Grape Varietals

March 1, 2024 3

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
How Could I Forget?

Dining chez Susan and Towny is, well, an incredible treat. Not only due to the exquisite food, mind you, but because of the wine. Whatever I make, they have the perfect wine to pair. And this month’s selection is truly exceptional.

I made something for them which I can make in my sleep. In fact, until I made it for them, I hadn’t even written it down as... [...]

April 27, 2021 2

“A PERFECT STORM” HITS THE SOUTHERN RHÔNE VALLEY VINEYARDS

The French language is usually where we turn for precise (and typically ingenious) expressions to describe almost any situation. In the case of the historic April frosts that severely impacted vineyards from Champagne to Provence, the French might borrow one from the English language. A perfect storm...

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February 14, 2021 9

THE THREE FACES OF GRENACHE

If you are a fan of wines from Provence or the Southern Rhône Valley, you are on an intimate basis with Grenache Noir. You probably don’t sidle up to the bar and order a “Grenache Noir” like you would a glass of Pinot or Cab, but I assure you that, in Provence and the Southern Rhône Valley, you are drinking wines of which Grenache is a major part. You may also know Grenache Blanc, one of its mutations... [...]

October 30, 2020 1

Cook, Drink & Learn: A Special Event

Escape the COVID doldrums with "Cook, Drink and Learn with Acquiesce," our inaugural (virtual) food and wine tasting on Sunday, November 15th at 2:00 p.m. PST/5:00 p.m. EST.

Please join Susan Tipton, Winemaker and Co-Owner of Acquiesce Winery, David Scott Allen, Editor of Cocoa & Lavender and wine and food writer for Provence WineZine, and me for an hour of food and wine fun (and a few facts!).

Beginning with a cook-along with David, we will make Mini Croques... [...]

March 7, 2020 6

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Quelle Surprise!

This post is going to be full of surprises! The first surprise is that the wine is not from Provence. It’s not from France. In fact, it’s not even from Europe. It is a wine made in the Santa Ynez Valley in California by Tara Gomez, the winemaker at Kitá winery. Tara is a member of the Santa Ynez... [...]

August 15, 2017 5

DECODING CÔTES DE PROVENCE ROSÉ

There are still people out there who think that rosé comes from blending red and white wines and others who (seriously) think rosé is made from a single grape variety called rosé. This article focuses on the traditionally dry, fresh, fruit-forward, pale-colored rosés [...]

May 15, 2016 9

CHÂTEAU VIGNELAURE: “THE” RED IN PROVENCE BEFORE TRÉVALLON CAME ALONG…IS BACK!

In 1987, in his introduction to Provence wines in The Wines of the Rhône Valley and Provence, legendary wine critic Robert Parker described the newly created Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence appellation in four sentences [...]

April 18, 2016 11

ROMAIN OTT BLAZES NEW PATHS IN CHÂTEAU LÉOUBE VINEYARDS: IS THAT CAB FRANC GROWING IN PROVENCE?

In 2002, five years after acquiring Château Léoube, owner Sir Anthony Bamford approached the estate’s winemaker, Romain Ott, with a radical proposition: what if, for one cuvée [...]

April 3, 2016 2

Sixty-Three Gold Medals Awarded in Vins de Provence Annual Competition

The Vins de Provence annual tasting competition took place on Thursday, March 31, 2016 at the Maison des Vins Côtes de Provence in Les Arcs sur Argens in the Var Department. Nearly 700 wines were sampled by the tasting panel which comprised [...]

March 27, 2016 9

OFF THE VIA DOMITIA
THERE’S VIOGNIER AND THEN THERE’S CONDRIEU

It was love at first sip. I was visiting the Tardieu-Laurent cellars in Lourmarin for a barrel tasting with Bastien Tardieu, lead oenologist for this renowned Rhône Valley négociant firm founded by his father Michel Tardieu and (former partner) Dominique Laurent. Jerry Clark, PWZ [...]