Q. What is the Rhône’s only all-rosé appellation called?
A. Tavel is the only all-rosé appellation in the Rhône, and it makes a wine by the same name. The rosé wine can come in many hues, from light salmon to bright pink, but its most popular color is a brilliant magenta, like a watermelon pink. Its lipstick-worthy color comes from the winemaking process, which starts with macerating the grape skins with the pulp, drawing out pigments and flavorful compounds. Tavel is always dry and made with 30-60% Grenache by law, but its fruity notes and aromas might trick you into thinking it’s almost sweet.
The other answers are wrong because…
Provence famously makes rosé wine and overlaps with a little of the Rhône in southern France, but they are two separate appellations entirely.
Although 89% of Rhône wines are red, the region also makes white, rosé, and sparkling (an obscure appellation called Clairette de Die AOC).
Gevrey-Chambertin is Burgundy.
And Cannes is a town in southern France, not located in any wine region at all! But who knows, they may be drinking Tavel at the next Cannes film festival.
We know you’re hoping to find a Tavel in our Wine365 Shop, but you’ll have to check back soon…in the meantime, you won’t be sorry you tried this red wine from the Rhône in our Cellar Starter Pack.
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