AIX 2017 Rosé, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence

Yes, it’s that time again! As the thermometer starts to climb, you need to chill. There is no better way than with a glass of crisp rosé from France.

Provence Rules Rosé

Other wine regions make pretty good juice, but let’s admit it. Provence makes the perfect rosé.

Provence prides itself on being the birthplace of all French wines. Winemaking there dates back to 600 BC. Rosé accounts for 88% of all wine produced in Provence.

Pink Power

We declared Summer 2017 as the Summer of Rosé, but really rosé is a wine to be enjoyed year-round. In the cold of winter it amounts to bottled sunshine. Just about any month, rosé is a food friendly choice for most of your lighter meals.

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Another appeal of rosé is visual. The subtle jewel tones of the wine enchant the eye before the first sip.

So, you get it. We really like rosé! The selection and quality of rosé has never been better. Our most recent bottle was the AIX, the top blend of Maison Saint Aix.

Wine And Flower Pairing

There are two main methods of producing rosé. In the saignée method, a small amount of juice is run off during the process of making red wine. This has the effect of making the red wine more concentrated. The runoff is used to make rosé. In direct press, grapes are grown especially for rosé and are crushed and pressed at the same time. Short contact with the skin results in the light pink or coppery color.

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AIX uses both techniques. Thirty percent of the wine is saignée and the other 70% is direct press, the method preferred by purists. AIX is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 20% Cinsault. The grapes are farmed organically.

While we were driving around our neighborhood recently I was impressed by the beauty of wisteria. This is a vine with beautiful purple colored leaves that hang in bunches, like grapes. Some of these vines climb 60 feet or more up trees. Green Dragon made me drive around until she could grab a good supply for a flower arrangement.

I mention this, in the midst of my knowledge download on rosé, to explain that this is the reason I uncorked the AIX rosé. It was the perfect visual pairing with our wisteria!

The pale pink color of AIX is entrancing. The wine delivers in proper Provence fashion, striking a great balance between delicacy and ample flavor. It has some nice red fruit flavor, perhaps amplified by the saignée, joined by touches of citrus. Properly chilled (about 50⁰ F), this is one refreshing glass of goodness.

You’ll be able to find this bottle for about $18 to $20, which is a nice price. The time is right to rock the rosé!