One of my favorite summer activities is making playlists. Summer always has so many fun activities: road trips, weddings...day drinking. All of these activities are fun by themselves, but there's something about certain songs that just remind me of summer. I love the challenge of creating the perfect playlist for the occasion—after all, what's a road trip without listening to "Take it Easy" by the Eagles, or dancing at a wedding without "Sweet Caroline"? Plus, heaven forbid we have a day of day-drinking without listening to "That's the Way It Is" by the incomparable Celine Dion (okay maybe that one's a little more subjective...).

Like the perfect soundtrack, there's also something about drinking Rose that just reminds me of summer. Maybe it's the festive color or the berry flavors, but I've definitely been in the mood for #roseallday the past month.

I'm just gonna throw it out there— these are some of my favorite pictures.

Rose is one of those wines that is still working on shaking off its bad reputation. A lot of people who see Roses automatically equate them with White Zinfandel, and expect them to be sticky sweet and taste vaguely like cough syrup (not that there's anything wrong with White Zin per se... if that's your jam get on it!). Rose is just as diverse as whites or reds— and like all wine, it depends totally on your palate! I know this because I too was once a nonbeliever.

Fun fact: I actually did not notice there was a face on the bottle until this picture. But there it is!

However, I have a super clear memory of wine tasting in Lompoc and trying Samsara's fantastic Rose. I remember taking a sip and discovering that I'd been living in darkness.

I'd seen the light, and the light was pink.

I've been a fan ever since.

While the idea that Rose comes from magical pink grapes is a fun one, the color actually has a way more simple explanations. For most red wines, the grapes are fermented with the skins on, which gives the wine that great deep red color. For Rose, the skins of red wine grapes are removed, so the wine ends up being this super pretty pink. Depending on the kinds of grapes used, the color will range from bright flamingo pink to a lighter peony pink. This particular one uses Pinot Noir as its base, and since Pinot is a lighter wine, this Rose ends up being a lighter pink.

So, on to the specifics. I actually picked this bottle at random (because I am one of those terrible people who judges a wine bottle by its label). After I bought it I actually found out that Wedell Cellars is in San Luis Obispo... and I'm always thrilled when I get to write about a wine from my homeland. The grapes themselves are also from close to where I live, specifically the Santa Rita Hills. For those not familiar with the Central Coast of California, Santa Rita is close to an area called Lompoc. It's right by the ocean, so the coastal breezes and cooler temperatures are perfect for Pinot Noir.

In the glass, this wine has a great light color— it reminds me of those little mini roses you can buy in decorative pots (I actually have one in my room right now!). On the nose, it smells a lot like strawberries and cherries, but there's also a sort of flowery scent to it as well. Taste-wise it's super refreshing and light with those same fresh strawberry and flower flavors.

We actually ended up using some of these fresh strawberries in the wine as well which added to the fresh summery taste!

OUR RATING: Lovely summer wine, light and refreshing with great berry flavors. An excellent addition to any outdoor party, especially when paired with the perfect summer song.

I'D DRINK THIS:

While floating on one of those giant popsicle shaped floats, while listening to some summery pop music like One Direction or something.

At a bonfire, while listening to ILYSB by Lany (because who doesn't love the line "hella obsessed with your face?) or some other music classified as "Indie Pop".

At a dinner party, while listening to some mellow Van Morrison. Bonus points if it's "Crazy Love," and not "Brown-Eyed Girl."

While sitting on a blanket with friends in someone's backyard, with the Lumineers playing on someone's phone.