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France has an appelation dedicated to the production of only rose’ with the use of nine possible grape varietals. It is, in fact, the only AOC that is registered to produce rose’ wines alone. What a treasure!
Located in Southern Rhone, on what is called the river’s right bank, Tavel is regarded as both the cradle of French rose’, and the King of Rose’s. With such a focus on production of one particular wine style, the area is able to work surprise and wonder into their beverages with a play on the blend of the nine grapes.
This Tavel produced by Chateau de Trinquevedel, and imported by Kermit Lynch Wine, is both intriguing and memorable bringing together scents of rich fruit and spice, with a sense of low growing ground plants. In the mouth, the wine is rich with a distinctly dry finish.
If you intend to celebrate U.S.-Thanksgiving, consider serving this wine with your meal. It has the heartiness to hold up to and celebrate the mix of flavors found at such festivities. It would also be excellent with wild Alaskan salmon, or on its own.
For those of you in Flagstaff, this wine is available at The Wine Loft, Flagstaff, AZ. Yet another testament to their very good selection!
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my father, and my daughter sharing their treasure–the tundra berries, mainly salmonberries, they picked together
Personal note:
The smell of this wine reminded me of my summers growing up on the dense low-growth Alaskan tundras. On sunny days the wind would pick up the scent of the low-bush plants that made up the surface of the tundra, and fill our noses with it.
Had I thought anyone else would have recognized the descriptors, I would have actually drawn what we in Alaska call “salmonberries”, but which are more widely known as “cloudberries”, alongside images of low-bush labrador tea.
Salmonberries are a cluster berry common to the circumpolar regions, including Scandinavia and Alaska, that host a rich tartness, with a fresh fruit-honey bite. In fact, they’re my favorite food. They grow mixed in with low-bush labrador tea plants, and low-bush cranberry plants. This wine brings together all these scents.
No longer living in Alaska, it was a wonderful surprise to have the opportunity to revisit my favorite foods through the smell of this wine.
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