“The gods first make fashionable that which they would destroy” is one of life’s truisms. This is why you should enjoy rosé wines while you still can, because in another year or two, they will pall. Everyone will be drinking rosé and — see truism above — quality will consequently plummet.

Now, wine cynics might say that no such pinnacle of quality has ever been reached by rosé such that “plummet” applies. True, most rosés remain banal. But the current fashionable status of rosé — not just in America, mind you — has encouraged producers everywhere to try their hand or importers to take a chance on bringing in a wine that has such a brief, weather-dependent window of sales opportunity. (If wearing white after Labor Day is démodé, so too is drinking pink when summer ends.)

Right now, we’re seeing rare rosé delights from Italy never previously brought to our shores — or produced on them, either — such as lagrein rosé from Alto Adige/Südtirol or the rosé wine from the montepulciano grape (called cerasuolo) of the Abruzzo region.

France, of course, has long specialized in rosé, nowhere more so than in Provence and the southern Rhône valley. To this day, the Tavel district remains the world’s only appellation devoted exclusively to creating rosé. There, the informing grape is grenache, which lends itself outstandingly to rosé thanks to its intense fruitiness.

Because of that, the real rosé prize goes to Spain, if only because it grows more grenache — or rather, garnacha — than any other country. If you’re looking for a rosé and you’re stuck for a name (or much of a choice), grab a Spanish rosé or rosado. The odds are that it will be made mostly from grenache and that it will be dry, delicious, and inexpensive.

Here’s The (Pink) Deal

Côtes du Ventoux Rosé 2006, La Vieille Ferme — Although there’s no obvious connection, the recent election of Nicolas “roll up your sleeves and get to work” Sarkozy as France’s new president made me think about France’s Côtes-du-Ventoux district.

Côtes du Ventoux has about 17,000 acres of vines, which makes it roughly half the size of Napa Valley, and most of what’s produced — 82% to be precise — is processed by local winegrowers’ cooperatives. Theirs is a rule of mediocrity, a consequence of a we-can’t-lose mentality thanks to generous government subsidies. The very complacency that Mr. Sarkozy railed against in his campaign is exemplified by this subsidized stupor.

Yet Côtes du Ventoux has the capacity to make some remarkably good wines, especially red and rosé (the whites are less persuasive). Most of the really good examples come from private companies. Even though these shippers buy in bulk from the winegrowers’ cooperatives, they exercise a degree of rigorous selectivity absent from most of the cooperatives.

A good Sarkozy-esque example of what Côtes du Ventoux can do if it works at it is found in this lovely rosé from La Vieille Ferme. A brand created by the Perrin family who owns Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf du Pape, La Vieille Ferme is all about selection and blending. They know what they’re doing.

Côtes du Ventoux Rosé 2006 from La Vieille Ferme is a blend of cinsault (50%), grenache (40%), and syrah (10%) that delivers the kind of snappy, refreshing rosé goods that make you reach for more Caesar salad. A perfect tincture of medium pink, this is a fruity yet fully dry rosé that combines the cherry taste of grenache with just a touch of “black fruit” flavor from syrah. It’s a terrific rosé, attractively packaged (with a desirable screw cap, too) and priced right at $12 a bottle. Widely available.

Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosé 2006 — The trickiest rosé of all is arguably that which is made entirely from pinot noir. Too often pinot noir rosés lack real flavor. They get the pink (which is easy) but they somehow miss the drink. “Nothing there — like kissing your aunt,” is the best such description I ever read.

That noted, a good pinot noir rosé is something special indeed. This 2006 pinot noir rosé from Elk Cove Vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley is a benchmark bottling. This is full-flavored pink that delivers all of pinot noir’s famed berry-ish goodness and delicacy, with lovely whiffs of strawberry and red cherry with just the right pale watermelon hue. A refined rosé, you can serve this with white meats such as pork or veal or, as always, with summer salads of all kinds. $15.95 at Morrell & Co., among others.