Provencal Rosé Gets Better
Jill BarthTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Why Some Provencal Rosé Gets Better with Age

Rosé wines are one of the first categories to be released in Provence, and you’ll start seeing the most recent vintage hit the shelves as early as February and right on through the spring and summer season. It’s no secret that rosé has a reputation for being a drink to …

READ MORE  Why Some Provencal Rosé Gets Better with Age
Choose Côtes du Rhône Wines
Jill BarthTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

How to Choose Côtes du Rhône Wines

I am often asked about my “favourite” wine. This is an impossible question and one that I can’t answer. The fact is, I taste so many delicious wines that choosing a favourite seems silly, particularly when things change from vintage to vintage. But I have a category recommendation that I …

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Côte du Rhône Wines Château De Montfaucon
Jill BarthTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Need to Know Côtes du Rhône Essential French Wines

France’s Rhône Valley is significant on the world stage. At roughly three times the size of the Napa Valley, the diversity of this region is staggering. It’s divided into two segments: septendrial (North) and méridionale (South). The north is more linear: many independent winegrowers, mainly granite soil, dominated by single …

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Exploring Rhone Valley Wines
Jill BarthTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Exploring Rhone Valley Wines from North to South

What’s the difference between France’s Northern Rhône and Southern Rhône Valleys? The difference is latitude. There. My work is done. Of course, I’m just kidding, but let’s start there. The Rhône River runs in a relatively straight, north-south path by the time it wedges into France from Switzerland near Lyon. …

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Bellet Vineyards Nice France
Jill BarthTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Bellet Vineyards So Close to Nice, France

As France’s oldest wine region, Provence is infinitely important to the global history of viticulture. The region was settled by the Phocaeans around 600 BC, and it’s believed that the Greeks were responsible for the dawn of winemaking and grape growing in ancient Provence. These early wines were pale, made …

READ MORE  Bellet Vineyards So Close to Nice, France
Biodynamic Wine Southern Rhone Montirius
Jill BarthTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Learn About Biodynamic Wine in the Southern Rhône

Biodynamic Wine I take notes like a squirrel on the bird feeder—fast and full, getting it all down before someone changes the subject. You’ll know me by my notebooks. More often than not, however, the stuff that really sticks with me doesn’t require a scribble. My memory serves in certain …

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Lirac Wines Vineyard Château de Montfaucon
Jill BarthTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Road Trip to Taste the Lirac Wines

France’s Rhône River runs north to south, beginning in the Swiss Alps and eventually finding its way to the Mediterranean Sea. Populating its banks are world-renowned vineyards, divided into Northern and Southern designations, the latter of which includes the Lirac Cru. In a valley where wines are classified by region – not …

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Rosé Matters Wines France
Jill BarthTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Exploring Why Rosé Matters, According To French Culture

I don’t think there is a topic I’ve covered more than rosé. Part preference, part probability, it seems only natural that a Provence wine specialist would document the past, present and future of vin trois, the third colour of the wine trinity. Affiliations range from the “Hampton’s Water” lifestyle crowd to …

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Provence Rosé Research Centre
Jill BarthTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

The Provence Rosé Research Center Helps the Global Wine Industry

Provençal rosé—and rosé in general—has been riding a popularity wave in recent years. While there are instances of trendy lifestyle marketing involved, many rosés are wines of quality, made by winemakers of skill and terroir of distinction. Behind them lies a secret weapon, hidden in an unassuming coral-coloured building with green shutters: The Center for Rosé …

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Cork Trees Wine Cork Oaks
Jill BarthTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Understanding How a Wine Cork Gets from a Tree to Your Bottle

Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: The cork wine stopper is synonymous with preservation – not only of the wine in the bottle but of a way of life for cork farmers and the natural ecosystem of the forest. The process has been the same for generations because the system is a sustainable …

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