Day 1 of Rosé Challenge- Maison Bourron, Cotes de Provence 2013 - Easy like Sunday Evening

I  pulled this pretty bottle from my case o' rosés to pair with tonight's supper (BBQ  Chicken) and to inaugurate my first day of rose-a-thon-ing.  We start with the Maison Bourron Reserve, Cotes du Provence 2013.  It is a perfectly fine little rosé - uncomplicated and easy going.  This was good because Hubby and I were watching BBC Sherlock and didn't need our wine to steal the show.


I drank this tonight!

Maison Bourron is mysterious, I cannot find any information on this elusive (real?) winery.  The Pink Pages (as I will call them) that lists all Provence producers doesn't show any sign of them.  Actually, this is a great site http://www.provencewineusa.com/getting-to-know-rose. 

Since this is most likely a co-op wine or possibly the Brigadoon of wineries, I will fill in some blanks. 

Grapes: Provence wines are generally blends of these red/black grapes; Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan, Cinsault and Tibouren (old old varietal).

Region: located in the South of France roughly between Avignon and Cannes.  There are many different sub-regions, the largest and least strict is what we have here in the glass Cotes de Provence.  It is the easternmost area of Provence and also has a few little pockets to the west, in the less interesting terroirs.  I say less interesting, but the whole region is pretty beautiful (hills, valleys, lavender fields, limestoney cliffs, you get the idea).

Style:Dry, crisp, mineral driven, beautiful aromatics.  This Maison Bourron is a cheapie version so it has echos of it's more prestigious counterparts.

How great is this little snippet from the Pink Pages, "Provence offers the lifestyle many stressed Americans dream of. It's an outdoor lifestyle, flavored with fresh local vegetables, seafood, and olive oil, and food-friendly local wines. People tend to live and eat outside, taking full advantage of their beautiful surroundings – historic villages, terraced hillsides, lush lavender fields, and wild hiking paths." Heck yeah, get yourself to Provence if at all possible!!

Maison Bourron Reserve, Cotes de Provence 2013

$10.99 (have seen as low as $9.99 and as high as $13.99)

color: watermelon
nose: medium aromatics, minerally, unripe watermelon
palate: dry, mineral, tart strawberry,

Verdict:  easy drinking, nice acidity, but not terribly complex.  Felt that it stung the tongue in a slightly unpleasant way.  Perhaps alcohol slightly too high.

 For $10 bucks you could do a lot worse.  A whole lot worse. If it were just you and Alexander H,  this would be a good choice to bring to a bbq or picnic where the wine doesn't have to be the centerpiece - let it be the 2nd or 3rd wine and you're good to go!  It's not the most interesting drink in the world, but it's not offensive by any means.

30 Days of Rosé - an Exploration in Pink

I  LOVE rosés.  I am so happy to see that more and more people are loving them, too.  Wine stores are dedicating more space to them with pretty pink displays.  Wine lists are featuring rosé wines outside the summer months.  Having returned earlier this summer from Provence where I was hooked up with a veritable IV of rosé, I am glad that my addiction can continue.

Not only does rosé look pretty in the glass, it is really affordable (most available for under $20 a bottle), it's generally yummily aromatic, and with more and more producers bottling a rosé, we can really explore the world through this lovely style.

The challenge, I give myself (total hardship) is to drink rosés for the next 30 days.  Before I begin on this rosy journey with you all, I want to give you a little 411 on Rosé to make sure we're all on the same page. 

 Rosé Primer for all of your Pink Questions

How is it made?

Two major ways for quality pink- with red grapes through skin contact or saignée method:

Via  straight skin contact. Red grapes are picked, crushed and the juice and skins remain in contact for anywhere from several hours to about 3 days.  Skins are tossed before fermentation (unlike in red wine production where skins stay in contact). These grapes are destined to become rosé from their early days in the vineyard.  Let's say it's a Pinot Noir rosé - those Pinot Noir grapes will be treated differently in the vineyard, harvested at a different time than Pinot grapes that will be vinified red.  Result - skin-contact rosés tend to have more integrity and nuance.  

Saignée (Fr.bleeding) method - or I will call it BY-Product Method- this is where wine is bled off from red wine production before fermentation.  It's main purpose it to intensify the red, to add tannin & color because the volume of juice in the must is reduced, and the must involved in the maceration becomes more concentrated. It seems like this would have less integrity than the skin contact method, but I've tried some great rosés done in this way.

Is all Rosé Pepto Pink?

There are many colors of the rosé  rainbow - ranging from pale orangey onion skin (many Provence roses) to a bright clear red (think fruit punch)

But I don't like sweet wine

Don't worry, not all rosé  is sweet.  I know that most of you know that anyway, but 9.5 out of 10 roses are going to be dry.  They may be fruity with wonderful aromas of watermelon, cherry, and strawberry but it won't be sweet.  It may look like fruit punch, but it doesn't taste that way.

Sweet Rosé  - White Zinfandel, Rosé d'Anjou, White Merlot - anything labeled blush (rarer these days)

How do I pair food with Rosé

This is one of the top reasons why I love this style of wine... it is easily paired with food. 

• Pair it with nothing - drink/guzzle it without food
• Salads - salade nicoise, charred salmon atop greens, Caesar salad
• Spice - can hold up to heat.  bring on the spicy chicken wings and curries
• sandwiches - no one talks about pairing your Sammie with wine -- a great rosé will pair with your turkey and avocado on brioche.
• Meats - pork loin = perfect (depending on the rub you might even take a darker rosé)  chicken of course.  duck?  of course!