I’m feeling a tad guilty, to be honest. There’s been an awful lot of talk about ‘dupes’ of late, especially when it comes to premium, Provençal rosé so I thought it was time to extol the virtues of these high class originals - especially since many of the new 2024 vintage wines are are absolutely banging. Here are what are arguably the most famous names in Provençal rosé that you need to try this summer:
Aix
Aix has become a cult classic in recent years thanks to its easy to spot label, the fact that it comes in affordable party sized magnums, it’s been reliably good every vintage AND the juice is utterly delicious. Often slightly more peachy and fruity than the more coastal Provence pinks, this vintage is showing some fabulous white peach and nectarine flavours still with a characteristic mineral twang.
Find Maison Saint Aix, ‘Aix’ Coteaux D’Aix en Provence Rosé 2024 £18 (£16.50 mix 6) at Majestic
Mirabeau
Maison Mirabeau founders Stephen and Jeany Cronk left everything they knew in London to set up Mirabeau in the prettiest part of Provence. Cut to 2025 and they’re running a hugely successful and much loved lifestyle brand. From fun cans for picnics to posh, gastronomic wine styles via regenerative farming, organics and even a sparkling, there’s a style to suit every palate and now, a recipe book to match! I love the Pure with its creamy weight and texture, making it a great food pairing option - and I can’t get enough of the water-look bottle either. Simply stunning AND available in magnums. Summer parties await…
Find Mirabeau Pure Côtes de Provence Rosé 2024, £17 from Waitrose
Miraval
Miraval was always a firm favourite of the wine geeks long before its global shoot to fame when Brad and Angelina bought it. The wine itself is made by the legendary Perrin family, so it’s the real deal. Think perfectly pale, rose petal pink wine with notes of white blossom and subtle, wild strawberry. Fun fact: there is a music studio here and it’s where Pink Floyd recorded The Wall. Could it get any cooler?
Find Château Miraval, Côtes de Provence Rosé 2024, £18 at Tesco
Whispering Angel
Ah, Whispering Angel. The first pink to capture and our hearts and imaginations with its evocative name and highly instagrammable packaging. It’s a truly beautiful thing. What’s inside is pretty darn good too, though the quality has gone up and down in recent years as the estate expanded. The 2024 vintage feels like its getting back on track however, showcasing that famously salmon pink hue and well balanced notes of ripe, red berries, rosehip and a whiff of clove spice. It’s decadence in a glass and I love it.
Find Whispering Angel, Caves D’Esclan Rosé 2024, £22.50 at Tesco or Sainsburys
Amistà
A collaboration in Provence between the famous Ariane de Rothschild and Château de l’Aumérade, this is a Grand Cru rosé, meaning that its one of only 23 estates in the Côtes de Provence AOC to be granted a special quality status based on basically being consistently excellent year after year. Amistà means friendship in Occitan, which suits this collaboration beautifully and what’s in the glass certainly brings the elegance to the table. A textural, almost creamy rosé with a pale peach colour, notes of citrus and a cool, mineral core.
Amistà Cru Classé, Château de l”Aumerade Rosé 2024, £29 Waddesdon Wine
Domaines Ott ‘Clos Mireille’
Domaines Ott is known in wine circles as the grandfather of what Provençal rosé is today thanks to its founder, Marcel Ott who founded the domaine after moving there from Alsace in 1896 and deciding to revive the wine culture that was still struggling after the phylloxera epidemic. Cut to today and now the Domaine has three locations across Provence making premium red wine and rosé wine. Their Clos Mireille is always stunning. A gastronomic style with a silky, almost honeyed texture, subtle, herbaceous notes, crisp acidity and a slick of saline running through it.
Domaines Ott, Clos Mireille Rosé 2024, £39 Fortnum & Mason
Château Galoupet
Now, Château Galoupet is a very special place and it makes a very special wine. Another Cru Classé, the estate has been around since the 18th century but its history has been very up and down. Lucky, it found a new family in 2017 and the owners have restored the vineyards and reforested the land, bringing the whole ecosystem back into balance. Today it makes impressively age-worthy organic wines that are linear and steely with complex flavours of peach skin and nuts. This is partly thanks to the special attention paid to the indigenous Tibouren grape in the blend.
Find Château Galoupet, Cru Classé de Provence 2023 Organic Rosé, £54 (£47 mix 6) at Majestic
Minuty
Anyone lucky enough to head the annual Cannes Lions Festival will not have escaped the rivers of beautiful pink wine being offered by Saint-Tropez-based Chateau Minuty. With four premium rosés to choose from, 281 is their flagship, dressed in deep blue wax. It’s hand made as a real fine wine from tiny yields of old vine Grenache blended with Syrah. The result is a complex, textured and flavoursome pink with ridiculous finesse. It really showcases how good gastronomic Provençal rosé can get. Fun fact: 281 is the pantone reference of the blue wax colour. Enjoy!
Minuty 281 by Château Minuty Rosé 2024, £49.95 House of Malt, £62.99 Selfridges