A Provençal Rosé with a Summer Supper

I’m as fond of the poolside drink as anyone else, but when it comes to rosé I find food-friendly (and even, at times, age-worthy) bottles are available. Provence AOP rosès comprise one of the most compelling wine frameworks available right now. I have what you might call a background in Provençal wine. I’m studying to be a Provence wine master and I write a great deal about the wines of the region. I also get the lovely by-product of tasting and traveling. I also have passion, excitement and interest in this historical wine region, one of the earliest in Europe.

To make a close examination, one place I’d love to visit is the Rosé Research Center in Vidauban.

According to Vins de Provence:

The leaders of Provence’s wine industry joined together in 1999 to create the “Centre de Recherche et d’Expérimentation sur le vin Rosé” (The Rosé Wine Experimentation and Research Center) in Vidauban in the French department of the Var.
The center performs scientific research and experimentation on Rosé wines. The results are published for professionals so that they can gain a better understanding of the region’s different “terroirs” and better master the techniques for making and conserving rosé wines.

The Center has three different specialized centers:

• A winery where test batches of wines are produced
• A high-performance analysis laboratory
• A room for sensorial analysis

The center also organizes special events and conferences in the vineyards of Provence. These fun and informative get-togethers cover many different subjects (vine growing techniques, current and future vine types, mastering alcoholic fermentation, the aromas of Rosé wines, etc.).

I’d love to be invited to a special event or conference there. While waiting for opportunity to knock, I attend local tastings, enjoy online collaborations and take my courses…and visit Provence as much as I can.

The room for “sensorial analysis” gets my imagination going…like a Willy Wonka experience with wine. I don’t ever get bored with my own “analysis”!

I’ve recently received a delivery from VinAzur, a well-curated service out of Nice, containing three gorgeous Provençal rosès:

Domaine de la Grand Piece 2015 Côtes de Provence

Domaine de la Fouquette Rosé Cuvée Rosée d’Aurore 2015

Château Pompillia 2015 Côtes de Provence

For a Provençal summer meal starring these bottles, I’d consider making this Tomato Tart with Tarragon Mustard from Mimi Thorisson. This year my kids and I planted half a dozen heirloom tomato plants in our garden. They aren’t ready yet, too early in our Midwestern growing season, but the beauty I expect from them would be lovely for the tart.

Also in my garden is a corner dedicated to greens, fresh and delicate. On the side of the tart I’d serve a generous handful of these darlings with this Herbs de Provence Salad Dressing from Eye Candy Popper.

I have memories of meals in Provence, seved with rosé: grilled octopus, roasted chicken from the market, a large stalk of seasoned asparagus, a simple snack of salted almonds.  I’ve had Provence rosé in Lyon with steak frites…in Paris with Jambon Iberico, at home with a baguette and olives. I can’t recall a time that rosè wasn’t a suitable match. We’ve even served it at Thanksgiving dinner.

I’m excited to see if other wine-lovers find such food-friendliness from thier bottles:

Saturday, June 11, the Wine Pairing Weekend group will gather at 11 am Eastern Time (8 am Pacific) on Twitter to chat about the food and wine pairings we prepared. It’s loads of fun and you will meet all kinds of interesting people — in addition to gathering wickedly delicious food and wine pairing ideas. Please join the conversation by following #winePW on Twitter.

As usual, we have an interesting list of pairings.

Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla pairs Rose Petal-Strawberry Granita with Luc Belaire Rare Rosé

Cindy from Grape Experiences will share Wine and Dine: Galil Mountain Rose and Mixed Olive Tapenade

Jill from L’occasion is contemplating Provençal Rosé and a Summer Supper

Martin from Enofylz Wine Blog pairs Chicken and Sausage Paella Paired with a Unicorn Rosé

Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm prepares a Seafood Boil featuring Domaine Houchart Cotes de Provence Rose 2015 #WinePW

Jade from Tasting Pour shares Labneh (Kefir) Cheescake with Strawberries & Del Rio Rose Jolee

Michelle from Rockin Red Blog will be Kicking Off Summer with National Rosé Day

David from Cooking Chat pairs Grilled Arctic Char with Pineapple Salsa

Lori from Dracaena Wines discusses Are You Impatient? You Could Have Created Rosé

Lauren from The Swirling Dervish considers Where Sicily and Mendoza Meet: Stuffed Roasted Calamari and 2015 Perlita Rosado. June’s #winePW Adventure

Meaghan from Un Assaggio shares Cheeky Pairings: Cod Burger + Rosé #WinePW

Gwendolyn from Art Predator travels Around the World With Rose

Pete and Nancy from Pull That Cork pair A Corsican Rosé and Summer Veggie Pizza for #winePW

Our July event will be hosted by Jeff at foodwineclick, who has chosen Pairings with Sherry as the theme.

For more on Provence rosé here on L’occasion, enjoy these stories:

Provence Rosés from VinAzur

Provence in the City: Simply Provence Wine

Winemakers of Les Baux-de-Provence Celebrate 20 Years

The Center for Rosé Research

Vins de Provence Annual Competition

Cheers, and thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, considering voting for L’occasion in the Wine Blog Awards. L’occasion is up for two awards, Best Overall and Best Writing. Vote Here!