If you're one of those who assumes pink champagne must be sweet, simple and cheap -- the vinous equivalent of cotton candy -- think again. Today's rose champagnes are bubblies at their best, with enticing colors ranging from pale gold with a pink tinge to coral to pale crimson. They're surely the prettiest and most seductive wines in the world -- and are invariably priced to match.

Rose champagne has actually been around since the late 18th century -- Veuve Clicquot made its first one in 1777 -- and this isn't the first time it has been a fad.

One high point of popularity was during Edwardian times, when it was the preferred tipple of the fashionably dissolute, who used it to toast chorus girls and greet the dawn. Imaginative types were even said to have drunk it from their mistresses' slippers. It was the rage in the 1920s and has had its ups and downs every couple of decades since.

Toasting Persian Empire

Champagne isn't just one wine; it comes in several categories, from basic nonvintage brut blends to vintage-dated bottlings, to deluxe prestige cuvees (blends), to sweet (demi- sec) styles. Demand for rose is brisk enough that most champagne houses and even small grower-producers have at least one rose cuvee, usually a nonvintage brut, in their lineups.

Many offer a version in other categories, too, especially as a luxury cuvee. For those for whom Dom Perignon itself isn't special enough, for example, there's the pricier rose bottling, created in 1959 to help the Shah of Iran celebrate 2,500 years of the Persian Empire.

Well, we all know what happened to the shah 20 years after the party of parties, but Dom Perignon's rose survived and prospered. Richard Geoffrey, Dom Perignon's winemaker, emphasizes that it's not simply a pink version of the famous fat green bottling. ``It is,'' he says, ``an alternative expression of the emotion of drinking Dom Perignon.'' That sounds a bit over the top, I know, but it's hard not to be seduced by a slim flute of this wine. While most rose champagne is best when young and fresh, the delicately spicy 1990 that I tasted with Geoffrey was perfection.

Many Styles

As with all champagne, roses come in a range of styles, from light, delicate and refreshing ones, which are ideal as aperitifs, to full-bodied, deep and substantial ones that are flavorful enough to pair with rich dishes at dinner.

There are two approaches to making rose champagne. The most common method is to add still red wine to the traditional white cuvee of pinot noir, chardonnay and sometimes another red grape, pinot meunier, to give color and character. A far less common alternative is to let the juice of the red grapes stay in contact with the grape skins for a long enough time to pick up the right amount of color from them. Both can produce excellent champagne in every style.

For some champagne producers, pink is an afterthought, a frivolous brand extender for its more serious blanc siblings or an attempt to cash in on the latest trend.

The best houses craft rose blends with just as much care as their other cuvees, and a few have a history of making rose their specialty. At Billecart-Salmon, for example, 20 percent of production is rose, and it's deservedly the vintner's most famous wine. Laurent-Perrier, the world's leading seller of rose champagne, claims responsibility for one of every five bottles of it sold around the world.

Limited Supplies

Sadly, there's only so much pink fizz available -- it accounts for only 5 percent of champagne production -- and all of it costs more than the white bottlings.

Francois Peltereau-Villeneuve, head of Laurent-Perrier USA, says his company can't keep up with the demand. The craving for the pink stuff, he says, is highest in the most sophisticated world wine markets. That means cities in France, Italy, the U.K. and the U.S. ``Japan is just starting,'' he reports. ``The trend is just beginning.''

Status Symbol

In January 2004, Laurent-Perrier bought another 50 hectares (124 acres) of vineyard land in the Champagne district, giving the winery another source of essential pinot noir grapes.

Although the Champenoise like to emphasize that their sophisticated bubblies should be regarded as serious wines (no argument from me), they're fully aware that champagne is also a statement and a symbol: It's used to seal deals, christen ships (what a waste), celebrate happy events and proclaim one's status as a highflier.

And now that champagne lovers are starting to think pink for all of the above and are pairing it with food, too, champagne makers are clinking glasses -- and wondering how long the fad will last this time.''

Here's my list of a dozen rose champagnes to try now:

Nonvintage

Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose ($60): Very pale pink. Delicate and subtle, with very pure berry flavors.

Bruno Paillard Rose Brut Premiere Cuvee ($62): Light- bodied, easy-drinking and dry. Flavors of tart strawberries.

Gosset Grand Rose Brut ($62): Intense and full-bodied, with a taste of dried cherries. Ages well.

Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rose Brut ($55): Deep pink. Bright, fresh and intense. Made entirely of pinot noir from grand cru vineyards.

Vintage & Luxury Cuvees

1996 Charles Heidsieck Brut Rose ($60): Full and rich fruit flavors, with wonderfully persistent bubbles. An excellent value.

1995 Dom Perignon Rose ($350): One of the greats. Very complex, harmonious and seamless.

Krug Rose ($225): Not vintage dated; Krug calls it ``multivintage.'' Tawny pink, very dry, serious, elegant and complex.

1999 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rose ($200): Frothy and serious at the same time. The ultimate aperitif.

Nonvintage Grower Champagnes

Ployez-Jacquemart Rose ($43): Subtle, with appetizing acidity. Not overly fruity.

Henri Billiot Brut Rose ($36): Pretty pale-salmon color. Bright, cherrylike fruit.

Paul Goerg Brut Rose ($24): Made for export only. Fresh and vibrant, with cherry-strawberry flavors. A real bargain.

Just for Fun

Pommery Pop Rose ($12.99): These bright-pink mini bottles (four of which equal one regular wine bottle) of uncomplicated and fruity fizz come with straws.