Everything Old is "Chic" Again

I came upon an interesting article today  “Rosé wine, you’ve come a long way” from the Telegraph of London.

The writer, Victoria Moore discusses, among other things, how this style of wine generally considered a “swimming pool wine” but has suddenly risen into the strata of “chic”, partly due to the release of Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitts new vintage,  “Chateau Miraval".

One reason I read the article was because I have been studying for my Master Level Provence Instructor accreditation, so I am obsessive about these things; I dream of the soil types of Provence and the various production methods.  Sad, I know, but I do get to sample some fabulous wines as part of my ongoing research and education!

The other reason I found this piece from the British media of interest is because the fashion for ‘drinking pink’ is really nothing new at all-  in fact, when the area of Provence was first settled, viticulturally speaking, red wines were not really ‘red’ as we think of them.  Grapes were processed very quickly after harvest and, as archeologists are verifying, most of the wines of the ancient world had just a little color.

As for being ‘chic’, rosé was always the choice of the elite and the well-healed.  These pale wines were the favorites of the Russian Imperial Courts and no self respecting aristocrat would drink a deeply hued wine, at least not until near the end of the 19th century.

The lighter wines were drunk for pleasure while the poor soldiers and peasants were given “Piquette” made from adding water to the pomace or pressed skins and seeds of the rich-man’s wine. 

So get ready for the new 2012 vintage and sip some rosé.  You’ll be chic, just like the citizens of Provence have been for, oh, about 2600 years!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/9971135/Rose-wine-youve-come-a-long-way.html?fb


Illustration courtesy of the Chrysler Museum of Art
"detail from Hendrick van Schoel's 1590 engraving Autumn from The Four Seasons, showing the ancient process of wine-making which made this region so famous. 

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