Like linen suits and Panama hats, rosé wines come into season over the Memorial Day weekend. Their straightforward duties have always been to be prettily tinted, well-chilled, and zingy. That said, increasing interest in rosés has begotten what Stephen Bitterolf, wine director of Crush Wine Company (crushwineco.com), calls a “creative rosé class” — sippers that go beyond “delicate simple fruits and easygoing balance.”

Crush recently held its third annual “War of the Rosés” taste-off, and the two top favorites chosen by customers were not the sort of familiar, Provençal quaffers seen in ice buckets everywhere as the weather warms up. The winner was Lauverjat Sancerre Rosé ($22.95 at Crush), from an appellation famed for its minerally white wines. More surprising yet, the runner-up was something called Strohmeier Schilcher Sekt ($17.99), an Austrian sparkling rosé made from an oddball grape called Blauer Wildbacher; clearly a wine easier to sip than to say.

Esoterica aside, it’s good, in this locavore age, to befriend the fully functional rosé wines that are bred right here in New York. Our climate doesn’t always fully ripen red wine grapes, but it’s perfect for the less demanding rosés of summer. And drinking a Long Island or Finger Lakes rosé is the most pleasant way I know of to lighten up our carbon footprint.

The New York Sun’s Favorite Rosé Wines

Wölffer Rosé, “The Hamptons,” 2007

Exotically citric, this bone-dry sipper smells and tastes as if it was vinified from blood oranges. Just right for salade niçoise. $12.95 at Red, White & Bubbly, redwhite andbubbly.com.

Louis Jadot Beaujolais Rosé, 2007

Notable for its silkiness, this graceful rosé, made from 100% gamay grapes (just like red Beaujolais), would be a great partner to delicate-fleshed local fish such as local flounder or cod. $16 at Blue Heron Fine Wines, blueheronfinewines.com.

Prieuré de Montézargues Tavel, 2006

Closer to plum than pink in color, this rosé ratchets up flavor intensity. No fewer than five red and three white grapes go into this blend. Bouillabaisse and Tavel were made for each other. $19.95 at Sherry-Lehmann, sherry-lehmann.com.

Chivite Gran Feudo Rosé, Navarra, 2007

This Spanish swizzler has plenty of tint and stuffing, although it carries less alcohol, at 13%. It’s the wine of choice when paella is on the table. $8.05 at Pops, popswines.com.

Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Rosé, Finger Lakes, 2007

There’s a touch of earthy funk to this wine, along with amplitude uncommon to a rosé. Just right for poached salmon. $10.89 at Cabrini Wines, cabriniwines.com.

Routas Rosé, Côteaux Varois-en-Provence, 2007

A very pale wine, more copper-tinted than rosé. But it has a deceptively full, bright berry flavor, and a firm core. Blended from the classic Provençal combo of grenache, syrah, and cinsault. A Scottish family, the Murrays, owns this go-ahead property. $8.09 at Pops.

La Vieille Ferme Rosé, Côtes du Ventoux, 2007

Made from the same trio of grapes as Routas, this wine is deeper in color as well as plusher in body, its scent and flavor a perfect straddle between ripe strawberries and raspberries. Though the label says it’s dry, I detect a shy touch of sweetness. No need for food with this. It’s a faultless outdoor sipper before a dive into the pool or surf. $9.08 at Pops.

Etude Rose of Pinot Noir, Carneros, 2007

This admirable winery puts the same effort into this wine as it does its into pricey pinot noirs. Gentle, yet pours out billows of flavor. It will match up equally well to salmon or lamb chops on the grill. $16.99 at Big Gourmet, biggourmet.com.

Muri Gries Lagrein Rosato, Alto Adige, 2006

Yielding a dark wine with a refreshingly bitter almond finish in its usual red format, the lagrein grape can also become a firm, characterful rosé like this one. A good match to grilled swordfish steaks. $16 at Vino, vinosite.com.

Chateau Frank Célébré Sparkling Wine, New York, NV

The Finger Lakes have a long tradition of making mediocre bubbly. Not this one: a sparkling rosé that’s not only made by the traditional Champagne method, but tastes quite classic. Refined and gently off-dry, with a persistent bead of bubbles. Serve it in a fine quality flute or tulip-shaped glass to upscale any summer meal. $23.95 at Vintage New York, vintagenewyork.com.