Provence Rosé: In the Pink
Text: Ester Laushway
Photo: François Millo/CIVP
Copyright © 2007 Ester Laushway & BKWine
Photography courtesy of François Millo/CIVP
While many French winegrowers are feeling rather gloomy and sombre, because
of increasing competition from other parts of the world, vintners in Provence
are looking at the world through rosé-coloured glasses.
After a long, dry spell, during which people who did not know any better
turned up their noses at rosé, considering it something you sipped only when you
couldn’t get hold of a decent red or white, it is finally being recognized and
appreciated as a multi-facetted quality wine in its own right. Over the last ten
years, consumption of rosé in France has risen from 10% of the market to 17%,
and has now overtaken white wine.
Shades, Scents and Savours
Provence is the new star of this passion for pink, being not only the number
one rosé-producing region in France, but also supplying 8% of the rosé drunk in
the entire world. Its star status is recent, but its history of making rosé
reaches back 26 centuries, to Roman times.
After the Greeks had planted the first vines along the coast, the Romans
spread vineyards throughout Provence. All the wine they produced from those
grapes way back then was rosé, and you can bet that no virile Roman centurion
ever sniffed disdainfully when a glass of rosé was offered, waving it away as a
wine fit only for women! Modern (foolish) man did that for a number of years,
misjudging it as an inferior tipple, “not a proper wine”, when actually, it is
more difficult to make than white, and certainly not produced by blending red
and white together!! (see note at the bottom)
Now, at long last, rosé is enjoying its day in the sun -- not just in summer,
on the terrace, but year-round, as the ideal accompaniment to savoury dishes. It
seduces, first of all, by its delicious colour, which ranges from the faintest,
very fashionable, blush pink through shades of peach, salmon and coral, to deep
tones of raspberry and onion skin.
All in all, 21 different nuances of rosé have
been officially identified by the Research Centre for Rosé Wine, established in
Vidauban in 1999. The equally yummy aromas have also been classified and include
fruity scents like orange, melon and raspberry, as well as stronger smells, such
as caramel, mushroom, and liquorice.
The taste of rosé is as rich and varied as its colours and bouquets. Brigitte
Leloup, who presides over the association of professional sommeliers for
Provence, the Riviera and Corsica, believes that rosé, far from being just an
aperitif wine, can accompany an entire meal: “Those with notes of thyme, fig and
wild herbs go marvellously well with rockfish or dishes that use lots of herbs
or fennel. Rich, full-bodied rosés can be paired with white meat. Other rosés,
with exotic, spicy or citrus flavours, can be savoured with Oriental cuisine,
and rosés with hints of strawberry, raspberry or black currant are ideal with
red-fruit desserts.”
Flying the Pink Flag
The credit for some of rosé’s recent rise in popularity goes to Mother Nature,
who arranged a heat wave in 2003 that had everyone gasping for a glass of
something to quench their thirst. Rosé, with its come-hither colour and crisp,
refreshing taste, slipped down the parched throats of more and more French
during that sweaty summer, and once they realized just how good it was, they
stayed with it.
But when it comes to taking Provencal rosé abroad, and convincing initially
sceptical foreigners of its merits, all the praise must go to one dynamic
organization: the CIVP (Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence).
Created in 2004, it groups the winemakers of the three biggest appellations in
Provence: the Côtes de Provence, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence and Coteaux Varois en
Provence. Together, they produce 95% of the wines made in Provence, which
represents approximately 180 million bottles a year – 135 million of them rosé.
Thanks to their energetic and stylish marketing efforts, the future for Provence
wine is looking rosé!
Among the many, many producers of good, dry rosé in the region, we have selected
a few for you to try – or even better, to visit. All are available in stores
throughout France, and in the UK as well. But while drinking them at home is
well and good, nothing comes close to sipping them “in situ” in the beautiful
settings where they are produced. Spring is a wonderful time for a wine tour of
Provence. The vines are in exuberant growth, the countryside surrounding them is
in its best finery, the weather is pleasantly warm and the vintners have time to
share their passion with you. They are generous with tasting samples, so pace
yourself as you live “la vie en rosé”.
Days of Wine and Rosés
We will weave our way, as drinkers do, in a general West to East direction,
starting in the Coteaux d’Aix which covers 10,000 acres between the Alpilles
mountains and the town of Aix-en-Provence, where rosé represents 65% of the 24
million bottles of wine made annually. It tends to be light, soft and fruity,
with a pale, sparkling hue.
Château de Fonscolombe
Puy-Ste-Réparade :+33 (0)4 42 61 70 00 ; open Mon – Sat
One of the largest and oldest vineyards of the appellation, just 15 km north of
Aix-en-Provence, overlooking the Luberon hills. The splendid, Italian-style
château built in 1720, is set in lovely grounds, with an old chapel and a
remarkable dolphin fountain. Here, the Saporta family produces a rose-petal
coloured rosé, with a fruity aroma and fresh, elegant taste.
Château Pigoudet
Rians : +33 (0)4 94 80 54 25 ; open Mon – Fri
Built on the ruins of a Roman villa, 30 km northeast of Aix-en-Provence, this
vineyard dates back to the 7th C BC and is surrounded by a splendid park of
cedars of Lebanon, cypresses, oaks and sequoias. Its German owners make a range
of full-bodied rosés, in shades running from delicate, pale pink to salmon, with
rich fruit aromas and flavours.
Our next two vineyards are rooted in the chalky soil among the rocky hills of
the Coteaux Varois en Provence, scattered around the medieval town of Brignoles,
once the summer residence of the counts of Provence. The appellation, which
added “en Provence” to its name last year, produces 13 million bottles of wine a
year from its 5,500 acres, 80% of it rosé.
Domaine du Deffends
Saint-Maximin: +33 (0)4 94 78 03 91; open daily
Twenty km east of Brignoles, 400 m above Saint-Maximin and its grandiose
basilica, the 35-acre domain is located on the lower slopes of Mount Aurélien,
with sweeping views over the plain, all the way from Sainte-Victoire to Esterel.
Its lofty position makes it a fitting standard-bearer for the appellation and
its owners, the Lanversins, work tirelessly to make sure it deserves its
reputation. Its enchantingly named Rosé d’une Nuit, light pink tinged with
orange, is fresh and fruity, with delicate peach and red berry aromas.
Château Margillière
Brignoles: +33 (0)4 94 69 05 34; open Mon – Sat
The elegant 17th C country manor and its 45 acres of land outside Brignoles was
bought by the Caternet family in 1996. They restored the buildings, replanted
the vineyard from scratch and renovated the cellar. Successfully combining
traditional winemaking methods with modern equipment, they produce a tender
pink, organic rosé that is scented with white flowers and raspberries and tastes
pleasantly balanced and fresh.
Our final four domains are located in the sprawling Côtes de Provence, with
50,000 acres of vines dispersed from Aix-en-Provence to Nice. This is by far the
largest appellation, a veritable “pink elephant” that produces 100 million
bottles of rosé a year, representing 80% of its total output.
Château de l’Aumerade
Pierrefeu: +33 (0)4 94 13 80 78 ; open Mon – Sat
On the sheltered plain of Pierrefeu, 30 km south of Brignoles, the grand
1400-acre Aumérade estate, with a swan-studded lake, magnificent plane trees and
private santon museum, dates back to before the 15th C. Its wines found favour
with King Henri IV of France and later King Louis-Philippe, who donated a bronze
bell to the château, still in its place in the tower. Today it is one of seven
vineyards owned by Henri Fabre, one of Provence’s most energetic wine
ambassadors. Its signature rosé smells of red berries and has a spicy taste,
with a hint of minerals.
Château Saint-André de Figuière
La Londes les Maures: +33 (0)4 94 00 44 44 ;
open Mon – Sat
Where the Maures mountain range runs down to meet the Mediterranean, just 8 km
east of Hyères, the Combard family, originally from Burgundy, makes
award-winning wines. The softening influence of the sea, which provides cooling,
damp breezes in the hot summer, makes their rosés particularly smooth and well
balanced. The organic rosé made from 35-year-old vines is delicately coloured,
with perfumes of red fruits, spiced with pepper.
Château Sainte Marguerite
La Londe les Maures: +33 (0)4 94 00 44 44 ; open Mon
– Sat
Founded in 1929 by a concert pianist with a passion for wine, the 100-acre
estate was bought by the Fayard family in 1977. The organically cultivated
vines, most over 50 years old, produce a pink grapefruit-coloured rose that is
fresh and elegant, with an aroma of red berries.
Château Sainte-Roseline
Les Arcs sur Argens: +33 (0)4 94 99 50 30; open daily
In the idyllic countryside just outside the medieval town of Les Arcs, on the
river Argens, 20 km south of Draguignan, a state-of-the-art vineyard is
installed in an 11th C abbey. Often visited for its Romanesque chapel,
containing an immense mosaic by Chagall and, in a crystal reliquary, the remains
of Sainte-Roseline herself, it produces four different rosés. Light pink in hue,
touched with orange, they evoke citrus fruits, red berries and white flowers,
with hints of vanilla and cinnamon.
Note:
Making Rosé
Two main methods for producing rosé are used in Provence. They both begin with
black grapes: local varieties like Tibouren and Cinsault, as well as such
international favourites as Syrah, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon.
1. Direct Pressing
In this method, the grapes are destalked, then pressed with the skins on, which
produces a delicately tinted juice that is then fermented like a white wine.
Rosé produced this way tends to have quite a light, fruity and delicate taste.
2. Saignée (‘bleeding’)
The grapes are destalked, foulés (lightly crushed to
break the skins) and then left to macerate in a vat for anywhere from 8 – 24
hours, depending on the intensity of colour and flavour desired. The longer the
juice is left in contact with the grape skins, the stronger both colour and
taste. The juice is then ‘bled’ or run off and fermented like a white wine.
Saignée rosé tends to have a more defined character and be slightly more acidic
than its directly squeezed cousin.
© 2007 Copyright Ester Laushway & BKWine
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