Jun 10, 2019
Provence, France is a multifaceted wine region. Although it
makes mainly rosé, there is much to explore here. To start, not all
of that rosé is created equal. And there are whites and reds you
may not be aware of, that are just stunning. This podcast is a
surprising, dorky, deep look at this beautiful wine region.
Climate and
terroir
- Between Mediterranean and the
Alps – southeastern corner of France, covers coastline
- No vineyard is more than 25
miles from the Mediterranean
- Provence is the only French wine
region outside of Bordeaux with classified estates
- Climate: Low humidity,
Mediterranean climate – sea is its southern border: sunny, dry and
warm. Can get overripe grapes b/c of sunshine. Winds
prevalent – including the Mistral
- Land: Soil
poor, very varied -- limestone, calcareous, volcanic
- Mountains: Sainte-Victoire
Mountain, Sainte-Baume Mountains, Massif des Maures
Blends, not varietal
wines:
- Reds: Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Tibouren, Carignan, Cabernet
Sauvignon
- Whites: Rolle/Vermentino, Ugni
Blanc/Trebbiano, Sémillon, Clairette,Grenache
Blanc, Bourboulenc
Provence rosé
appellations
- Côtes de Provence
- Coteaux
d'Aix-en-Provence
- Coteaux Varois en
Provence.
Côtes de
Provence: 90% Rosé, 6.5% red, 3.5%
white
- Largest appellation in
Provence
- Center to the eastern borders of
Provence – eastern portion of Provence in included
- Nearly 75% of all the wine
production in Provence
- 90% of production is
rosé
- Quality of sites varies wildly,
as does the wine quality
- 4
subregions
- Côtes de Provence
Sainte-Victoire: Red and rosé (largest, most
common)
- Côtes de Provence
Fréjus: 75% rosé, the rest is red
- Côtes de Provence La
Londe: 75% Rosé, 25% red
- Côtes de Provence
Pierrefeu: Cool climate rosé
Coteaux
d'Aix-en-Provence: 82.5% Rosé, 5.5% White,
12% Red
- 2nd largest area with various
soil types
- High acid, light
rosé
- Les Baux de
Provence: (baou=rocky spur in Provence dialect)
is within Aix
- Tiny hilltop village, mainly
organic viticulture – 85% of the farmers do organic or
biodynamic
- Makes red and roses (only 25% is
rose) of GSM
Coteaux Varois en
Provence: 85% Rosé, with red and white 
- Western 1/3 of Provence central
region of Provence, "calcareous Provence" – gravel, flint,
limestone, calcareous soils in narrow valleys
- High altitude, small
area
Bandol
Wine: Nearly 70% is red wine with rosé, small amt of
white
- Bandol is most famous for its
red wines, Mourvèdre is at least 50% of the blend, though most
producers will use significantly more
- Whites: Clairette – 50-90% of
Bandol Blanc with Bourboulenc, Ugni Blanc, Marsanne, Rolle, Sauv
Blanc, Semillon
Bellet Wine: Equal
amounts of white, red, rosé
- Near Nice in hills of N, E,
W on terraces – very steep, some single vineyard sites
- Mostly consumed by tourists in
Nice
Palette: Red, white, rosé
made east of Aix-en-Provence in hills
- Chateau Simone owns half the
vineyards here – Ch Cremade, Ch Henri Bonnaud, Ch de Meyreuil and
La Badiane make the rest
Coteaux de
Pierrevert: Cool climate red, white and rosé wines are
mainly made from Grenache, Syrah, Cinsaut, Clairette and
Rolle
Cassis Wine:
White is 75% of production, with red and rosé
- Full-bodied, lower acid, herbal
whites.
- Clairette, Marsanne,
Bourboulenc, Pascal, Sauvignon Blanc,
- Rose and red from Mourvedre,
Cinsault, Grenache
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And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!
Podcasts referenced:
Ep 160: The Rosé Story with Ian
Renwick
Ep 227: Derek Van Dam, CNN
Weatherman on Weather and Wine
Ep 277: Bordeaux -- An Insider View
with Serge Doré