Feature Archives

October 23, 2014 1

Mon Dieu! How Much was that 20-Year-Old Rosé?

ried in the middle of an otherwise humdrum article in Wine Spectator about the “Auction Index [Staying] Flat in Third Quarter of 2014,” was the following sentence: “A two-bottle lot of Henri Jayer Bourgogne Rosé 1994 climbed above its $180 estimate by [...]

October 20, 2014 3

CHÂTEAU LA VERRERIE: THE HOUSE OF RED

Set in the southern-most tip of the Rhone Valley Region, in the Luberon Appellation—where rosé is now the dominant color—Château La Verrerie is renowned for its fresh, dark fruit-forward, peppery red wines. On this property, 70% of production is devoted to red wine [...]

October 13, 2014 5

SERENDIPITOUS CONVERSATIONS WHILE TRAVELING: YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE THEY MAY LEAD

It’s not a short walk from Charles de Gaulle’s Terminal 2E, where Air France parks its planes from [...]

October 4, 2014 9

WITH RECORD-BREAKING EXPORTS OF PROVENCE ROSÉS TO THE U.S., MARCEL OTT COMES TO MIND

When I read the news earlier this month about the continued dramatic growth of exports of Provence rosé to the United States, I couldn't help but think of Marcel Ott, the brilliant founder of Domaines Ott*.

The widely circulated news - lest you have been locked in your wine cellar - is that Provence rosé exports to the US increased 20% on volume and 26% on value from May 2013 to May 2014 (based on data from the French customs agency). [...]

October 1, 2014 1

This Is Not Your Grand-Maman’s Coop Wine

Cooperatives throughout Provence are getting a facelift in their bid to seduce new wine buyers. In the past it was enough for them to blend up a white, a red, and a rosé, safe in the knowledge that it would be pumped into vessels large and small and carried off [...]

September 22, 2014 7

CHÂTEAU MARGÜI:
FROM PRIME D’ARRACHAGE
TO STELLAR BIODYNAMIC WINE

Vineyards covered the land around what is now Château Margüi for as many as two thousand years…until, sometime in the 1970s, when the vines were pulled up –“grubbed up,” as it’s often called—and “sold” to the French government as part of a plan—referred to as “prime d’arrachage”—to control the amount of wine produced in the country. [...]

September 22, 2014 0

On a Rolle with the Cotignac International Wine Tasting Club

If you are in Cotignac on the last Tuesday of the month, you’re sure to spy the local amoureux du vin, of all ages and nationalities, scurrying to La Cave, with wine glasses in hand, to swirl, sniff, sip and, in general, drink in the wine subject du jour. Our merry little group (becoming [...]

September 20, 2014 15

TO MARKET, TO MARKET… WHAT TO BUY WHEN YOU DON’T WANT TO BUY A FAT PIG?

The long lazy days of summer in this part of the world officially come to an end this weekend. Already the [...]

September 20, 2014 0

Rainy Summer Impacts Fall Harvest at Château La Verrerie

Château La Verrerie, known for their outstanding Rhone-style red wines, has opted to cancel next weekend’s “Fête de La Vendange” in order to devote more time—and hands—to their harvest. Due to the extreme weather—especially frequent and [...]

September 14, 2014 6

PIERREFEU RELEASES ITS FIRST VINTAGE

Last month, Château Montaud quietly released their first rosé under the new label “AOP Côtes de Provence Pierrefeu.” Although Pierrefeu was officially recognized as a denomination de terroir (sometimes referred to as a sub-appellation) in March 2013, efforts toward this goal began way back in August 2003. This summer, 11 years after a small association of winemakers was formed to create [...]

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