Spicy rosé: Our verdict on the latest 'jalapeño-in-wine' trend

Spicy rosés are the new spicy margaritas and fans are obsessed with this latest trend which feels like a fun and fancy new way to consume wine this summer.

Jalapeño wine is the most recent TikTok trend and fans are loving this spicy version of wine that is fun to drink in the sun. This trend began earlier in the summer but has remained a consistent trend over the past few months as fans are loving the flavor. 

But is this trend actually tasty? Or is it just aesthetic nonsense? I tried it so you don't have to, and this is what I thought...

@allyssainthekitchen

Iykyk

♬ Angel - Shaggy

There really is no denying that putting a few jalapeño slices is a fun aesthetic way to spice up (sorry for the bad pun) your rosé. But apart from looking cute there really isn't much to this drink. 

I invited a friend over to try out this trend and we had very different perspectives. For me, this was an over-hyped trend that I liked but didn't love. I liked the fresh smell of the chilies in the drink, but I really couldn't taste much by way of spice or chili flavor. We let the jalapeños soak into the wine for a bit longer and the spice started to come through a bit more. 

I love bloody Marys - particularly when they are spicy with extra tabasco - so I thought that I'd love this drink, it's wine but spicy - what's not to like? In actuality, I just didn't get it. Sure it looks pretty, but in my opinion, it took away from the flavor of the wine. I'm not a wine snob by any means, but I just like my wine as it is, without anything else added.

My friend on the other hand loved it. She insisted that this was the only way that she would be consuming rosé from now on and has gone on to tell everyone to give it a go. She loves spicy margaritas and is a big fan of heat in general, so this was a perfect drink for her.

I asked some experts about this trend and queried if spicy rosé a wine crime or a wine hack. Julien Lonneux UK CEO of winemakers, Vranken Pommery, said that while this trend wasn't a bad idea, there are definitely certain rosés that would work best with a bit of added spice. 

"To even put ice in a wine from Provence is not recommended! But jalapeños is a flat no! Rosé wines from Provence are dryer than other rosés so perhaps ice and jalapeños would be more suited to those other, sweeter rosés," said Julien.

Other experts agreed with this suggestion that paler wines would be less desirable for this trend. "We’ve all been tempted by this TikTok trend and if you’re planning on adding spicy jalapenos to your rose, make sure it’s nice and cold. A sweet rose will work best as this will balance the flavor – chili heat can decrease the perception of body and sweetness, making even the sweetest wine taste dryer," said Salvo Russo, Head of Wine at London's The Hippodrome Casino.

The expert then added that checking the ABV (alcohol by volume) of the wine is another helpful way to work out if the wine will be complemented by the added spice. "The higher the ABV of the wine, the stronger heat you’ll get from the jalapeno, so stick to a sweeter wine such as White Zinfandel that is typically around the 9% ABV mark," he suggested. 

So when you try this trend, experts recommend that you opt for a sweeter rosé rather than a paler Provence-style rosé. And if you want your spicy wine to really pack a punch you'll want to go for one with a high alcohol percentage. If you follow this advice you may love this trend - but there really is only one way to find out for yourself!