Forget celebrity labels – these are the Provence rosés really worth their price tag
Perhaps you feel all fuzzy and escapist about pale pink rosé from the south of France, like you might about croissants from a village boulangerie or chicken with a million cloves of garlic at a family-run bistro on a dappled square.
The reality, these days, is that a lot of Provence rosé is controlled by big money. It's not just the celebrity wine producers: the Brad Pitts and Carla Brunis. It's also the multi-millionaires and billionaires whose organisations sell this shimmering, pale pink liquid in beautiful bottles, like a fragment of a summer dream, to the likes of me and you.
Take the case of LVMH, whose founder and CEO, Bernard Arnault, is usually found near the top of Forbes 's billionaires list, not far beneath Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
As well as Château d'Esclans, LVMH also owns (since 2019) Château Galoupet, a historical rosé estate overlooking the Mediterranean, and (since 2023) a controlling stake in the well-known Château Minuty, close to St Tropez. Rosé wine specialist Elizabeth Gabay MW has estimated that the production of Whispering Angel alone (d'Esclans has several other brands) is around 14 million bottles and that Minuty's combined brands number around nine million bottles. For perspective, the entire Côtes de Provence appellation, covering some 50,000 acres, made the equivalent of 102 million bottles in 2023.
It doesn't stop there. If you shop in Waitrose, you may have been tempted by the beautiful ridged bottles of Ultimate Provence (sadly I'm not so keen on the £20 wine inside as I am on the vessel), which, along with Château de Berne, is part of MDCV, whose website claims sales of 'over 4 million bottles' from its French estates. The owner of MDCV is Mark Dixon, a Monaco-based The Sunday Times Rich List regular and the founder of the serviced office business IWG.
Now, I like some of the Minuty wines; they are typically streamlined and pure, with a silky strength. I also like Rock Angel by Whispering Angel (around £27.50) and, especially, the scented G de Galoupet Côtes de Provence (around £22.50, Ocado and Jeroboams), an immaculate Provence rosé that is recommended. But those prices are toppy.
Although not as toppy as the price of Lady A Rosé (£24.99 if you buy it at Selfridges, though it has just gone in to M&S and Ocado at £17.50), a wine that seems to be having a tilt at becoming the new Whispering Angel. It was created for the 40th birthday of Meghan Sussex's bestie Markus Anderson, has a butterfly motif designed by Damien Hirst on the bottle and is made at Château La Coste, which is owned by Irish property developer Paddy McKillen.
Soho House Chateau La Coste Lady A Rosé, £24.99, Selfridges
Lady A is marketed on the Ocado website as a 'Provence Rosé'. It is indeed crafted (their word) at Château La Coste, which is in Provence – but it doesn't carry the official Provence rosé appellation d'origine protégée (AOP). Instead, it has a more modest IGP Méditerranée designation – indication géographique protégée, or 'protected geographical indication'. Formerly known as vin de pays, IGP wines can be very good, and I often recommend them as budget-friendly alternatives to pricier Côtes de Provence or Côteaux d'Aix en Provence bottles. But in the case of Lady A, the taste doesn't justify the price.
If you're in for that level of spend, or thereabouts, I have listed the Provence rosés that I love below. Please note that as I write this it's early in the season and not all the wines I would like to have tasted have landed. But the sun is out, and we want pink in our glasses now.
I also have a more budget-friendly rosé article in the pipeline that will look at rosé from beyond the Provence AOPs. Watch out for that as there are some brilliant cheaper wines around this year and I have lots of tips. In the meantime, enjoy!
Try these
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Sun
I'm a picky eater & eat barely any of the ‘awful' food at all-inclusive hotels – trolls slam me as ‘disrespectful'
A WOMAN has been slammed as "disrespectful" for turning her nose up at the "weird" dishes on offer at an all inclusive hotel. Simone Wilko, a self-confessed picky eater, recently went on holiday to Cyprus, and was not impressed by the food that was on offer. 2 2 Taking to TikTok, the influencer showed off the diverse array of food in the restaurant at her hotel, stating that there was "so much to choose from, but at the same time there wasn't." Showing viewers a plate of delicious looking stuffed courgettes with vegetables, she said: "I understand I'm in a different country, but what on earth are these foods? "They look absolutely awful." Showing the camera a dish of traditional black eye beans with Swiss chards, she then said: "I couldn't think of anything worse." Simone then spotted a pizza and got excited as she thought it was margherita, but after reading that the label said Quatro Formaggi (four cheese) she decided to give it a miss. The holidaymaker then decided to put some plain bread on her plate, along with a portion of chips. "If these had herbs on, I wouldn't have got them", she admitted. "I just don't like the taste of seasoning." She then placed some ribs on her plate, and a small bit of pork from a stir fry, making sure to avoid the veg as she "hates spring onions". However, she said that the pork was "horrible" anyway, as it had seasoning on it. 10 Expert Tips for Managing Picky Eaters Simone then moved on to dessert, but unfortunately said that she also found her chocolate mousse "disgusting". Her video, posted under the username (@s33immm) has quickly gone viral, racking up 772,000 views on the video sharing platform. TikTok users raced to the video's comments section to share their thoughts, with many unimpressed by Simone's attitude to the cuisine. One person said: "Picky is fine, but insulting other countries' foods is not OK." A second person said: "Fellow lowkey picky eater here but there's a difference between you and me. "I don't go around being disrespectful about food."
Telegraph
25 minutes ago
- Telegraph
French submarine-maker targeted by hackers
A French naval giant is investigating a potential cyber attack after hackers claimed to have obtained sensitive data about the country's nuclear submarines. Naval Group, a state-owned ship maker that traces its origins back almost 400 years to the reign of Louis XIII, said it had 'immediately launched technical investigations' after cyber criminals threatened to publish files on the dark web. The company builds and maintains key ships and submarines for the French Navy, including aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines. These include France's Barracuda fleet of nuclear missile-armed submarines. In a post on a dark web forum, hackers claimed to have uncovered 'top-secret classified' data for 'submarines and frigates'. Hackers gave the company 72 hours to respond to the leak, with initial documents published online allegedly including source code for submarine weapon systems. The attackers have so far published around 30 gigabytes of data, although they claim to have far more information still to be disclosed. Naval Group has responded by insisting it had found 'no intrusion into our IT environments', and described it as a 'reputational attack'. A spokesman said: 'Naval Group has noticed being the target of a reputational attack with the claim of a cyber-malice act. We immediately launched technical investigations. 'All teams and resources are currently mobilised to analyse and verify the authenticity, origin and ownership of the data as quickly as possible. 'At this stage, no intrusion into our IT environments has been detected and there has been no impact on our activities.' The alleged hack comes amid a wave of cyberattacks against companies and governments. Last week, Microsoft admitted to a major flaw in its SharePoint document-sharing system, which is believed to have been exploited by hackers with links to China. Among the organisations targeted were the US National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains America's nuclear arsenal, although no sensitive files were reported to have been taken. Naval Group is France's largest shipbuilder, employing more than 15,000 people with revenues of more than €4.4bn. The French government owns almost two-thirds of the business, with he remainder owned by Thales, the French defence giant.
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
David Beckham hugs Harper and Victoria on superyacht amid stormy family feud
For months, rumours have rumbled of a bitter split within the Beckham family - but proud dad David looked happy as a clam as he hugged his daughter and wife on a luxury holiday David Beckham looked in good spirits on the high seas as he hugged his daughter and wife during a trip to St Tropez. The 50-year-old sporting legend joined wife Victoria, 51, and daughter Harper Seven, 14, on the deck of a luxury yacht. The sport star looked casual in a sand coloured cap and dark t-shirt - and with a smile stretched across his face. Victoria pouted alongside her husband with her hair loose around her shoulders. While teenage daughter Harper looked pretty in a pink as she wrapped up in a casual hooded top. The trio were spied on the deck of the boat lined up for a photograph together. The famous family are known for heading to the south of France to enjoy a summer break year after year. And they were joined by second son, Romeo, 22 - who reportedly spent the afternoon zipping around the sea on a jet ski. Father, daughter and wife posed and smiled for the cameras as their boat - worth a reported £16 million - bobbed gently on the Mediterranean waters. The Daily Mail shared the sun-soaked snaps which made the family look like they had not a care in the world while enjoying the picturesque French weather. The calm image is in contrast to the stormy headlines that have haunted the Beckham family in recent months. A feud is said to have erupted between the family and eldest son Brookyln - who is married to American Billionaire heiress Nicola Peltz. Fans became concerned for the Beckhams after they noticed Brooklyn and his wife snubbed David during his 50th birthday celebrations in May. In subsequent months, there have been reports that Brooklyn and Nicola have clashed with his younger brothers - while other reports have suggested the family have been at odds since Nicola and her husband got married in 2022. There have also been shady comments and social media quips that have left fans reading into the smallest details for evidence of a feud. On Saturday, social media posts featuring Romeo and his younger sister Harper hinted they were glad to be in the sun and away from feud-fuelled headlines. The duo were spotted heading out for dinner in St Tropez and both cut casual appearances. Romeo was pictured wearing a red baseball cap, teamed with a round neck white sweater. Meanwhile Harper opted for a white hoodie with the word "Seven" emblazoned across the front of it. Both looked in high spirits as they enjoyed an evening out with their parents. While Vicky, Dave and their kids have been lapping up the sun in France, estranged son Brooklyn has been spotted in the UK - far from his Hollywood home. The couple took a leisurely stroll through a picturesque garden where they were spied by fans. Nicola took a candid photo of her husband by a quaint garden well, while they both opted for casual outfits for their trip. One sweet photo shows Brooklyn kissing Nicola as they pose in front of a mirror. Fans noted, however, that the couple enjoyed time in the UK while the rest of the Beckham family were abroad - raising speculation they may have coordinated their trip to avoid a run in.
