Why do we import so many wines? There are multiple reasons from the curiosity of drinkers, to making sure of not missing out, over to a tiny hardcore that see a status in things imported. There are also specialised wines such as the Barolos of Italy that excite the serious as they find a mystery in these wines which they say the local wines do not reach. However, I am lost for words when it comes to Rosé and the current popularity of wines from the French region of Provence.
I agree rosé as a style was ignored for too long by our makers though imaginative local wines have now been plentiful for a least a decade. A Rosé style that has enthralled me for fifty years has been those made from Grenache and Mataro from warm climate regions like the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. There is a textural quality to these Rosés, the result of course of the varieties, that pushes them to a level beyond the fresh, pink coloured Rosés made like a white wine from cool regions. The very best of Provence might just draw close to this Goat Square.
