I walk down the narrow streets, eyes wide open. What an amazing place. People enjoying a drink at a cafe, a couple of ladies getting loud at the bar. Looking for atmosphere, we stop at the loudest place on the block. They’re playing Michael Jackson’s greatest hits. We get beer. I chat with the group. A tall drink of water addresses our gentleman escort and tells him of a wine festival in Meursault. He entertains her conversation, we laugh at every flick of her hair and batting of her eyes. We eventually leave to head back to the hotel. No Jean Luc tonight

It’s officially spring, and I’m officially thinking of warmer temps and lighter wines. Clearly rosè helps in that transition. So, to kick off my ‘rosè season’, I attended Provence in the City hosted by Vins de Provence. This trade event was hoped to show us tastemakers, educators, retailers…why Provence is the fastest-growing French region in exportation of wines to the US.

Fastest-growing you say?? Total table wine sales for 2011 was 3.7%, for rose… 26%!! Wonder why the rise… Then had a conversation with some gentlemen at the event where he stated that he wondered how much influence has rap music, “Bottle of that rose, pass me some mo’ ” or “A lot of quiet time, pink bottles of Rose” — a la Rick Ross — had on rose. Hmmm. Never thought of that. But in all actuality, why couldn’t he influence the masses to drink rosè? Drake, Kanye, etc have had a more than noticeable effect on Moscato sales in the US. So much so that CA wineries are scrambling to plant more moscato vines in order to keep up with this growing trend. I can’t even count the amount of articles that I’ve read citing the hip-hop/rap influence on the sales of Moscato. We also saw it happen with Cognac, Ciroc, Cristal, Patron, need I go on?

So I thought about it…and realized that hip-hop culture influences a lot of what people do, say, wear, eat and drink. To see a ’sizeable’ gentleman like Rick Ross rapping about and drinking rosè, clearly it must be okay. And if he does it, I should at least try it right? Thinking beyond the pink fruity Boone’s Farm and White Zinfandels, rosè is an elegant, light, and fruity forward wine. A great introduction for those that don’t usually drink wine.

If that’s what really is causing this trend though, I wonder how long it will take people to recognize it? This time around, maybe someone will market their own brand beforehand. Funny thing though, when mentioning Rick Ross or Kanye to a French wine producer or even the people of Vins de Provence that were hosting the event… *blank stare*

Whenever I mention rose, people automatically think sweet pink wine. White Zinfandel that your parents used to drink. Or me waaaaaaay back in the day (that will just be our secret though). I think people are beginning to realize that rose is different than blush wines and not synonymous with White Zinfandel (that misconception certainly kept me away from them at first). Rose wines, especially those from Provence, are made from red grapes such as Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cab Sauv. The color and the flavor comes from the dark skins of the grapes. Producers allow only brief contact of juice and skins before fermentation in order to get the elegant pink color that ranges from pale pink to a salmon-orangey pink and fermented to dryness.

With 17 producers in attendance, my wine sister, Rita Blackwell, and I sipped through several of the roses, reds, and whites from Provence that were on display. Being a very food-friendly wine, cassoulet, tuna, beef & onions, crab claws, shrimp, tuna tartare and raw oysters were served to pair with the wines. Some of my faves from the tasting were:

• Secret de Leoube
• Pink Floyd - Chateau Mireval
• Espirit de Provence - Domaine du grand Cros
• Terres de Berne - Les Vignobles de Berne

Now of course since I liked those, probably one 2 of them are actually currently being imported to the US. Wish me luck on finding those two!

I told myself this year that I would drink more bubbly…from prosecco, to sekt, to cava, to true champagne and everything in between. Bubbly should be enjoyed for special occasions and just because. My ‘just because’ today is Wine Blogging Wednesday! Today’s topic is Value Sparkling Wine. When I saw the topic, I already had a sparkling wine in mind (Blanquette de Limoux), but unfortunately I couldn’t find it. So, plan B, Fleuraison Blanc de Blancs.                

This sparkling wine is made from the white Airen grape that is native to Spain. I’ve often heard the stat that Airen is the most widely planted grape on the planet. To make Fleuraison, the 1^st fermentation for the base occurs in Spain at cool temps. This produces a base wine with crisp, fruity flavors and great acidity. Once the wine is stable, it is sent to Languedoc where it then undergoes the 2^nd fermentation under pressure. At 4 atmospheres of pressure, the wine is bottled, put under cork and finished off with a foil capsule. Also called ‘Vin Mousseaux’ the finished sparkling wine has an amazing perfume, floral aroma which is quite appropriate as Fleuraison means ‘flowering’. I found yeasty, bread dough flavors on the palate with sort of a hazelnut finish. Fleuraison is very delicate in flavor so while I do enjoy this alone, it is my favorite sparkler to add orange juice for a Mimosa or crème de cassis for a Kir Royale. Either way, at $12, this is a sparkler to keep on hand for my ‘just because’ days.