La Fête: America’s Hottest Rosé Arrives in the UK

The wine industry has historically been something of a closed club, dominated and often gatekept by white men. Things are improving and diversifying with many more exceptional women winemakers and people of colour rising through the ranks, setting up their own businesses and paving the way for more of the same from future generations. Nonetheless, there remains lots of work to be done. Still today, only around 1% of wine producers in America are black-owned for example. One person blazing the trail is Founder and CEO of La Fête Wine Company, Donae Burston.

After a high-profile career with LVMH working in and amongst some of the world’s most prestigious wine brands, and experiencing directly the feeling of being an outsider, Donae wanted to create something of his own. Whilst celebrating his 30th in Saint Tropez, he first had a taste of pristine Provence Rosé and his path was forged in that moment.

La Fête’s mission is to bring exceptional Provence to the world and revitalise wine culture to make it accessible and inclusive to more people. Since launching in only 2019, they’ve made staggering progress on both these fronts, taking the US by storm and securing partnerships with a selection of the finest restaurants there. They’ve also put their money where their mouth is on the ground, using sale proceeds to create travel experiences and industry opportunities for underrepresented young people, so not only are they setting an inspirational example for the BIPOC community, but they’re financially supporting them too. Bravo.

Striking a partnership with the renowned Château Saint-Maur, one of only 18 Cru Classé estates in Provence, La Fête now have a coveted trio in their name – first the Rosé, then the Blanc and finally the Rouge. Their flagship La Fête du Rosé was the only wine in its category to be awarded the Double Gold medal at last year’s highly regarded World Wine & Spirits Competition.

A pale blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, vivid stone fruits tantalise on the nose, where you also get a sense of slight minerality. In the mouth, the precise blend of exotic fruits explodes with juicy flavours and incredible refreshment, with subtle nutty depth rounding the profile off.

In the US, Rosé has long been marketed as a summer sipper for women, unlike France where it’s enjoyed by all at any time of year. To change entrenched perceptions like this, the wine itself needs to be good enough so that everyone wants to drink it, and they can’t wait until summer to do so. As the fastest-growing imported luxury Rosé in the country, La Fête have clearly cracked it.

And now, the hype is crossing over from the Atlantic, as UK Sommelier Wine Awards’ Fine Wine Merchant of the Year winner Top Selection are making the full trilogy available in the UK exclusively through them.  If you’re interested in Provence Wine and want to taste La Fête’s offering, then you’ll be able to from June onwards – in other words, any day now!

For more information about La Fête Wine Company, explore their website here!

Festive Recipe: Persian Salmon with Provencal Rosé

Persian Salmon Wraps with Vins de Provence Rosé

Here’s a great recipe for Winter and a delicious wine to pair it with. If you’re interested in more festive recipes with Provencal rosé wine, tune into Vin de Provence’s LIVE sessions starting this Thursday Nov 26th over on instagram @VinsDeProvenceUK!

Recipe adapted for Vins de Provence from 'Simply: Easy Everyday Dishes' from the Bestselling Author of 'Persiana' by Sabrina Ghayour is published by Mitchell Beazley, £26, www.octopusbooks.co.uk

Drink: Rosé Fleuri by Château Barbebelle from the Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence appellation

Ingredients 

500g skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4cm cubes 

For the marinade:
4 tablespoons Greek yogurt 
1 tablespoon garlic granules 
1 heaped tablespoon rose harissa 
1 teaspoon ground turmeric 
1 teaspoon paprika 
1 teaspoon olive oil
Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lime and a good squeeze of juice 
Generous amount of Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper 

To serve

Tortilla wraps 
Avocado slices 
Finely sliced onion 
Pomegranate seeds 
Coriander leaves 
Greek yogurt

Method

1. Preheat your oven to its highest setting (with fan if it has one).

2. Line a baking tray with baking paper. 

3. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a mixing bowl. 

4. Add the salmon and turn until well coated in the marinade. 

5. Spread the salmon out on the prepared baking tray and roast for 10 minutes until cooked through. 

6. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with tortilla wraps, the sliced avocado and onion, coriander leaves, a scatter of pomegranate seeds and Greek yoghurt. 

For more suggestions for winter pinks, look here!

4 Great Rosé Wines for Winter

Words by Helena Nicklin

I have always been a huge fan of pink wine in Winter and have frequently served them with roasts and full-on Christmas meals. Why? They are just so versatile. Quite often too, you don’t want heavy reds at lunchtime but you might want something with a little more oomph than a crisp white. Not all pinks are the same however. For food, you’ll want a rosé with complexity and texture rather than a simple fruit bomb. Here are four styles of pink wines to whet your whistle this festive season. 

Provence

Your fail safe go-to region for winter pinks is Provence. While they’re pale and very pretty, the special soils and climates by the sea give these wines salinity and texture. There’s huge complexity of flavour too in a non-shouty way. What you may not realise however is that there are three sub regions for Provencal Pinks: AOC Côtes de Provence, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence and AOC Coteaux Varois en Provence. In Winter and for food, my slight preference is for wines from the Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence because of their pronounced minerality, freshness and complexity compared to the other two sub regions. Try: 

Château Barbebelle, Rosé Fleuri, Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence

Ballet-shoe pink and with golden tints, this is a zippy, fruity Provencal pink with a pleasing bitter, kick. Think apricot, peach and strawberry with a cool saline tang. It’s fruit salad in a glass!  

Find it at Randalls for £9.99

Etna

Nerello Mascalese grapes grown on bush vines in the volcanic soils of Sicily’s Mount Etna make for unique, interesting and delicious wines. Again, texture and saline minerality is key here along with delicate notes of red berry. Try: 

Etna Rosato, Tenuta del Terre Nere, 2019

Supremely elegant but multi-layered and textural, this is a beautiful, textural yet vibrant pink with subtle notes of red plum and cherry. A gorgeous winter pink and a great food wine, especially with fleshy fish dishes. 

Find it at Justerini & Brooks for £11.25

England

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that England is smashing it for Classic method bubbles at the moment. What I’m personally loving in some of the sparkling rosé wines at the moment is a quintessentially English note of hawthorn or rosehip among the wild strawberry and hedgerow. With lots of flavour and good acidity, this is an ideal style for smoked salmon or cold cuts and can take turkey and the trimmings too. Try this:

Digby Fine English, Leander Pink, Brut NV

Medium pink in colour with the crunchy red fruit notes mentioned above, while technically dry, there is a slight sweetness on the finish to this wine, which means it could also take dishes heavy on the salt or even, a slight hot spice. 

Find it at Armit Wines for £33

Bag-in-Box

If ease, sustainability, value for money and space saving are the order of the day as we approach a time when - dare I write it - we may be able to socialise with other humans, finding a decent bag-in-box pink will save the day. Try:

Phillip Schofield Rosato IGT Verona

Philip Schofield has just released a perky little pink for your tasting pleasure in partnership with When in Rome wine. Quite different from the wines above, this one is aromatic and sappy, with very ripe strawberry fruit and a crushed raspberry tang. Very easy going and a great aperitif wine that will take you into your starters. 

Find (2.25L) for £25.99 from wheninromewine.com


If you are more of a fan of red wine then check out Aidy’s must-try Zinfandels and don’t forget to check out orange wine too!

7 Great French Rosé Wines for Summer

Let’s face it: France really does knock it out of the park with fabulous rosé wines, especially down South where they are pale and pretty. Rosé wine also seems to be the category where producers can have most fun with the bottles. From Provence to the Languedoc via Beaujolais, here are some that look as good as they taste and taste as good as they look...

Domaine Ott, Clos Mireille (Provence)

Domaine Ott are the godfathers of Provence rosé, ever since Marcel Ott founded the winery on the shores of the Mediterranean in 1896. This is where it all started; the quintessential, Provençal style of pink and the iconic bottle shapes. Domaine Ott have 3 properties in Provence, each harnessing the style of that particular terroir: Château de Selle near Draguignan, Château Romassan in Bandol and Clos Mirelle overlooking the sea at La Londe Les Maures. The Clos Mirelle is Grenache dominated with a splash of Cinsault and Syrah. It is very pale pink, with subtle notes of ripe melon and peach, a citrusy freshness and a cool, saline core thanks to the proximity of the vines to the sea. 

Find Domaine Ott, Clos Mireille, Côtes de Provence 2018/2019 for  £33 - £39.95 from  Hennings, Soho Wine Company or  Amazon by the case.

Ultimate Provence (Provence)

Making a splash on the rosé scene thanks to its combination of a classic, Provençal pink wine profile and a stunning glass bottle that will be reused for water, olive oil and many other things over its lifetime, this is an easy-to-recognise wine from a producer with a funky, urban-style hotel, half an hour away from St-Tropez. Cool, dry and elegant with stone fruit notes.

Find Ultimate Provence rosé for £19.99 - £22 from The Drink Shop and Dulwich Vintners.

Château de Berne CDP (Provence) 

We love Chateau Berne, not just for its funky square bottle and epic wine tourism offerings but because the wine is absolutely delicious. This iteration of it (it has many versions) showcases everything we love about Provençal pink with its weighty, saline texture and subtle complexity, but seems to have just a splash more peachy fruit than most.

Find Château de Berne Côtes de Provence 2019 for £15.99  / £11.99 mix 6 price at Majestic 

Jardin des Roses,  (Languedoc)

Newsflash! This wine is not from Provence, but from the Languedoc region further west. Made in a similar style to the famous Provençal wines with a similar blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, there’s a touch more ripe strawberry fruit and a distinctive, floral aroma that really does make you think of a bed of roses. It has a gorgeous bottle too and you can collect all six labels, each showcasing a different rose. 

Find Jardin des Roses, AOP Languedoc, France, £13.49 Waitrosecellar

Chêne Bleu Le Rosé (Vaucluse)

Located on the borders of Provence and the Rhone Valley, the wines from Chêne Bleu straddle both styles and offer something unique of their own. Syrah and Grenache dominant, this pink is pale and sophisticated with savoury red fruit notes of redcurrant and wild strawberry. It’s a foodie pink that would be great with grilled meats from a barbecue. Beautifully packed, don’t even get me started on the place itself. If you visit , you will never want to leave...

Find Chêne Bleu, IGP Vaucluse Le Rosé for £25 from Wine & Greene and in magnum for £56.50 from Hedonism Wines

Paradis secret, Foncalieu, (Languedoc)

Another Languedoc pink, Paradis Secret is now one of the signature wines of Vignobles Foncalieu in the Languedoc. Dangerously easy-to-drink, with notes of nectarine, peach and even lime leaf, it's a modern style of southern French pink with an equally modern and elegant, frosted bottle.

Find Paradis Secret by Foncalieu for £10.99 at Majestic

Premier Bain, Beaujolais, 2019 (Beaujolais)

Rosé wine from Beaujolais is going to be a big thing this summer thanks to its slightly lighter style. This one is cool and crisp with vibrant notes of raspberry summer pudding thanks to the Gamay grape from which this wine is made. At 13%, it’s a touch lighter on the alcohol too - something that many are looking for at the moment. Dive in!

Find Premier Bain Rosé, Beaujolais for £10.49 from  Laithwaites

Like this? Check out 3 Styles of French rosé you can rely on…

3 Styles of French Rosé You Can Rely On

The sun’s out and we’re still in lockdown, so let’s do this properly! Cue some beautiful pink wine that will make us dream of French holidays we’re not taking. How do you know what you’re going to get, though? Styles of rosé wine can vary enormously, even from the same region, so it’s genuinely hard to know. Fear not however, there are some styles that tend to stay the same. Whether you like it pale and dry, juicy and pink or savoury and practically red, here are three French styles to look for that you can rely on, told through the lens of dance because… #LockdownMadness

The Ballerina

Style: Pale and dry

Look for: Côtes de Provence

If this rosé had a dance, it would be ballet: pale pink, elegant and delicate to look at, but capable of powerful, complex twists and turns. If you like your pink wine creamy, weighty and dry with a saline tang and just a whisper of fruit, you can’t go far wrong if you look for ‘Côtes de Provence’ on the label. Provence is the only French wine region where there’s a classification dedicated to premium rosé wine and the world is now trying to emulate this classic style of pink. Grapes used are often a blend of Grenache and Cinsault, sometimes with a splash of Rolle, Syrah and others. Try these...

Bargain: Château de Rouet Provence Rosé, 2018, £8.50 (50cl), Coop

Mid-range: Château de Berne, Côtes de Provence, 2018, £13.99 mixed six price, Majestic.

Blow-out: Ultimate Provence Rosé 2018, £26.83, winebuyers.com

The Tango Dancer

Style: Dark and savoury

Look for: Tavel, Rhone Valley.

Dark and dramatic, with high kicks of wild strawberry fruit amongst the savoury notes of grilled meat, this wine’s dance is the Tango. Often almost red, with a grippiness you can get your teeth into, these are well-structured wines, perfect for a barbecue and great at any time of year.  Tavel is an appellation (dedicated wine growing area) in Southern Rhone Valley in France, not a million miles from the more famous Châteauneuf du Pape. The difference is that Tavel is France’s only appellation dedicated solely to rosé wine. Grapes used traditionally are Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault and sometimes others. Look out for the distinctive bottle too! Try these…

Bargain: Tavel Rosé, 2018. £7.99, Lidl ( in store)

Mid range: Tavel Rosé, E. Guigal, 2019, £14, Vinatis

Blow out: Château de Manissy Organic Rosé, 2018, £16.95, Amathus

The 80’s Disco Queen

Style: Bright and candied

Look for: Rosé D’Anjou

Just like throwing those shapes on the dance floor to Wham and other cheesy 80’s hits, Rosé d’Anjou can be a bit of a guilty pleasure. Hailing from Anjou in France's western Loire Valley, these pinks are vibrant in colour and sweeter than many other rosé styles, bar some Californian white zinfandels (if you like those, try this). It’s not sugary sweet, but very fruity, like strawberry sweets. Serve them well chilled in the sun with some cold cuts or mildly spiced snacks like chilli nuts or Bombay mix. The main grape for this sweeter style is Grolleau Noir, often blended with Gamay and Cabernet Franc. Try these...

Bargain: Champteloup Rosé d’Anjou, £6.29 on offer, Waitrose

Mid range: Domaine des Cedres, Rosé d’Anjou, 2018, £10.58, Corkingwines.com

By Helena Nicklin

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