Today is July 14, France’s national day — Bastille Day — and it is a good moment to consider Rosè and the democratization of French wine and wine in general.

One thing that I like about Rosè is that is symbolizes to a certain degree the classic values of freedom (libertè) and equality (ègalitè).  There isn’t any fixed recipe for Rosè. Winemakers have considerable liberty in choosing grapes, blends, and styles. And Rosè levels the playing field a bit, too, allowing less well-known regions to compete with the elites.

I have friends who tell me they just don’t like Rosè — and I believe them — but which Rosè offends them? There are so many different styles that it seems like there would be something for everyone. If you don’t like Rosè maybe you just haven’t tried the right one yet. Sue and I have sampled Rosè wine all around the world (see this list of global Rosè wines of note from the recent Decanter wine competition) and enjoyed pink wine’s diversity of hues, flavors, and aromas.

 Libertè, ègalitè

French wines are traditionally identified by place, a practice that privileges a few elite regions and their wines. Bordeaux. Burgundy. And especially Champagne. This is not an accident. As I wrote in my book Money, Taste, and Wine: It’s Complicated, the appellation system was more or less invented by Champagne producers to protect their sparkling wines first from copycat wines produced elsewhere and then from sub-standard quality wines made at home.  Only Champagne was Champagne, which consigned many first-class French sparkling wines to the third class carriage.

The famous Classification of 1855 established a pecking order for Bordeaux wines. It is not a big stretch to move to the idea that wine in general is rank-ordered, with the most famous names at the top. France has lots of different wines (even more different wines than cheeses, if that is possible), but they are not equal, at least in the marketplace.

This situation is changing. The popularity of Prosecco has weakened Champagne’s hegemony. Besides, the joyous gatherings where special corks are popped are fewer and smaller in the age of Covid-19. Bordeaux, which priced itself into irrelevance in some ciercles, has descended a bit with softer prices flowing out of this year’s unusual en primeur circus.

The Pink Wine Boom

But the biggest force in the growing democratization of French wine is Rosè. Sales of French Rosè were booming in the U.S. before the crisis and continue to be very strong. Indeed, French wine today rides on a pink wave. This is apparently true even within France, where reports suggest that pink outsells white wine in French supermarkets. Incroyable!

Yes, I know there is a hierarchy within the Rosè world. Provence is a first among unequals in the opinion of some. But even taking this into account, I think that Rosè is the wine of French democracy. What is Rosè after all? It is not a region (Rosè is made all over France and the world). It is not a grape variety, either. Rosè wines from all over France and sometimes all over the world are often displayed together in shops and supermarkets, giving humble appellations and obscure grape varieties an opportunity to compete on their own terms, which does not happen very often in the world of wine.

An Arrogant Frog?

Three wines that we received from Paul Mas illustrate these points very well. Les Domaines Paul Mas is an ambitious family wine business rooted in the South of France. Paul Mas reminds me of Jackson Family wines in California. Jackson is best know for its high-volume Kendall-Jackson wines, especially the popular Chardonnay. But when you look more closely you see a collection of focused, high quality wineries that together explore the complex possibilities of the region’s terroir.

Paul Mas is a little bit like that. You might know it best in the U.S. for its popular Arrogant Frog wines. Labels feature a snooty but suave wine-drinking, beret-wearing frog. The wines were fine when I first encountered them, as I recall, but the marketing was the thing that caught my attention. Arrogant Frog is still with us (there is a Chateau Arrogant Frog) and better than ever, but under Jean-Claude Mas’s leadership the firm has grown and focused its attention on the specific terroirs of Languedoc and Rousillion. We tasted and appreciated several of these wines when we visited Languedoc and Roussillon two years ago. So we were pleased to get the chance to focus on the pink wine portfolio.

Three Shades of Pink

We tasted three very different Paul Mas Rosè wines. The first is the Côté Mas Rosè Aurore, a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah with the IGP Pays d’Oc designation. You get a full liter of this fun wine for about $12.99. Full of flavor, the packaging (see image above) emphasizes casual elegance and screams “picnic.” Picnics can be rustic or elegant and this wine would work either way. You would not regret opening this bottle on a warm day in the company of friends (social distanced friends, of course).

Next came Chateau Lauriga, a Syrah and Grenache blend, AOP Côtes du Roussillon, with a retail price of about $20. Lighter, more elegant, a very different take on Rosè, which is as it should be since both the blend and the terroir are different. A bit more serious, too, if you know what I mean.

We enjoyed both these wines with early summer meals, but our favorite was the Domaine Lauriga Le Gris. I’m not sure what made this wine stand out, but we just loved it. Could be the grape variety, terroir, or maybe the older vines (43 years old) made the difference.  Le Gris is 100% Grenache Gris, designated IGP Côtes Catalanes. At about $14 per bottle, it sits comfortably in the Rosè market sweet spot.

A Mind of Its Own

Do you see why I associate these and other Rosè wines with libertè and ègalitè?  Speaking of libertè, there’s one more Rosè wine I want to tell you about.

Our friend Caro Feely (author of several  excellent wine books), invited us to zoom into a virtual tasting with members of Chateau Feely‘s wine club. Chateau Feely is a biodynamic estate in Saussignac, about an hour from Bordeaux. Caro’s books document the challenges and satisfactions Caro and family experienced as they worked endless hours to make their vineyard sustainable in every sense. I recommend the books to anyone who is thinking about buying a vineyard to winery.

The subject was Rosè and the intimate internet audience was pleased to sample two of Feely’s fine Rosè wines, an experience that might have changed how they think of Saussignac, Rosè, or both. One of the wines especially caught my attention.

It is called Libertè. Made with native yeasts from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes (one of the approved varieties for Bergerac AOP), the wine exploited its freedom by taking an unusually long time to complete fermentation, thus earning its designation. It is a wine with a mind of its own. Everyone agreed that Liberty’s taste is something special.

So please raise a glass of Rosè and join me in a toast.  Libertè, ègalitè, Rosè!

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If you want to know more about Rosè you should read Elizabeth Gabay’s recent book on the pink wine revolution. Here is our review.