Banfi’s Rosa Regale is unusual to the point of uniqueness. A deep red sparkling wine, it is made in Acqui in the Piedmont region of Italy from Brachetto grapes. Ferment in the Italian sparkling method (in tanks, not in bottle), it is bottled at all of 7% alcohol.

You would swear by the nose and the taste that this is spiked with berries and flower petals. With its pink foam, there’s nothing that doesn’t exude fruitiness here, with jammy strawberry sweetness making you think of a fruit syrup you might apply to a cheesecake.

Banfi says Rosa Regale is made for pairing with chocolate, positing that it’s the best wine for chocolate there is. I wouldn’t go that for — the sweetness is too cloying to stand up to good chocolate, the berry character turning a bit too lollipop-like when faced with the stuff. But no matter: Rosa Regale is perfect on its own… provided you know what you’re getting into.

A- / $16 / rosaregale.com 

2010 Banfi Rosa Regale Sparkling Wine

$16

9

Rating

9.0/10