La Vidaubanaise Vin de Pays Maures Rosé

Did you ever look at a bottle of wine or a wine on a wine list and avoid it because you didn’t know how to pronounce the name? Well, unless you are fluent in French, at least where your wine vocabulary is concerned, this week’s Wine Wednesday feature, the non-vintage La  Vidaubanaise Vin de Pays des Maures Rosé could be one of those.  

So, let’s break it down. La Vidaubanaise (pronounced la Vee doh ban aze) is a wine co-op of independent vineyards that ban together to produce wine – the winemaker. Vin de Pays (pronounced Van duh payee ) translates as "wine of the regions".  Vin de Pays or regional wines are the third rank of French wines. However, that doesn't mean they can't be great wines! Vine de pays Maures (Mohr) - where this wine is from -  is an area outside of the  French AOC approved Provence growing areas, but still inside Provence.

This rosé is a blend of 40% Carignan, 30% Cinsault, 15% Cabernet and 15% Ugni-Blanc. The color,  a beautiful pale pink salmon.  The color is due to the juice having limited contact with the skins of the grapes.

On the nose (do not miss the nose on this one) sweet, very floral (cherry blossom) and strawberry along with subtle minerality.  On the palate, first, pronounced minerality giving way to supple fruit and a dry crisp finish. This is a great summer wine for an outdoor get together with friends. At around $10 a bottle you can invite several friends.

Try with light Mexican fair like Grilled Chicken Tacos or Grilled Squid Tacos with Purple Pineapple Slaw. Add some of my Garden Fresh Guacamole to the mix and you have a real Fiesta!To print or save the recipe pairing suggestions, click the links below:

Grilled Chicken Tacos

Grilled Squid Tacos with Purple Pineapple Slaw

Garden Fresh Guacamole

2014 Belle Glos Oeil de Perdrix Pinot Noir Blanc Wine Review

From the vine to the wine. This week’s Wine Wednesday feature is steeped in family history.  It’s a story of the Wagner family spanning five generations who privately own and produce many familiar and popular labels such as Caymus, Conundrum, Meiomi and also Belle Glos (pronounced bell gloss and named after winemaker Joseph Wagner’s Grandmother Lorna Belle Glos Wagner). The Wagner family farms their own vineyards thus overseeing the quality from start to finish.

Winemaker Joseph Wagner is well known for his Pinot Noirs – Meiomi and Belle Glos. The 2014 Belle Glos Oeil de Perdrix (French for eye of the partridge which refers to its jewel like color) is a Pinot Noir Blanc from Sonoma County.

A Pinot Noir Blanc is made from Pinot Noir Grapes.  Pinot Noir grapes produce clear juice and the red color of Pinot Noir comes from the skins.  In a Pinot Noir Blanc the juice is exposed to the skins for a shorter amount of time.

On the nose I enjoyed hints of strawberry and orange but actually what struck me as dreamsicle and a slight minerality. It’s a light bodied dry wine with a pleasant concentration of fruit on the palate. Serve this wine well chilled 45°- 50°F. It’s a great summer wine by itself.  We enjoyed this with Seared Sea Scallops and I think it would pair wonderfully with a Lobster BLT Salad.  To print or save my recipe pairing suggestions, click the links below.

Pan Seared Sea Scallops

 Lobster BLT Salad