I love the fact that Alder Yarrow over at Vinography is so unabashedly exuberant about "orange wines." Some of his quotes from the last year: "Regular readers know that every once in a while I wax poetic about an orange wine here on Vinography"; "Orange wine is nearly always a good sign!"; "Orange wines aren't easy to come by, but to my mind they represent some of the most exciting wines being made on the planet."

I share his excitement for the color orange when it comes to wine. Although the kinds of orange wines Alder's talking about seem to be types from relatively obscure Italian varietials and/or using antique or unorthodox winemaking methods (like these). With regard to the wine mainstream, they're anomalies.

I love those too, but I also get jazzed about the slightly less unusual shades of orange that turn up in certain rosés. Maybe some would describe the hue I'm talking about more as "salmon." No matter what you call it, though, there is just something irresistible and thirst-inducing when you see a radiant, glowing glass of orange-colored rosé. A lot of times these wines come from the beating heart of rosé production—the south of France regions of Tavel, Provence, Languedoc. They're almost all made from a blend of grenache, syrah, and cinsault. Often the more delicate and complex the color, the better they taste. And, naturally, these orange wonders go with everything from vegetable salads to grilled meats and fish (yes, salmon) to salumi and cheese. But best of all they go with warm, sunny summer afternoons like we've been having of late.

Here are three great orange-hued rosés.

• Commanderie de la Bargemone,  Coteaux d'Aix en Provence Rosé 2008 ($14.99 at K&L)
• Château du Rouet "Cuvee Reservée," Côtes de Provence Rosé 2007 ($14 at Arlequin)
• Domaine Sainte Eugenie Corbieres Rose 2008 ($11.49 at the Wine House)