Southern France has long been a draw for artists and the jet set.   Vincent Van Gogh painted “Starry Night” there, Cezanne was stirred to paint the awe-inspiring “Mont Sainte-Victoire” and Brigitte Bardot hung out in Saint-Tropez, popularizing the French Riviera for males who maybe didn’t know anything about art, but did know what they liked.  With its beautiful terrain coupled with the sunny weather – who wouldn’t want to be there?  Today it is attracting wine lovers as well.  Producers have moved beyond making over-produced, cheap Rosés to making serious wines with lots of character.

I recently had the privilege of being invited to a wine-tasting trip to Provence, focusing on Rose wines.  My first thought was, “How can you put together a week-long trip focusing on only one type of wine?”   I knew that Rosé wines were rapidly growing in popularity in the United States, but shouldn’t we be looking at some reds and whites on the trip too?  Boy was I wrong.  There was so much to see and learn … so much passion about this one type of wine.

I was surprised to find out that Provence is the oldest wine-producing region in France.  Its first vines were planted by the Phoenicians over 2000 years ago.  Today this popular sun-drenched province boasts vine-laced hills, poetic villages, and picturesque ports.  Provence has always been known for its Rosé wine but the reputation of this area hasn’t always been “rosy.”  They were over producing – going for quantity instead of quality.  These are the Rosés of the past.  Since then, the art of growing the vine, and the traditions of wine production have come a long way.

Now, some basics about Rosé:  Just because it’s pink doesn’t mean it’s sweet.  Americans typically see a pink wine and think of White Zinfandel.  That’s not the case here - the beautiful Rosés of this region are not sweet, but dry.  They are light and fruity, gentle, bright and aromatic.  On the palate, they have berry notes, with a hint of minerality and some zippiness that makes the wine refreshing.  I can’t think of a better wine to complement our cuisine and our warm weather in Louisiana.

Speaking of weather, the most important characteristic of the climate in Provence is the huge amount of annual sunshine, which totals between 2700 – 2900 hours each year.  In summer the temperatures are particularly high, but because of the varied terrain in the area, temperature differences between areas can be considerable, even over very short distances.  As is the case throughout the Mediterranean area, rainfall can be violent in autumn and spring.

There are countless winds in Provence that impact the climate in this region.  The strongest and best known is the Mistral.  I personally got to experience this during my trip in March.  Blowing hard from the mountains, the winds gusted up to 70 miles per hour.  It felt like a cold hurricane.  It does offer one outstanding advantage to the vines of Provence however; it is particularly dry and protects the grapes from an attack of ailments related to humidity.

Rosés are made from red wine grapes.  When the grapes are crushed to make the wine, the red skins are left in the juice just long enough to color the wine to a soft pink or salmon color.  The skins are then removed and the juice is fermented into wine.  This is the traditional way to make Rosé wine.  Another method is to add a small amount of red wine to a white wine and voila – a Rosé!  This method is not allowed in many areas because it creates an inferior wine.  However, the European Union is proposing to allow this method of production, and the producers in Provence are vehemently fighting it.  They are afraid that the reputation of Rosé will fall and so will their life’s work.

Next time you have an outdoor event like a crawfish boil, or just want something to sip on the porch, get a bottle of Rosé from Provence.  It pairs perfectly with light summer fare, seafood, salad, fresh veggies.  You won’t be sorry.