Provence: beyond rosé

This hot, sunny southeastern corner of France is rightly famed for its pale, full-bodied rosés, as well as its stunning scenery and Mistral wind. But a revival is underway, bringing the region’s quality white and red wines back into prominence, says Eliza

ThE fAShioN foR rosé may have dominated the Provence wine scene, but over the past couple of years its reds and whites have been moving from being merely good to truly excellent. increasingly i have come away from tastings excited by the vibrancy of the whites and the rich elegance of the reds. Producers are now clamouring for recognition, and the signs are that red wine production is regaining some of its former relevance, helped by a great red vintage in 2015.

With the five biggest producers – and the region’s many cooperatives – dedicating much of their production to rosé, the reds (less than 10% of production) and whites (3%-5%) can easily be missed.

in recent decades rosé has been promoted more as a lifestyle drink than as a quality wine, which Nik Darlington of UK importer Red Squirrel Wine says ‘has done the region no favours’. however, he feels that for drinkers of quality Provence rosé (and an increasing amount of more complex rosé is being produced), the move to quality red and white Provence wines is a natural step.

The welcome financial boost given by rosé sales has allowed for investment in the cellar, and the red and white wines are benefiting. Alain Baccino, president of the Conseil interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence and owner of Domaine des Peirecèdes and Château La Tulipe Noire, notes that rosé is quick to make and sell, but he loves making red wine, which takes several months and can be savoured for many years. Nicolas Paul of

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Domaine la Gayolle is making a larger share of excellent wines as reds, to allow more uniform sales throughout the year after his rosé sells out during the summer.

Red regional styles

The reds of Provence are often listed under a generic ‘Southern france’ header, but they offer a different style to those of Languedoc, being generally less exuberant and with a great ability to age well. Traditional large old barrels, new oak barriques and, increasingly, 600-litre demi-muids are used to marry blends of Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, and sometimes Cinsault and Carignan, and the resulting wines rarely show very obvious oak influence. A number of producers are beginning to use amphorae too. it is the combination of these varieties in blends, the different terroirs and the experimentation in the cellar that makes the wines uniquely Provençal.

Grenache remains a great anchor for many red blends, rarely in the high percentages used in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but often just enough to give spice and lift to the richer dark varieties. Château Gasqui’s even blend of Grenache and Syrah is full of raspberry fruit with black chocolate tannins, while Château de Rouët’s Belle Poule, roughly half-and-half Syrah-Grenache from volcanic soils near fréjus, has fine, elegant, inky tannins and notes of white pepper.

Philippe Guillanton of Château Margüi says Provence Syrah tends ‘to have less harsh