Côtes du Rhône Villages Food and Wine Pairing
Provence WineZineTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

A Surprising Côtes du Rhône Villages Food and Wine Pairing

Very rarely do you come across a Côtes du Rhône Villages so incredible that it might as well be a Gigondas wine. However, in this case, the red wine that we used in this wine pairing from Paul Jaboulet Aîné (2020) is a nice upgrade. It is big and bold, …

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Château Margüi Rosé Wine Pairing
Provence WineZineTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Château Margüi Rosé Wine Pairing

Today’s wine and food pairing for Provence WineZine is one I approached with some trepidation. I was confident that the Château Margüi rosé wine would be good (okay, excellent), and I knew the recipe well enough to be happy with it. But together? I just wasn’t sure. I certainly didn’t …

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Vacqueyras Wine Pairing Dinner
Provence WineZineTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Vacqueyras Wine Pairing a Virtual Dinner with Friends

Le Clos de Caveau is one of the first wineries I visited after starting Provence WineZine. The story of this Vacqueyras vineyard — a stone’s throw from Gigondas — is best told over a glass of this excellent red blend of Grenache and Syrah called Fruit Sauvage. Henri Bungener, psychologist-turned-winemaker, …

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Provençal Pairings Acquiesce Winery
Provence WineZineTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Debating Provençal Pairings at Acquiesce Winery

Gathering in the Acquiesce Winery tasting room with owner Susan Tipton and Susan and Towny Manfull and the wine lovers behind Provence WineZine was a joyful occasion after so much time apart. However, we were not in Lodi, California for simply a social occasion, we had some wine tasting and …

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Vacqueyras Rhône Valley Wine
Provence WineZineTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Vacqueyras Rhône Valley Wine Pairing

After a long year and a half, our good friends and neighbours Ursula and Bob returned to the neighbourhood from their other home is in upstate New York, in the Catskill Mountains. It’s nice to have them back. We had them over to dinner to celebrate their return and wanted …

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Rhône Valley Wine Caladoc Le Clos Saint Michel Vignobles Guy Mousset et fils
David Scott AllenProvence WineZineTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Pairing Rhône Valley Caladoc Wine with Food

It’s not often that I consider bottles from a “big box” wine store for this column. With the exception of a few quality rosés I have gotten (and written about) from such stores, their selection of rosé wines is generally geared towards the Carries and Mirandas. Pretty bottles/labels, intense pink …

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Buyer’s Guide to the Rosés of Southern France
Provence WineZineTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Buyer’s Guide to the Rosés of Southern France

Some families play board games together or, perhaps, hike together or even cook together.  The Gabay-Bernheim family, in the South of France, taste wine together and, in the case of Elizabeth Gabay’s Buyer’s Guide to the Rosés of Southern France, Gabay and son Ben Bernheim wrote about these rosés together. …

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Château Barbebelle Wine and Art
Artists Inspired by ProvenceInspireProvence WineZine

A Visit to Château Barbebelle Wine Art and Charity

Provence is abuzz this time of year with fabulous offerings of art, music, opera, film, wine tastings, and the usual fêtes that move from village to village. We travelled from New England to Provence last month specifically for this show by French painter Gérard Isirdi at Château Barbebelle in Rognes, …

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Provence Rosé Export Market
Provence WineZineTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Provence Rosé Still Pouring Strong in the Export Market

In a year marked by turbulence and an overall decrease in exports of French wine by as much as 5% in volume, Provence witnessed exports increase by nearly 6% in volume, making it the wine region posting the greatest growth abroad.  By comparison, Burgundy posted a 1.4% growth in the …

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Understanding Grenache Grapes
Provence WineZineTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

A Primer to Understanding Grenache Grapes

If you are a fan of wines from Provence or the Southern Rhône Valley, you are already intimate with Grenache Noir. You probably don’t sidle up to the bar and order a “Grenache Noir” like you would a glass of Pinot or Cab, but I assure you that, in Provence …

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