The French embassy hosted a wine-tasting session to showcase the vintage 2014 rosé wine selection of four producers from Provence at the Residence de France in Żebbuġ.
The four wineries represented were Château de Pourcieux, Domaine de Sainte Ser, Château Ferry Lacombe and Les Vins Bréban.
Taking its name from the French word for pink, rosé is a category of wine that has become a staple in the south of France and particularly in the coastal Provence region, considered to be heart of the world’s dry rosé production.
Provence is a rich and diverse area with a very distinguished reputation for wine-making throughout the world. The region is the world’s only location specialising solely in the production of dry rosé.
Vineyards are scattered around from the Mediterranean coast to the foothills of the Alps, encompassing territory from Aix-en-Provence to the famous French Riviera in Nice. Due to the varied geographical nature of these wine-growing locations, many of the wines produced present very distinct personalities.
A wine in its own distinct category, Provence rosé is not merely a blend of white and red wine. Like red wine, however, rosé wine is made from red (or black/purple) grapes. Whereas red wine producers allow the grape skins to ferment with the juice for an extended period of time, rosé producers keep the pigmented skins in contact with the clear juice for only a short time.
The tinted pink juice is subsequently removed from the skins with the resulting colour producing a range from pale pink to a deeper shade of salmon or coral. Its aroma, however, is what ultimately gives the dry rosé its unique character. While a pink attribute may often be wrongly perceived with having a certain sugary quality, Provence rosé is by definition not sweet.
Often considered the world’s most versatile wine, rosé is consumed as a lunchtime, seaside, and/or all-occasion type of wine. Even if produced in a single wine-producing region, such as Provence, the variety of rosé styles may produce completely different results.
Despite difference in taste, colour, texture and flavour, however, all Provence rosés tend to be fresh, crisp, bright and dry. Furthermore, as rosés can be paired with all types of French food, they can also be consumed at any time of year. As a result, French rosé now outsells white wine in France.