Today, with my first real spring lunch, I drank a rosé from Provence, the 2011 Domaine Les Fouques Cô tes de Provence Rosé Cuv é e de L'Aubigue , $14, Imported by Fruit of the Vines. called about an order I placed, including a few bottles of a popular Provence rosé that I buy every year. Cookin' with Brooklynguy Provence

It's a traditional blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre and 5% Carignan fermented separately with indigenous yeasts. Foudre: A large oak or chestnut cask used for aging wine (mostly in Provence and Alsace), with a capacity between 150 and 350 hectoliters (3,960 to 9,240 gallons What a great price and value?!?

Chateau Simone is about 15 hectares of vineyards in and around the village of Meyreuil, less than 10 miles east of Aix-en-Provence, further inland and to the west of Bandol. Most wines that are made today in Provence and in the southern Rhône are very big and extracted wines. alcohol wines in Provence nowadays? Except vampires.

Domain de Mourchon Seguret Loubie (Rose) 2007 Having a Cote du Rhone designation, this Loubie Rose blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah comes from 40 year old estate grown vines. Flavor: broad and fresh; the characteristic fruity aromas of the bouquet come through with complexity and end with a clean finish.

Like many of the wineries I’ve visited in Provence, the whites, roses, and reds come in three styles or quality levels. The red (a blend of syrah, cinsault, grenache, cabernet sauvignon, and others) has a rich toast nose with hints of vanilla and dark chocolate, and on the palate full bodied with a finish of black licorice.

says Nathalie Vancoillie, a very tanned, toned, attractive woman with sun-streaked hair and an athletic build as she escorts us into her Chateau in Provence, a charming stone structure that dates from the 15th century. Most people think of Provence as St. Grapes include Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvedre, Merlot, Cinsault, and Rolle.

But the inexpensive red wines of Provence? Some of my favorite wine stores, Chambers Street included, do not stock even one inexpensive Provence red wine. But there are some great under $20 red wines from Provence. I'm talking about lavender and other Provence herbs and gamy leathery animale aromas - not just ripe fruit.

But I found two of them recently, and they're both from Provence. Is Provence quietly putting out the best $10 red wines? Provence is such a misunderstood wine region. There are, of course, great producers making great wines from other areas in Provence, and their entry-level bottles can offer truly fantastic value.

Or perhaps, truly fine red wines made from Mourvèdre, Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, and the other southern grapes, will in 30 years be coming from the more northerly climes of Beaujolais and Burgundy. Tags: Bandol Technical Stuff Provence Châteauneuf du Pape Until a decade ago, alcohol levels were typically about 13%.

If you're willing to spend $25 or more, the rosés of Bandol in Provence are among the world's finest, and I think they're worth every penny. Here are the rosés I've had at home so far this spring, some great, some not as great: 2008 Commanderie de Peyrassol Côtes de Provence Rosé , $14, Rosenthal Imports. Really a lovely wine.

From a central California vineyard, Sine Qua Non's 2006 Grenache Raven Series (8% syrah, 26% whole cluster fermented and aged in about 40% new French oak) is a purple color turning ruby on the rim - not opaque - but there is a certain density to the color here. Smooth on the palate, with nice acidity through the midnote.

beautiful wine from the Côte de Provence, a blend of 85% Rolle (that's Vermentino to you Italo-philes) and 15% Ugni-Blanc (that's Trebbiano to you Italo-philes). Syrah, and Grenache. 75% Syrah, some Grenache, Cinsault, and Mourvedre make up the balance. Classic peppery and meaty Syrah, with good energy and balance.

Remy de Provence. had never heard of this town or of this producer, and I don't usually love Grenache wines, so imagine my surprise when the 2004 Domaine Henri Milan Clos Milan simply stopped me in my tracks. And maybe that's okay, because at about $55, the Clos Milan is pretty expensive for a Provence wine. loved this wine!

The areas to consider are the Cote Du Rhone, The Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence and Southwest France. Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, Cinsaut, these are the most popular grapes of Southern France and vignerons (French winemakers) play around with them in the cellars to create their own identities. Ah, the Holidays.

The blend is Mourvedre, Carignan, and Grenache. This is a blend of Carignan, Syrah, and Grenache. 2005 Comptoirs de Magdala Côtes de Provence Escapade , $16. I was very much impressed with the Jenny & Francois portfolio , so much so that I decided to buy a few and taste them at home with dinner.

But I have an active imagination and lately I've been thinking about the south of France, Provence in particular. So instead we decided to spend a couple of days drinking the wines of Provence, specifically the Bandol appellation. Bandol is quietly known for making some of the finer red wines in Provence. Why Bandol?

The Languedoc-Roussillon, also known as the Midi, is a huge area west of Provence, south of the Rhone Valley, just northeast of the Spanish Pyrenees, all of it draped around the Mediterranean Sea. This is hot weather France where hardy grapes thrive, like Grenache and Mourvedre, Cinsault and Carignan, and of course, Syrah.

The Languedoc-Roussillon could easily be two different wine regions, as it is somewhat spread out along the Mediterranean coast and inland, from the western edge of Provence all the way to the Spanish border near the city of Perpignan. She told me about this red dessert wine called Banyuls. It's not Port, it's French wine. Red dessert wine?