Rosé anyone?

In his My Twenty Five Years in Provence, Peter Mayle frequently mentions the locals taking a drink of rosé wine in good company. I admit, originally I was not sold on rosés, having tried some very headache-producing varieties in North America. In all fairness, that was many years ago, and the viniculture has advanced significantly since then. When planning our trip to Provence, it became apparent that we had to be open minded, as rosé is an essential wine in Provence, which is the oldest wine region in France.  According to vinsdeprovence.com, “When the Greeks planted the first grapevines in Provence 2,600 years ago, they were already making rosé!”. And in the last several years, local consumption as well as exports of rosés have skyrocketed.

So we decided to give it another try, when a great opportunity presented itself: our local French bistro Cassis, on a Tuesday, had a special offering of a St. Tropez dinner tasting menu, with 5 courses, each paired with a different rosé from Provence. We were blown away by the flavours, variety, and pure deliciousness of each rosé we tried, perfectly paired with caviar d’aubergine, merguez and tapenade, prosciutto-stuffed calamari, grilled pastis-marinated shrimp, Alberta summer vegetables stuffed with lamb, pork, beef and herbs, and even the brioche pastry with orange blossom cream. We were sold on rosé, ready to travel to Provence.

No, the rosé wine is not a mixture of red and white, as some people think. It is actually made from macerated red grapes (such as syrah or grenache), with some precise timing being the key. It can have various shades of pink, depending on the grapes. It is a dry, refreshing, fruity, crisp wine that goes just perfectly with the summer heat. Santé!