Pink wines are popular, of that there's no doubt. But when it comes to style over substance, I know what I would choose.
Day two was pink wine from morning to dusk with fascinating vineyard visits, invariably in shining new Range Rovers or Defenders. Pink wine is big business. Cellars gleam with stainless steel and vineyards are carefully manicured.
But for all this perfection, for me there is a problem. So many of the wines taste the same, wines without fault but also with little or no individuality and with just the label and fancy name to separate one from the other. This trend is no doubt made worse by current fashion which seems to dictate extremely pale colours.
Well over a hundred pink Provence wines have passed my lips since my January visit and although the majority left me with a sense of deep ennuie, a few really did stand out. Château de Galoupet, positioned within sight of the sea, was one of my favourites. It's as pale as possible but has such delicacy and subtlety of flavour which it achieves year after year.
Pink tasting day back at Stevenage
Although rosés are taken more seriously now, selling them in the UK is not quite as easy as it should be. We haven't quite got the weather nor have we such a tradition of drinking pink wines. Abroad they are all the rage and increasingly seen as an all year round drink. This is good news because the other funny thing about rosés is that many of the better wines actually taste better later in the year. Indeed, perhaps we should be drinking top rosé for Christmas!
So here's hoping for a lovely pink summer, and autumn and winter! I think there are some lovely Provence pinks in all styles and shades of pink and I was content with my picks, many of which will be featured in our June offer.
My two days in Provence were over and soon I was back in that 'other' Provence and putting together a blend of 2015 Gigondas for the Exhibition label. That is going to be some wine… and that's a different story altogether.
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