I tasted a number of Rosé wines over the summer but did not expect to see any of them at the Sud de France tasting.
Actually I was stopped (admonished) by the lady representing Kermit Lynch at the event when I called this Domaine de Fontsainte Corbieres (2007) a Rosé. No she said, it is a 'Gris de Gris'.
Nothing to do with the Gris-gris, talismans found in voodoo and New Orleans happenings as Pourquoi Gris de Gris? (McDuff) shows. I borrowed his picture of the label as an illustration.
In his piece, he quotes the The Oxford Companion to Wine
Gris is not, happily, a grey wine but a pink wine that is usually
decidedly paler than most rosé, made exactly as a white wine from dark
skinned grapes, and therefore without any maceration. No rules govern
the term vin gris but a wine labeled gris de gris must be made from
lightly tinted grape varieties described as gris such as Cinsaut or
Grenache Gris.”
So what makes a Gris de Gris.
Here are all the facts and some poetry I gathered from Domaine de Fontsainte wine notes.
The varietal mix is 60% Grenache Gris and Grenache Noir; 15% Syrah; 10% Mourvèdre; 10% Carignan; 5% Cinsault.
They actually call it a Rosé, bled from the vat. The grapes are harvested by hand and kept whole.
McDuff describes it as pale pink, the winemaker sees crystalline salmon color with superb amethyst tints.
Great fruit aromas of raspberry, cherry and freshly picked strawberries – followed by exotic aromas such as pineapple and mango.
Perfect with any Mediterranean dish, even while snacking on olives.
Around $15.
Enjoy!
Related: Gone South! 'Sud de France' US Launch, Wine Tasting, New York