Article: Provence: Meh?

Is Provence more than rosé? Peut-être.

Interesting perspective on visiting Provence as a wine writer. My favorite quote:

Of course, the Romans made wine here centuries ago, but then the Romans made wine in almost as many places as has Michel Rolland.

Personally, I love the focus on rosé. So many places make it as an afterthought, or even worse, as a way to enhance the color of their reds.

Way back in the summer of 1960 while attending the summer program at College' International d'Cannes, I picked up a bottle of red local wine every afternoon to bring to the beach and share with a local honey. So I've always know there were more than rose's there.

That condescending article is clearly written by someone who knows very little about the subject. The expansion of rosé production dates from the arrival of large scale tourism in the area in the 20th century. In a warm climate like that, tourists welcome a refreshing and undemanding drink like rosé. Additionally there is a recent vogue in Paris for drinking rosé all year round, also because it is undemanding. Prices are quite high because of the captive tourist and recent Parisian markets. This attracts lazy producers to convert to rosé.

In fact Provence's most interesting wines are, and always have been, red and white. Bandol makes an outstanding red and in the past 30 years Domaine de Trévallon's CabSauv/Syrah blend from near Les Baux has become arguably one of the great wines of France. Near Aix-en-Provence, Château Simone at Palette makes an outstanding white, one of the few serious rosés and a very good red. There are also several excellent estates making very good red and white in the broad Côtes de Provence area and there is a fascinating wine enclave called Bellet within the Nice city limits.

Maybe few people of aware of these wines in the US of A but there is plenty of demand for them from European wine lovers in spite of prices generally higher for equal quality than those from Languedoc and Roussillon.

Nice sum up there Tim, just wish I could find some of the wines you mention over here in AB.

Nice sum up there Tim, just wish I could find some of the wines you mention over here in AB.

Come over here, Bob. I have a few Trévallons and Bandols in my cellar. I have finished my Ch.Simones but local supermarkets stock a white and a pink, at high (€30+) prices regrettably . I should have added about Bandol that it is the place where IMO the outstanding Mourvèdre grape is best sublimated.