TICKLED PINK

On the opposite bank of the Rhône from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Dominic Rippon discovers another shade of rosé

- Dominic Rippon

When the ‘Think red, think Côtes du Rhône’ advertising slogan hit billboards in the late 1990s, it kick-started one of the wine world’s most successful marketing campaigns. It didn’t matter that Côtes du Rhône came in all three colours; about 90% of it was – and remains – ripe, grenache-based red. Above the Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône Villages appellations in the region’s quality pyramid, 16 superior cru villages make wines with their own unique identities, but only one of these, Tavel, has cru status for the exclusive production of rosé.

Tavel sits on the right bank of the Rhône, at the eastern-most point of the Occitanie region, in the Gard département. Across the river lies Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in Provence’s Vaucluse.