Looking for a flavorful wine to go with those lingering summer barbecues, evenings on the deck or lazy picnics -- but not quite ready to dive right into a big red quite yet?

Think pink.

Rosé is making a comeback in a big way. Not to be confused with its cousin, white zinfandel, that sweet, ubiquitous sip that also has a pinkish hue, rosés tend to be dry, crisp and very refreshing. Rosé is often simpler than a heavyweight red -- even if it's made from the same grapes -- yet tends to have a bit more complexity than many white wines.

Rosé is gaining in popularity -- sales have climbed 45 percent since 2006 -- after a long period of being a fashion faux pas. Blame that in part to some sloppy winemaking in the 1970s, when many rosés were made simply by blending white and red wines. Kind of like what happens when you are cleaning up the glassware after a dinner party, apparently, the results sometimes were just as unappealing.

Now, rosés are produced the way they always have been made in certain enclaves of France and Spain, where the passion for pink has never faded. Most rosé wines are the result of crushing red grapes and allowing them just enough time for the skins to impart just a hint of color and tannin (or dryness) to the wine. The result is a wine that is white in character with a tinge of color and a hint of red wine flavor.

Rosé is not only gorgeous in the glass, it's great with food. Rosés can step up to the plate when a white wine would be overpowered and a red wine is just too much. Try rosés with tomato-based pasta dishes and pizzas, fish, mushroom dishes and cheeses.

Another reason to think pink: Prices are still reasonable for this rising star, so it's not cost-prohibitive to experiment. France and Spain have been keeping rosés real, but California and Australia winemakers are doing a lot with rosés. Pinotage Rosé, a recent release from South African winery Tall Horse Wines that retails at about $8 a bottle, is made with 100 percent pinotage grapes, but there many other varieties.

At such reasonable prices, you can't afford not to think pink!