The rose wines of Provence are being taken more seriously as the popularity of very good roses soars.  Believe it or not , the rose wines may eventually replace white wines as the second most popular wine colour.

The quality of the rose still varies as does the range of style, the reason behind it is the vast amount of land. Vineyards stretch east from Marseille along the mediterranean coast nearly to Cannes. From the sea , the wines continue inland into the harsh garrigue ( Scrubland) and craggy mountains described in the novels of Marcel Pagnol.

About 50 Km north-east of Toulon, you will discover you will discover one of the new breed of Provence wine estates. Domaine Rimauresq stretches out on 46 hectares of prime vineyard land, with harsh mineral soils and sheltered from the very fierce Mediterranean sun by the Maures Massif mountains. The vineyard is owned by the Wermyss family, who produces white wines with lots of character from the local rolle grape and elegant reds from Sauvignon, Syrah, Carignan and Mouvedre and Grenache.

Their rose is full- bodied with fresh fruit flavours. The warm mediterranean sun ripens the grapes to perfection, while the combination of the sheltering mountains  and an early morning harvest keep the wine fresh.  A very pale  and delicate colour is the resultof a short maceration, following the wine's cool fermentation.

Domain Rimauresq makes wines in the cotes de Provence appelation, the largest in the region. If you are in Aix en Provence, look out for wines from the palette appelation of Bellet, where the wines are made from Italian grapes such as Braquet. Do not buy them at the airport because they are extremely expensive, just make sure that you buy them from the cellars. They are rarely exported.

Domaine de Rimauresq
Route Notre Dame des Anges
83790 Pignans
France

Telephone: +33 4 94 48 80 45
Fax: +33 4 94 33 22 31
Email: rimauresq@wanadoo.fr

North of Nice lies the small appelation of Bellet, if you happen to go there. Great roses as well!.