PROVENCE ROSÉ: TASTING AND TRAVEL NOTES FROM “PROVENCE IN THE CITY 2014”

Provence—today, the very word conjures up images of sipping rosé: on the beaches of the Côte d’Azur, by the pool of a handsome mas nestled into the garrigue-covered hills in the Luberon, in outdoor cafés along Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence, with bouillabaisse in Marseille’s vieux port, and, for some folks, in yachts docked at St. Tropez. Mon dieu, rosé was born in Provence and, well, bred there, too. The Greeks introduced rosé when they arrived in Marseille, some 2500 years ago. They plan...
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SIPPING CHÂTEAU ROUBINE ROSÉ, THINKING OF KNIGHTS TEMPLAR (AND, OKAY, DAN BROWN)

Château Roubine, from whence the rosé I am drinking comes, is built atop Knights Templar property. In the center of Provence, in the heart of the department of the Var, in the town of Lorgues, lie these vineyards on land once owned by the (in) famous medieval order of the Knights Templar. More on Château Roubine’s refreshing rosé to come, but right now I want to pursue the Knights Templar. This once powerful military order, formed in 1119 and sanctioned by the Catholic church in 1129, is back i...
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30 ROSÉ WINES TO TASTE: PROVENCE COMES TO NEW YORK CITY

  The growing demand for excellent rosés—and Provence’s ability to meet that demand—was unmistakably clear at “Provence in the City 2013,” a tasting of rosé wines in New York City last Tuesday. With over 30 wineries from the heart of the world’s eminent rosé region, this tasting was the largest collection of pink wine producers that the United States will see this year, according to Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence (CIVP), the French group that hosted the event. Brass...
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