If you are hankering for fine French wine and food, why
don't you should consider the world famous Provence region
in southeastern France? You may even find a bargain wine in
this sun-drenched ideal tourist location, marred only by
the excessive number of tourists. I hope that you'll have
fun on this fact-filled wine education tour of this French
candidate for paradise in which we review a local rose wine.
Provence ranks number nine in acreage among France's eleven
wine-growing regions. Over half of Provence wine is rose
wine, some excellent and some that leave much to be
desired. One of the problems, believe it or not, is
excessive sun, which can almost literally bake the grapes
much as it bakes your skin. The wine reviewed below is a
Cotes de Provence made out of eight grape varieties
ranging from the local Rolle (it has other names in Corsica
and Italy) to the international Cabernet Sauvignon.
If money is no object you may choose to visit St.Tropez, a
Mediterranean port made famous by Brigitte Bardot and to a
lesser extent by the French writer Guy de Maupassant and
painters including Matisse. I won't list today's glitterati
often spotted in the area. For a change of pace visit the
Musee de l'Annonciade (Annunciation Museum), a Fourteenth
Century chapel. Stroll through the old town and stop by the
Sixteenth Century Citadelle (Citadel) overlooking the city
and the sea. You may even want to play petanque, a local
form of bowling. Did I suggest that you bring plenty of
money?
Before reviewing the Cotes de Provence wine and local
cheeses, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with
indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start
with Tapenade (Chopped Olives, Capers, Anchovies, and Olive
Oil). For your second course savor Gardienne de Taureau
(Bull Stew in Red Wine). And as dessert indulge yourself
with Clafoutis d'abricot (Apricot Custard).
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review
are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Petale de Rose, Regine Sumeire, Cotes de
Provence 2007 13.5% about $15
Let's start by my sight translation of the marketing
materials. Its color reminds one of a low-intensity onion
peel. Its aroma is delicate with subtle whiffs of small red
fruits and vanilla. Enjoy this dry rose's good acidity and
fairly long finish. Suggested food pairings include stuffed
mushrooms, braised ham, lobster stew, grilled salmon,
grilled trout, and veal saute.
Before the first meal I sipped some of this wine. It was
light, refreshing, and somewhat long. It was summer in a
glass. This meal consisted of chicken meatballs slow cooked
with soft wheat kernels. The wine tasted of grapefruit. It
was feathery with nice acidity and did a great job of
cutting the meat's grease. In the presence of roasted
eggplant with lots of garlic (as in Provence) the wine
became rounder.
The second tasting involved a barbecued chicken breast,
potatoes roasted in chicken fat, and green beans in a
tomato sauce. The rose tasted of light cherries. It was
softly acidic and nicely long. The word feathery popped up
again. I had the feeling that there were some dark red
grapes hiding in this wine. I was a little disappointed
when the wine was flattened by fruit juice candy.
The final meal consisted of a red pepper and a Portobello
mushroom omelet. The rose was sweet, light, refreshingly
acidic, and not very fruity. When paired with a
high-quality French lemon pie with a buttery crust the wine
lost its sweetness. There was a note of citrus in the
background but it was clearly overpowered.
The first cheese pairing was with a local Provolone. At
first the cheese seemed to flatten the wine. Later it was
nicely acidic, round, and light. With a marbled Cheddar the
wine was definitely muted. But it did return to normal when
I finished the cheese.
Final verdict. I would definitely buy this wine again. I
have been reviewing a lot of $10 wines and this one is
clearly in a different league. But as so often, it's
important not to waste it on inappropriate food pairings.
----------------------------------------------------
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and
Internet books, but frankly prefers drinking fine German or
other wine, accompanied by the right foods and the right
people. He teaches computer classes at an Ontario
French-language community college. Check out his wine
website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly
column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about
(theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.
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