Sitting here staring at the freshly re-snow-capped peaks of France’s Southern Alps, which received a splendid late-April dusting Saturday evening, I still can’t help thinking about my next glass of rosé. I suppose it’s because I’ve been away from humid Houston for only a week. Then again, who said pink wine has to be seasonally specific, never mind geographically correct?

But geography, to be sure, does play a role because it’s impossible to not think about sipping rosé when you’re anywhere in the sunny South of France. This is the epicenter, no two ways about it. Note the photo below. That’s the rosé section in my neighborhood supermarket, which serves a town of about 3,500 people. And those are all French rosés, too. Pink wines from other locales would only provide unnecessary redundancy.

And one learns French rosé’s pecking order by studying the pricing structure of the “house” offerings, sold under Casino’s “Club des Sommeliers” brand. (Casino, by the way, is the store’s name; it’s NOT a gambling joint.) The Bandol is the only one that costs more than $12 a bottle, so the across-the-board value in this lineup is superb. Some sell for less than $5.

My go-to French rosés all come from the following neighborhoods. Look hard enough and you’ll find wines representing all of them in Houston.     

* Bandol – Mourvèdre, a grape that is said to need its head in the sun and its feet in the sea to fully express itself, is the prominent grape from this relatively small but prestigious costal region, where about 4,000 acres are under vine. These rosés tend to be more age-worthy and possess more nuanced layers of flavor. They are also darker in color than the grenache- and syrah-centric pink wines that dominate the rest of Provence.

* Côtes de Provence – It’s the largest of the southern AOCs, with some 50,000 acres under vine and 352 wineries plus 38 cooperatives producing 116 million bottles annually, more than 90 percent of which are rosé. Within the AOC, there are five designated sub-regions (DCGs): Sainte-Victoire in the west below the famed Mont Sainte-Victoire, Fréjus to the west of Cannes, LaLande along the coast just to the east of Toulon and the land-locked Notre Dame des Anges and Pierrefeu in the heart of the Var.  

* Coteaux de Aix-en-Provence – To the north and west of the town of Aix-en-Provence, it’s home to more than 10,000 acres of vineyards, 73 wineries and 12 cooperatives in the gorgeous countryside that Cézanne immortalized with his paintings, many of the aforementioned Mont Sainte-Victoire.

*Coteaux Varois – More than nine out of every 10 bottles from this hilly, calcareous sub-region of Provence are rosés. Twenty-eight communes surrounding the town of Brignoles (once home to the counts of Provence)  plus 11 cooperatives produce about 18 million total bottles of wine annually.  

* Luberon – Named for the mountain ridge that straddles the most evocative part of Provence, it’s perfectly situated between the Côtes du Rhone and the Côtes de Provence. Rosés account for about 40 percent of the wines made with grenache and cinsault the most prominent varietals in the blends.    

* Ventoux – It borders the Luberon to the west and, of course, surrounds the famous wind-whipped peak of the same name, the highest point between the Alps and the Pyrenees and the site of many epic Tour de France battles.  

* Corsica/Ile de Beauté – About 70 percent of the wines produced in Corsica, which may be part of France politically but often look more toward Italy emotionally, are rosés because that’s what the island’s vacationers most want to drink while on holiday. Grenache is widely planted, but two indigenous grapes, niellucciu and sciaccarellu, are moving to the fore in the making of the island’s unique pink wines.  

Kudos

Quilceda Creek, the Snohomish, Wash., winery known for its world-class cabernet sauvignon, recently released its first and – the winery insists – its last white wines for the sole purpose of raising funds for José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen “Chefs for Ukraine” program.

The Horse Heaven Hills Sauvignon Blanc and the Columbia Valley White, both 2020 vintages, sold out in less than hour after being offered to wine club members in a lottery April 20. The sale of the 80 cases (paired two-packs went for $250 each) plus a personal contribution from Quilceda Creek’s president and director of winemaking Paul Golitzin brought in $300,000 to support World Central Kitchen, which has been operating in 12 Ukranian cities and at eight border crossings into Poland since soon after the Russians’ brutal, unprovoked invasion began. It’s also providing produce and dry goods to restaurants around the country to supplement a horribly strained food supply chain.

“José Andrés and the work he’s doing with World Central Kitchen is a true beacon of what can be accomplished for the sake of humanity,” Golitzin said.” Today, the journey that so many displaced Ukrainians face is daunting, with countless individuals and families traveling for days without food. We are humbled to be able to support Chef Andrés and his team who have been working around the clock to serve thousands of meals every day.”

For a “rookie” white winemaker, Golitzin succeeded spectacularly, it would seem. Vinous awarded his white blend 97 points and the sav blanc 95. Nonetheless, he insists they will be one-off offerings only.

Quilceda Creek was founded by Golitzin’s parents, Alex and Jeannette, in 1978 with the first vintage released in 1979. Alex’s inspiration came from his many visits to Napa Valley in his youth. It seems his maternal uncle was a fellow named André Tchelistcheff, arguably the dean of American winemaking. Paul joined forces with his dad as winemaker in 1992.

Sippin’ with Sporty

White

* 2019 McBride Sisters “The Great Escape” Reserve Chardonnay – From the Santa Lucia Highlands not far from Monterey Bay, it’s an elegant under-oaked California chard. The devil you say! A beautiful wine with its superb minerality and a beautiful back story. Re the label, Robin McBride explains: “When I was a baby, my mom drove our bright red Volkswagon bug up the Pacific Coast Highway from LA to a small town called Monterey. This is where I fell in love with vineyards and winemaking.” $49.99 at mcbridesisters.com

Rosé

* 2020 Domaine de Mourchon Loubié – I’ve drunk more of this rosé, from Seguret in the Côtes du Rhone, than any other pink wine. It’s not even close. The Loubié  never disappoints and it’s still under $19 at Spec’s. At the winery, where I’m happily headed this week, it’s under $10. Woo hoo!!!  domainedemourchon.com  

Red

* 2016 Duchman Family Vineyards Aglianico – Speaking of wines that never disappoint, this Tex-Italian gem can hold its own with the best Italy’s Campania has to offer. It ain’t braggin’ if it’s true, right? Chewy tannins and juicy cooked red fruit take center stage. $40 at duchmanwinery.com

 H-town Happenings

* Wine and Cheese pairing workshop, benefiting Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Thursday, April 28. SERCA Wines Tasting Room. www.sercawines.com

* Sonoma County Wine Fest – Kemah Boardwalk, Kemah. Saturday, April 30. https://sonomawinegrape.org

* Brenners on the Bayou Wine Fest – Saturday, May 7. www.brennersfest.com

Follow me

* Twitter: @sportywineguy

* Instagram: sportywineguy

* Facebook: Dale Robertson

* Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy

Folks to follow

And their recent postings:

* Sandra Crittenden (winelifehouston.com) – Sandra examines the many wines made from the pinot grigio/pinot gris grape.  

* Russ Kane (vintagetexas.com) – Russ suggests a stop at Hye Meadow Winery in the Hill Country, where the 2017 Boooom red blend was made. It’s the wine that won top Texas honors in the 2022 Houston Rodeo Uncorked International Wine Competion.  

* Jeff Kralik (thedrunkencyclist.com) – Jeff offers up the best “random samples” for under $20 that he has tasted recently.

* Jeremy Parzen (dobianchi.com) – My podcast partner in crime brags – justifiably – about his wine list at Roma having earned the Villa Sandi Best Contemporary Wine List Award from the Gambero Rosso, which recently visited Houston for a big trade tasting at Minute Maid Park. But, sadly, Parzen is no longer affiliated with the Italian restaurant in Rice Village.   

* Katrina Rene (thecorkscrewconsierge.com) – In honor of Earth Day, Kat raises a glass to sustainably produced wines from five different regions.