Think pink

from 2013 June Lake Highlands

Smoke Signal S

Charles & Charles Rosé ($10) Washington

This month marks the 11th annual Advocate rosé column where we celebrate pink wine that costs $10, pairs with almost any kind of food you can think of, and — despite what the wine snobs say — isn’t sweet or unpleasant to drink.

In this, rosé is pretty much the perfect cheap wine. That it’s not more popular is a function of its color — it’s too often confused with white zinfandel (or white merlot or whatever), so wine drinkers shy away from it because they think it’s sweet. In fact, most rosés are bone-dry and combine the best qualities of red and white wines.

What should you drink? This will get you started:

• Rene Barbier Mediterranean Rosé ($6). Maybe the best cheap rosé on the market, consistent and varietally correct. This version has a little more fruit (strawberry) than usual.

• Goats do Roam Rosé ($10). This South African wine is very nicely done and a fine value, with flavors of strawberry and cranberry. It’s more like a European rosé — crisper and less fruity than its New World cousins.