More than just a pretty face - Miraval Cotes de Provence Rosé 2013

oooh! i feel like I'm in Provence!!

Sometimes you visit a wine region, and the wine just tastes so incredible.  You bring some back or buy some when you get back home to recreate that experience, and most times it falls short.  This was not my experience with the Miraval Provence Rosé.  It tasted as great today as it did when my hubby and I lounged under an olive tree at the Perrin family restaurant L'oustalet in Gigondas http://www.loustalet-gigondas.com/en/.  Great wine can transport us, and sipping on this little beauty; I am back in Southern France!

This pink drink is brought to us by the extraordinary Perrin family.  They are masters of the southern Rhone Valley to say the least, and everything they touch tastes delicious.  It's no wonder that when they decided to make wine from select parcels in Provence (on their summer estate no less) and partner with the Jolie-Pitts (yes THOSE Jolie-Pitts) it would be phenomenal.

Grapes:  Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Rolle
Typical blend for south of France.  Rolle is a white grape - also known as Vermentino by our friends in Italia.
Region: Cotes de Provence
http://familleperrin.com/.  This is a large area as we've learned, but that doesn't mean that the wine has to suck.  This wine is made from selected single vineyards withing the region.

Color: pretty pale pink
Nose: melon, peach, raspberry and strawberry.  delicate violet and wet stone.
Palate: tart wild strawberry, citrus fruits, crisp and fresh.  Little twang of mint, lots of mineral and mouthwatering acidity. Great zingy finish.
Price: $25
Pairing: had the first half with sushi and the second half with a Caesar salad!  Easy to drink solo though!!

The Verdict
This is my favorite rose so far in this tasting.  It's so elegant and lean but has so much power and grace behind it.  It's such a pretty balance of floral and herbaceous peppered with delicate peach and strawberry.  If you see this bottle, don't be afraid of it's distinct squat and sloping bottle shape - or it's $25 ish price tag.  Buy it and drink it --- preferably outdoors.  It's irrisistable.

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!