LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2021

IT MIGHT SEEM AS IF FRENCH ROSÉ IS HAVING A MOMENT… IN FACT, THAT MOMENT IS INTO ITS THIRD MILLENNIUM. ROSE

FABULOUS ROSÉ is made in many parts of France, but its heartland is Provence. That is where the whole story of French wine began, 2,600 years ago, when Greek colonists first planted vineyards in Massalia (modernMarseille). The wine they made from those grapes was rosé – and though production methods may have changed, evolving from ancient know-how to state- of-the-art techniques, rosé remains Provence’s overwhelmingly favourite style of wine. People who live there drink it at any time of the year; summer visitors soon come to understand why. All that glorious Mediterranean sunshine suits the local grape varieties that are perfect for making rosé, and it also encourages the relaxed way of life to enjoy it. What makes these rosé wines so special? Like Provence itself, they are beautiful to look at – oŠering an infinite spectrum of pale pink shades, like the celebration of light in a painting by Cézanne. They are elegant but also easy-going – and never too obvious, with subtle aromas that suggest all sorts of fruits but can also hint at the rocky minerality and perfumed herbal garrigue of the Provençal landscape. Close your eyes as you taste and imagine yourself in Provence! And these wines are at home in any situation – as an elegant aperitif, of course, but also to accompany the simplest of lunches or the grandest gastronomical dinner. EŠortlessly versatile, they exist in delicious harmony with the famous cuisine of Provence but they’re also completely in tune with the casual, cosmopolitan way we eat now, ideal companions for Asian andMexican flavours. And look closely at theWines of Provence Rosés. Just as those shades of pink are all slightly diŠerent, so the various microclimates of the region give each wine its own subtle nuances of expression. The three great appellations – Côtes de Provence, Coteaux Varois en Provence, and, to the west, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence – have their own multiplicity of terroirs. Vineyards, many of which are farmed organically, diŠer in innumerable ways. One could study these wines for a lifetime – or simply raise a glass and enjoy.

Image ©BREGANÇON-CIVP.

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