Last month the Residence de France in Zebbug hosted a truly unique and memorable wine-tasting session in order to showcase the vintage 2014 rosé wine selection of four producers hailing from the iconic region of Provence.

The four wines represented included:

• Château de Pourcieux presented by Michel d'Espagnot (owner and winegrower)
• Domaine de Sainte Ser presented by Jacqueline Guichot (owner)
• Château Ferry Lacombe presented by Michel Pinot owner)
• Les Vins Bréban presented by Jean-Jacques Bréban (CEO)

Taking its name from the French word for pink, rosé is a category of wine which has become a staple in the south of France and particularly within the coastal Provence region, considered to be the heart of the world's dry rosé production.

Provence is an extremely rich and diverse area with a very distinguished reputation for wine-making throughout the entire world. In fact, this beautiful region is the world's only location specialising solely in the production of dry rosé. Vineyards are scattered around from the Mediterranean coast to the foothills of the Alps, encompassing territory from Aix-en-Provence to the famous French Riviera in Nice. Due to the varied geographical nature of these wine-growing locations, many of the wines produced are able to present very distinct personalities, ranging from full-bodied reds to delicate whites.

A wine in its own distinct category, Provence rosé is not merely a blend of white and red wine. Like red wine, however, rosé wine is made from red (or black/purple) grapes. Whereas red-wine producers allow the grape skins to ferment with the juice for an extended period of time, rosé producers keep the pigmented skins in contact with the clear juice for only a short time. The now-tinted pink juice is consequently removed from the skins with the resulting colour producing a range from pale pink to a deeper shade of salmon or coral. Its aroma, however is what ultimately gives the dry rosé its unique character. While a pink attribute may often be wrongly-perceived with having a certain sugary quality, Provence rosé is by definition not sweet.

Often considered the world's most versatile wine, rosé is consumed as a lunchtime, seaside, and/or all-occasion type of wine.  Even if produced in a single wine-producing region, such as Provence, the variety of rosé styles may produce completely different results. The differences displayed can be seen from the fullness of the taste as well as the wide range of colours, textures and flavours of the finished product. That said, all Provence rosés have some common characteristics: once served, they tend to be fresh, crisp, bright and dry.  Furthermore, as rosés can be paired with all types of French foods, they can also be consumed at any time of the year. As a result, French rosé now outsells white wine in France.