When the King of Rosé crafts another vintage of his stunning, watermelon-hued wine, we have no choice but to kiss the ring.

This king is Tamás Dúzsi, a winemaker from Hungary’s Szekszárd region. He makes a whopping 25 different wines from a variety of native and international grapes, but the wine we love to drink is his rosé of Kékfrankos, a.k.a. Blaufränkisch.

Under communism, Tamás’ land — like nearly all farmland — was nationalized, which for winemakers meant quantity was dramatically favored over quality. Plant whatever vines yielded the most fruit, make as much wine from those berries as humanly possible, rinse and repeat.

As soon as he was able to, Tamás, with degrees in viticulture and enology (and work experience as a horticultural engineer, teacher, winemaker, and winemaking consultant) purchased a plot of land. And this is where he produces one of our favorite rosés, with flavors of strawberry, watermelon, redcurrant and pomegranate, all floating in a crisp, bright, slightly savory frame.

A rosé like this is exactly what you need — in quantity — this summer. It’s a perfect foil to summer’s greatest hits (farmers market veggies, BBQ chicken, watermelon-feta salad) but it shines on its own as an aperitif or poolside sipper.

Duzsi Tamas, Kékfrankos Rosé, 2024 $15.99