Once upon a time, when it came to wines, the word rosé might well have been synonymous with déclassé.

Sweet stuff.

Something with “white” in front of the name (as in “white Zinfandel”).

Or perhaps equated with the fairly frivolous (as in “blush” or “pink Chablis”).

Well, times have changed.

As the San Francisco Chronicle puts it, in an article headlined, Stop and drink the rosé: Once-shunned wine explodes onto marketplace:

“With a blazing turnaround, dry rosés have exploded onto the market and are everywhere in stores, restaurants and bars. ‘It’s a perfect rosé storm,’ says Jeff Morgan, winemaker and co-owner of SoloRosa Wines, the only winery in America founded on dry rosé, now in its eighth vintage.”

That article, by staff writer Cindy Lee, is paired with a helpful backgrounder on various types of premium rosés.

And last but certainly not least, there’s a long listing of domestic dry rosé picks, including two that fit comfortably in our cherished “desperately seeking $10 wine values” category:

• 2007 Toad Hollow Eye of the Toad Sonoma County Dry Pinot Noir Rosé.
• 2006 Trentadue Monte Lago Vineyard Clear Lake Grenache Rosé.

In case you needed any more persuading, take it from Jon Priest, winemaker at the Napa, Calif., winery Etude, who tells The Chronicle: “What’s not to love about rosé? It’s refreshing, it’s approachable, and it pairs well with most summer dishes.”

Want to find a perfectly priced bottle of wine? Give the Smarter Wine Search a try.