Wine

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 [...]

March 16, 2016 5

Musings of a Wine Maven
FRANCE WINS THE PLONK TROPHY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM THE CAVES COOPÉRATIVES

Let us now continue with our little satire on the transmogrification of The Judgment of Paris into the imagined competition for the best of the lesser wines, The Plonk Trophy, and explain how the French victory, as detailed in "Two Buck Chuck Loses Plonk Trophy to the French," came to pass. It is best summarized in the Provence WineZine (PWZ) interview with French team captain Aimé de Bontemps, conducted shortly after the arbitrator upheld the decision declaring the French as winners. [...]

March 13, 2016 12

Musings of a Wine Maven
TWO BUCK CHUCK LOSES PLONK TROPHY TO THE FRENCH

In 1976, Englishman Steven Spurrier stunned the wine world when the results were announced of a blind tasting he organized in Paris. In the competition of top French red and white wines with California wines Spurrier had, a Cabernet and a Chardonnay from Napa landed on top of the red and white groupings. And, this phenomenal result came from principally French tasters, who comprised seven on the nine person panel. Sacrebleu! I doubt Steven Spurrier, though as deserving as Robert Parker, will ever be inducted into la Légion d'Honneur. [...]

March 5, 2016 6

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Wine for Food

I was perusing the rosé section at Total Wine last weekend in search of a bottle to have with my Moroccan harira, a soup I enjoyed when traveling in Morocco in 1991. The thing I love about winter - even here in Tucson - is that the stock of rosé wines is good. But this is also dismaying to me, as people - people who should know better - say [...]

March 2, 2016 6

PROVENCE IN THE CITY: MY GLASS RUNNETH OVER WITH ROSÉ

With the popularity of rosé wines from Provence continuing to skyrocket, let it be known that I have been drinking this pale, dry elixir long before it became trendy. Having been introduced to Provence rosé on our first trip to this region [...]

February 21, 2016 6

I HAD AN APPOINTMENT WITH CHÂTEAU BEAULIEU…AND DISCOVERED VILLA BAULIEU

We take the back roads to Lourmarin when we arrive in Provence. Whether we pull into the Aix TGV station or land in the Marseille Airport, we take the D568 a short distance and then head north along the meandering D543 (a favorite of bicyclists, too, making for some ticklish maneuvers occasionally). Between Éguilles and Rognes—on the narrow forested stretch known as the Route de Rognes—we pass by a [...]

February 15, 2016 5

Château Léoube Releases Two 2015 Rosés Today

Every year, about now, wine caves across Provence are filled with excitement. The new vintage of rosés is about to be unveiled. At Château Léoube, home of three of my very favorite pink wines, February 15th marks the release of Rosé de Léoube and Secret de Léoube. [...]

February 14, 2016 11

LA NUIT EN ROSÉ TITILLATES THE SENSES

I drove along the snow-covered roads of New England to New York City last Saturday to attend a “Rosé Garden Party.” Who thinks of a garden party about rosé—the quintessential [...]

February 11, 2016 4

Château Vignelaure Rosés Coming to a Store Nearer to You this Spring

One of the unfortunate consequences of reporting on the wines from Provence is that so many of the delicious wines we enjoy while in Provence are not available in the U.S. We have been known to leave our running shoes in France to free up precious [...]

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