I used to think I'd enjoy being a winemaker until I started observing some at wineries. It was always easy for me to spot the winemaker based on their rosy cheeks. I'm guessing despite all the proper spitting if you're a winemaker, you like wine which means you like drinking wine. Eventually you'll build a deposit strong enough to make your cheeks stand out. Bad, bad made-up theory of mine. Probably goes hand in hand with the myth my Mom told me growing up that if I crossed my eyes for fun they would stay that way. It didn't scare me to hear it but the assistant at the barbershop where I got my haircuts had crossed eyes. Seeing this man wearing a striped apron sweeping all the hair off the floor with his head down was one sad sight but every time he looked up and I saw him, I freaked out thinking I was going to grow up to look like him.
Giving up on the momentary whim to study winemaking I decided to continue pursuing wine tasting which is unnecessarily a very intimidating science. I try to follow an easy formula for wine tasting: its a matter of your personal preference. Which means you can know all the rules of what constitutes a good wine but if a wine doesn't meet those criteria is your favorite, say white zinfandel, then that is a good wine. That's a bit of a stretch. I am too much of a purist to consider white zin a wine but I will go as far as saying that its look-alike cousin, the rosé is a great wine.
On my first trip to France, July turned to August and Paris became deserted. I found myself following the French and headed south. The beautiful beaches with the topless women was one sight but stepping on the huge rocks at the beach was another reality I was not used to. The big pieces of rock in no way resembled the fine sand beaches we have in the States. So I hung up my bathing suit and sat at at cozy table at "La Pizza" in Cannes, the seaside French Riviera town famed for its celebrity-filled film festival, ordering a Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé with my Aubergines pizza. I kid you not, I can still taste the combination of the eggplant pizza and rosé wine. Across the water from Italy in the French Riviera they know how to make an amazing pizza. August is too hot to drink red wine during the day and white wouldn't pair with a tomato sauce. A tangy rosé with a slight hint of tannins was the right choice.
Needless to say when it comes to rosés Bandol is king. And in France that summer I drank plenty of this lovely wine from Provence. A Domaine Tempier Bandol made with mourvèdre, cinsault, grenache, and carignan with flavors of woodsy berries, spice, herbs, and olives costs close to $37 here in the US. There are less expensive Bandol rosés in the $25 range. But if you're going to skip the king, skip all royalty and settle for the people's wine. On a recent trip to K&L Wines in San Francisco I set out to identify the best priced people's rosé wine that had a chance at making up for not being a Bandol . I came home with four bottles: 2008 Cave de Tavel "Lauzeraies" Tavel ($13.99), 2008 Domaine Begude Pinot Noir Vin de Pays d'Oc Rosé ($12.99), 2008 Château Viranel "Tradition" Saint Chinian Rosé ($12.99), and 2008 Les Vignerons de Fontès "Prieuré Saint-Hippolyte" Languedoc Rosé ($10.99). One by one I tried them after chilling to perfection between 45-50 degrees farenheit.
The four wines tasted were in the $11-$14 range with colors ranging from rosy pink to flush peach. The Tavel was the most complex while the Pinot the least. The sweeter wines didn't work and reminded me of California rosés while I wanted to recreate a scene from that summer in France. In the end, of the two remaining Languedoc wines my favorite was the 2008 Château Viranel "Tradition" Saint Chinian Rosé made with 40% syrah, 40% grenache and 20% cinsault priced at $12.99. On the way to K&L Wines to pick up a case of my favorite, on a whim I stopped at The Wine Club and asked for their best afforable rosé and came home with a 2008 Domaine de la Fouquette Rosé d'Aurore from Côtes de Provence. The Fouquette with the lighter salmon color was indicative of older vines with less flavor but to me this blend of 65% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, and 5% Rolle was as close to a Bandol rosé I could get my lips on. On the palate it was instant strawberries for fruit, citrus for crisp acidity, and a hint of minerality. Perfect for a hot summer day.
The Domaine de la Fouquette takes me back to that summer in the French Riviera years ago. I paired it with a home-made eggplant parmesan to remind me of the aubergines pizza and the wine's acidity cut through the cheesy tomato sauce dish. For a faint salmon-colored wine to stand up to such strong food, my summer wine has been identified. Good thing summers in San Francisco start in September. Salut!
where to buy:
3, Quai St. Pierre
06400 Cannes, France
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