Best Provence Rosé wine: ten award-winning bottles to try

Looking for the best rosé? Look no further than Provence. Rosé is made all over the world, but Provence has captured people’s imagination like no other with its delicately hued wine that encapsulates al-fresco drinking. We’ve put together a list of the best Provence rosé based on the finest bottles from this year’s IWSC.

Rosé’s popularity has soared over the past decade, particularly in the US, and Provence has been at the forefront of the charge. Its light onion-skin shade, presented in tall, elegant ‘skittle’ bottles have given it huge appeal to the Instagram crowd, too, helped along by a number of celebrities launching their own rosés, most famously Brad Pitt who bought Château Miraval, located in Var.

Rosés from Provence are rarely heavy and full-bodied; on the contrary, the trademark character is vibrant and easy-drinking, made with classic southern French varieties Grenache and Cinsault, helped now and again with the addition of white grape Vermentino to the blend to freshen things up.

One of the star Provence performers in this year’s IWSC was Château La Gordonne’s Le Cirque des Grives 2019, which scored 96/100 and earned a Gold Medal. The judges described the wine as ‘sumptuous’, with a ‘compelling oily texture, satisfying layers of melon fruit drizzled in acacia honey, shavings of white chocolate and musty sprinklings of white pepper that dance on the palate.’

Domaine de Cala’s Classic Rosé 2021 from Coteaux Varois was another star of the show, and was awarded 94/100 and a Silver Medal. A 60:30:8 blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah, the wine delivered ‘poised redcurrants, exquisite white flowers and a warmth of white pepper.’

Finally, Château de Saint-Martin’s Grande Réserve 2021 (94/100) offered ‘a very expressive nose of honeydew melon, guava, mango and sweet red fruits.’

All three of these award-winners, along with every other Provence rosé entered into this year’s IWSC, were tasted blind by an expert panel led by Dirceu Vianna Junior MW. He was assisted by Swains Wine Bar and Store founder Victoria Sharples, head sommelier at London restaurant Trivet Philipp Reinstaller MSS, and wine writer and broadcaster David Kermode.

If you’ve yet to discover the delights of Provence rosé, the following selection should convince you. Here is our pick of the best Provence rosés from this year’s IWSC.

provence rose wine glass and lavender field

HOW DO WE JUDGE THESE WINES?

We run a tightly structured, rigorous wine tasting process. That means that each wine sample is pre-poured into numbered glasses and assessed blindly by the judges. Most importantly, our IWSC wine judges are experts in their field, who work across all sectors of the wine industry. For evidence, see our full list of judges.

HOW DO WE SCORE THESE WINES?

Only the best wines sampled receive a Gold or Silver award. For example, to win Gold, wines have to score between 95 and 100 points. Meanwhile, Silver wines range from 90 to 94 points. Click here to read more on our scoring system.

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