés tend to lose their fruit-forward flavours and can become dull over time.

Rosés are red wines that are made as though they are white — they come from black grapes, varietals like Grenache, Shiraz and yes, Zinfandel. A grape’s skin is what gives wine its colour. The longer the juice is in contact with the skins the more colour it imparts, so for pink wines the skins and juice are only in contact for a short period of time.

Another way of producing a blush is called saignée, and it’s how white Zinfandel was created back in 1968. Saignée, or bleeding, is done while making red wine. Some of the pink juice is bled off early in the process and fermented separately, leaving a smaller amount of juice to ferment with the black skins, making a more concentrated and deeper-coloured red wine.

Blending of red and white wine to produce a rosé is discouraged by most wineries although it occurs when used to make champagne and sparkling wine. So if you’re in the mood for something a little different, give the following pink wines a go.

Goats Do Roam Rosé 2006 ($13.95)

This extra dry rosé from South Africa is deep pink in colour with bright fruit flavours and perfect with barbecued chicken or light pasta dishes.

Chateau D’Aqueria Tavel Rosé 2006 ($19.95)

France takes it rosé wines seriously and you have to pay for that, but with seriousness comes quality. This wine’s bright pink colour speaks to its flavours of red raspberry and candied cherry but is cut with crisp acidity and citrus aromas. Matches wonderfully with grilled salmon, poultry and pork.

Cave Spring Dry Rosé ($13.15)

This low alcohol rosé from one of Ontario’s top producers has a pronounced berry flavour with a refreshing apple aftertaste and a gorgeous deep rose colour. Serve with light-tasting foods such as seafood and salads.

First published at CanadianLiving.com