Allow me to back track a bit and venture South, away from Bordeaux, towards the French Riviera. My mom, sister and I spent a glorious day in Cannes, sunning ourselves, watching the beautiful people, and tubing on the Mediterranean. Which wine served as the perfect complement to these adventures? Why, rose of course!
Taking a break from the sun we ventured from our striped sunchairs around lunch time, looking for some shade and a nice, light lunch. Roaming around the streets we tried to venture as far away as possible from anything that said ‘Louis Vuitton’ or ‘Chanel’, as we knew that cafes around such destinations would be pricey. We did find a cute little place, very traditional, with the plat du jour and the offerings of the day displayed on chalk boards, instead of on a menu.
Sitting down, we noticed that most people at tables around us were enjoying rose. We decided to follow suit, and ordered a bottle of Chateau Miraval Pink Floyd 2008. A blend of Cinsault and Grenache, this was crisp and refreshing. Chateau Miraval has an interesting clientele, and this wine is named after the band, who apparently recorded part of their album The Wall at the estate. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie even recently stayed there! So back to lunch, I ordered the plat du jour, which happened to be fresh pasta in a rabbit-stew. I don’t traditionally eat cute critters, however I went with the theme, “When in Provence…” I’m glad I did, because it was delicious, with fresh herbs that went perfectly with the rose. Truly a taste of Provence!
Back at the beach we decided to keep up our rose theme, since we had found the Miraval so pleasing and light. We ordered a simple rose from the Cotes du Ventoux, and it was equally delicious. Light, crisp and dry, with just a touch of strawberry on the finish. (It even had a nice nose which accented the smell of coconut body oil drifting around!)
We continued our love of rose throughout much of the trip, opting to have a bottle at dinner most nights. I think it’s interesting that the three of us could always agree on this, since my mom is typically a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc drinker, and my sister just starting to enjoy wine. It proved to me that rose can really be a crowd pleaser, capable of satisfying multiple palates. The wines were always regional, and if we ordered a bottle of rose in Bordeaux, we were served a Bordeaux rose.
In Paris I bought an interesting wine, a Sancerre rose! I had never seen one before, although Kevin tells me that we do have some available here. It wasn’t very expensive, about 12 Euros, and it was extremely dark in color for a rose, I suppose from the Cabernet Franc. Although we drank this wine in our room a little warmer than I would have preferred out of plastic hotel cups, it surprised us with its body and complexity. It even stood up nicely to our Chinese take-out. (Yes, we had take-out in Paris, but just once I promise!)
Taking a break from the sun we ventured from our striped sunchairs around lunch time, looking for some shade and a nice, light lunch. Roaming around the streets we tried to venture as far away as possible from anything that said ‘Louis Vuitton’ or ‘Chanel’, as we knew that cafes around such destinations would be pricey. We did find a cute little place, very traditional, with the plat du jour and the offerings of the day displayed on chalk boards, instead of on a menu.
Sitting down, we noticed that most people at tables around us were enjoying rose. We decided to follow suit, and ordered a bottle of Chateau Miraval Pink Floyd 2008. A blend of Cinsault and Grenache, this was crisp and refreshing. Chateau Miraval has an interesting clientele, and this wine is named after the band, who apparently recorded part of their album The Wall at the estate. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie even recently stayed there! So back to lunch, I ordered the plat du jour, which happened to be fresh pasta in a rabbit-stew. I don’t traditionally eat cute critters, however I went with the theme, “When in Provence…” I’m glad I did, because it was delicious, with fresh herbs that went perfectly with the rose. Truly a taste of Provence!
Back at the beach we decided to keep up our rose theme, since we had found the Miraval so pleasing and light. We ordered a simple rose from the Cotes du Ventoux, and it was equally delicious. Light, crisp and dry, with just a touch of strawberry on the finish. (It even had a nice nose which accented the smell of coconut body oil drifting around!)
We continued our love of rose throughout much of the trip, opting to have a bottle at dinner most nights. I think it’s interesting that the three of us could always agree on this, since my mom is typically a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc drinker, and my sister just starting to enjoy wine. It proved to me that rose can really be a crowd pleaser, capable of satisfying multiple palates. The wines were always regional, and if we ordered a bottle of rose in Bordeaux, we were served a Bordeaux rose.
In Paris I bought an interesting wine, a Sancerre rose! I had never seen one before, although Kevin tells me that we do have some available here. It wasn’t very expensive, about 12 Euros, and it was extremely dark in color for a rose, I suppose from the Cabernet Franc. Although we drank this wine in our room a little warmer than I would have preferred out of plastic hotel cups, it surprised us with its body and complexity. It even stood up nicely to our Chinese take-out. (Yes, we had take-out in Paris, but just once I promise!)
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