Our winery produces AOP Côtes de Provence red, rosé and white wines. The property, which occupies 175 hectares, is protected by 690 hectares of forest. It is located on the Triassic plateau and is composed of limestone soil from the Middle and Lower Jurassic, giving the wine of each cuvée a unique signature.
Find out more about white Provence wine:
What does the Côtes de Provence white appellation mean?
Côtes de Provence wine is produced within a controlled designation of origin and, on a large part of the vineyards of Provence, and more particularly in the Var.
The Côtes de Provence white wine offers a very beautiful pale yellow color with greenish reflections. The aromas perfectly summarise Provence; the nose is refreshingly composed with primary notes of citrus, grapefruit and lemon, and pine bark and thyme mingling with a small spicy touch. On the palate it offers a relatively supple attack, giving way to a generous and well-structured texture. The ideal serving and tasting temperature is 10°C.
Is Côtes de Provence white a good wine to offer?
Faced with the multitude of choices in terms of white wine, it is not always easy to choose, and it is certainly not easy to offer. Tastes and colours vary from person to person, especially when it comes to white wine. Be sure to please your guests with these interesting characteristics about white wine:
● The different kinds of white wine:
There are several varieties of white grape varieties such as Chardonnay, used among other things in the production of Champagne and Sauvignon Blanc, cultivated all over the world and which has aromas of green fruits, herbs, mint and apple. To name but a few, there is also Rolle (Vermentino), Sémillon and Ugni-blanc, which are very often used in the production of white Côtes de Provence.
Apart from the differences of each grape variety, we can also distinguish several kinds of white wines: sweet whites or fruity dry wines, such as Alsatian Gewurztraminer, powerful dry white wines, with a more intense taste and often aged in oak barrels, or finally, the light or semi-dry dry whites, which are more delicate with their fine citrus aromas.
● Notes of white wine:
Unlike red wine, the juice of white wine does not macerate with the skins and grains of the grapes, which explains why white wines are not tannic; that's less “rough” and more lively in the mouth. White wines known as "de garde" develop aromas with flavors of candied fruit, tobacco, straw or vanilla. The driest ones sometimes bring beautiful mineral notes and a hint of acidity, as well as a fruity and floral aromatic bouquet.
How to taste a white wine?
Taste a white wine in four stages: sight, nose, mouth and synthesis.
The sight: Observe the colour of the white wine through four criteria - the colour, the clarity, the brilliance and the fluidity. The colour shades of white wines can vary from straw yellow, green, pale gold, yellow, golden, old gold to light or dark amber. The clarity and shine are easier to define.
The nose of a white wine is divided into three main types of aromas: fruity or floral for the first, buttery and/or brioche for the second, and thirdly, honey or dried fruit which potentially reflects the aging of a white wine.
The palate: the attack, the mid-palate and the finish give you indications on the vivacity, namely a frank or supple attack, as well as its character and the presence of residual sugars in the white wine.
Summary: the balance of white wines is mainly analysed in terms of the acidity/alcohol/sweetness ratio.
What is the difference between organic and non-organic white wine?
Conventional white wine
● Cultivation and vinification do not respect the principles of organic or biodynamic agriculture. Synthetic chemicals and oenological inputs are authorised.
● Products authorised for a conventional wine: all chemical products such as insecticides, herbicides or other plant growth regulators, etc.
● Quantity of sulphites authorised for conventional white wine: up to 200 mg/l total SO2.
Organic white wine
● An organic wine comes from agriculture and vinification without synthetic chemicals. The main AB and Bio Europe labels guarantee this approach.
● The products authorised for the cultivation of the vine of an organic wine: chemical products of natural origin, but certain synthetic products are exceptions: slaked lime, paraffin oil and copper compounds such as hydroxide of copper, copper oxychloride, cuprous oxide, Bordeaux mixture and tribasic copper sulphate.
● An organic white wine can contain up to 150 mg/l total SO2 of sulphites.
What grape varieties are used for Côtes de Provence white wine?
Le Rolle: a white grape variety of Turkish origin that is found in particular in the Var. In Corsica and Italy, rolle goes by the name of Vermentino. Its clusters and berries, of medium size, turn from white to pink when it matures. It likes hot climates with dry and poor soils. Rolle gives fat, well-balanced and aromatic white wines, which may lack acidity.
Sémillon: a grape variety of Bordeaux origin. In Provence, it allows the development of great dry whites with low acidity, a lot of roundness and beautiful aromas of white flowers.
Ugni-blanc: originating in Tuscany, Italy, where it takes the name of Trebbiano Bianco. It appeared in France from the Middle Ages under the name of Ugni-blanc. This grape variety has a high yield that matures late. Its often used in blends to bring freshness from its acidity.
How are the grapes for a white Côtes de Provence grown?
Destemming and crushing: by carrying out these steps, you can then directly press the grapes to release the juice and separate it from the skin. Sometimes, cold skin maceration can be carried out in vats to extract maximum primary aromas contained in the skins.
Pressing: most of the time, the harvest is immediately placed in a press where the grape berries are crushed, in order to release the juice.
Settling: afterwards, the juice is placed in vats. There is still a lot of solid matter that must be removed. Settling helps to clarify the juice and avoid bad tastes emerging during fermentation.
Alcoholic fermentation: this is the moment when the sugars in the juice are transformed into alcohol by the action of yeast. This lasts about 10 days at a temperature around 20°C.
Ageing: the purpose of this is to clarify and stabilize the wine, to eliminate its faults and to bring it to full bloom. It can be done in stainless steel vats or in barrels depending on the type of wine desired.
Devatting: it separates the wine from its coarse lees. The last step is to bottle the wine.
What sulphites are used?
Most commonly sulfur sulphites, otherwise known as sulfur dioxide (SO2), sodium sulphite, sodium bisulphite or sulphiting agents.
What food and white wine pairings would you recommend?
With our AOP Côtes de Provence white wines such as our Grande Cuvée blanc 2016 , terrine of foie gras, turbot or Bresse chicken with chanterelle mushrooms.
With a white Berne Inspiration 2020, a grilled sea bass with vierge fennel sauce, seafood or a brandade de Nîmes. With a Terre de Berne white 2019, a scallop cappuccino, sea bream in a salt crust or cod with virgin sauce pairs perfectly. At Château Saint-Roux, the Pigeonnier blanc 2019 is an ideal wine as an aperitif, but also to accompany grilled fish. At UP, Ultimate Provence white 2021, also works well as an aperitif, but also with sea urchins or oysters...
When should you drink a white Côtes de Provence?
The white Côté de Provence goes perfectly with aperitifs, starters, main courses, cheeses or even desserts. An example menu: as an aperitif with a sea urchin, langoustine ravioli to start, grilled sea bass, with cheeses (Rocamadour) as a main course and walnut cake for dessert.
Are your white wines environmentally friendly?
Our organic wine estate is certified in organic farming. This approach is part of our commitment to protect our generous nature, just like the men who cultivate it. It is a way for us to access better and more natural terroirs, and, beyond that, it is a daily commitment to our environment and to the people who value it.
How long can we keep white wine from Provence?
Each wine evolves differently and the length of time it can be kept depends greatly on several aspects. These include the care taken by the winemaker in the vineyards and cellar, as well as and above all, on the terroir, the vintage, the region, the appellation and then lastly, the storage conditions of the bottle of wine. Their aging potential ranges from two to ten years; however, this can sometimes be more. After opening, on average, a white wine from Provence can be kept for three days in the fridge. Beyond this there is a risk of oxidisation upon contact with air.
What are the best white Côté de Provence vintages?
What you should know first of all is that in oenology, a vintage designates the year of the grape harvest and the production of a wine. It is an essential benchmark for assessing the quality of a wine. In the last few years, the best vintages in Côte de Provence white are 2015, 2017 and 2020, but 2019 is also a year to be remembered.
