I’ll admit it — I drink a lot of rose in the summer. It’s good with grilled foods, refreshing but flavorful, and just plain fun to drink.

Of course, I don’t like the ‘adult koolaid’ style of sweet pink drinks…and there are a lot of those out there. Yes, even here on Long Island. In fact, we’ve got just about every style of rose you can think of and then some.

Castello di Borghese’s Fleurette ($9) has some of the sweetness that mars many cheap "blush" wines, but it’s a definite step up from the ubiquitous white zinfandels from the west coast.

A blend of chardonnay (around 75%) and merlot (around 25%), it’s a medium salmony-copper color and tiny bubbles cling to the inside of the glass. The nose is faint, but offers light red berry and peach aromas. Again, there is some residual sugar here, but subtle acidity brings a little balance. Medium bodied, there are fresh strawberry and peach flavors up front with a sweet, cotton candy note on the finish.

This certainly isn’t example of Long Island rose at it’s best, but if you like simple fruit flavors with a sweetness, it’s worth a shot. I prefer my rose much drier though.