Cotes de Provence, M de Minuty rosé
It’s warming up and as soon as the sun comes out, so does the rosé wine. I personally love rosé. Although it has to be the dry version as I’m not a fan of the sweet stuff (sorry rosé de Anjou, and don’t even get me started on white zin – ugh!). At the moment, I have in the shop the M de Minuty rosé from the Cotes de Provence.
Unlike most people, I get to go to my shop in Dalston, East London everyday. We still have customers pop in so I don’t have as much spare time as others. I suppose I’m lucky that we are attached to the grocery above us.
Chateau Minuty was originally built during the reign of Napolean III but it was in 1936 that is was acquired by the Fornet family. The estate was one of the first to produce the iconic pale pink rose that is now synonymous with the region, back in the 19th century. For years, the famous Minuty “De l’Oratoire” rose with its distinctive curved bottle was the estate’s flagship wine and is still carried by many of the luxury hotels that dot the Rivieria.
After Gabriel bought the estate, he replanted in the 1930’s and his daughter Monique Matton carried on the replanting with the traditional varieties of the region. In 1955, they were granted “cru classé” status along with only 27 other estates in the Cotes de Provence.
What can I say about the M de Minuty rosé? It is the classic pale pink that we’ve come to expect. It’s a blend of grenache, syrah and cinsault, selected from the best Cotes de Provence vineyards. The result is a very smooth wine with crispness and hints of red currants on the finish. Ideally, you would drink this wine by the seaside but as we’re in London, I’d recommend it as a refreshing drink to take to the garden. I like my rosé cold and my friend CoolerSomm has some great coolers on their site. It’s definitely worth looking at the range, not just for rosé but also for your whites and of course, sparkling wines.