Provence is more than just rosé, according to Maison Saint Aix
Maison Saint Aix has built up its reputation for rosé over 15 years. Now it is expanding to showcase more of Provence’s classic styles and winemaking potential. The post Provence is more than just rosé, according to Maison Saint Aix appeared first on The Drinks Business.
Maison Saint Aix has built up its reputation for rosé over 15 years. Now it is expanding to showcase more of Provence’s classic styles and winemaking potential.
Provence is known for many things: fields of lavender, quaint villages and tempting cuisine. Of course, you can add wine to that list. The southern French region is France’s oldest winegrowing area and has become the world’s premier source of rosé. Its combination of clear, sunny days, Mediterranean influence and diverse terroirs has proved ideal for producing pale, red fruit and spice-flavoured rosé.
Few would know that better than Maison Saint Aix. For 15 years, the producer has worked to craft a definitive Provence rosé, focusing on its single cuvée, AIX Rosé. The Maison makes use of one of the largest estates in Provence – 75 hectares – on which it grows Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault.
Those vineyards are well suited to the task. They sit at 450 metres elevation, among the highest in the Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence appellation. Thus, although the region's 300 annual days of sunshine give them warm days, the elevation and the Mistral wind help cool the vineyards, especially when night hits. The 2024 vintage, according to the winemakers, proves the benefit of that microclimate, balancing ripe red berry aromas with elegant, lively acidity.
A mixture of Rolle (the Provençal Vermentino), Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache Blanc, it blends aromas of citrus blossom, exotic fruits and ripe peach. This sits against a palate that still maintains minerality and Provence’s characteristic freshness and elegance.
The wine, of course, is perfectly suited to its home region in its food pairings too. The recommended matches include Provençal salads, grilled seafood and goat’s cheese. In short, it seems, everything you might need for a relaxed, al fresco evening.
These grapes are able to maintain their character thanks to the process of vacuum distillation. Among the many ways of making non-alcoholic wine, Quiles and his team felt that this method preserved as much of the original aromatic profile as possible and kept the wine’s pleasant texture. It also guards against oxidation, ensuring that the wine remains light and refreshing.
Although free of alcohol, BEAU VIVA has many of the flavours one would expect of Provence: grapefruit, strawberry, raspberry and orange zest. Enhanced by its mousse, it also has the same freshness quality one would expect from a Provence rosé.
Even though traditional rosé is the region’s hallmark, Maison Saint Aix is now ensuring that there are several ways to enjoy Provence’s wines. After all, whether a rosé fan or not, it is hard to resist sitting on a terrace on a bright, sunny day and sipping something cool and refreshing. Relaxing in a timelessly beautiful landscape with a glass of something delicious: what could be more Provençal than that?
Provence is known for many things: fields of lavender, quaint villages and tempting cuisine. Of course, you can add wine to that list. The southern French region is France’s oldest winegrowing area and has become the world’s premier source of rosé. Its combination of clear, sunny days, Mediterranean influence and diverse terroirs has proved ideal for producing pale, red fruit and spice-flavoured rosé.
Few would know that better than Maison Saint Aix. For 15 years, the producer has worked to craft a definitive Provence rosé, focusing on its single cuvée, AIX Rosé. The Maison makes use of one of the largest estates in Provence – 75 hectares – on which it grows Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault.
Those vineyards are well suited to the task. They sit at 450 metres elevation, among the highest in the Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence appellation. Thus, although the region's 300 annual days of sunshine give them warm days, the elevation and the Mistral wind help cool the vineyards, especially when night hits. The 2024 vintage, according to the winemakers, proves the benefit of that microclimate, balancing ripe red berry aromas with elegant, lively acidity.
Turning to history
Yet Provence is not just for rosé. The north of the region, in particular, has long been associated with white wine production. In the 10th century, monks at Montmajour were building the region’s renown for white wines. Maison Saint Aix is now continuing that tradition with a new white wine. Owner Eric Kurver has, since acquiring the estate in 2008, been laying the groundwork, with the expertise of winemaker Nicolas Quiles playing a crucial role. The higher elevation vineyards lend themselves to white wine production, and he has steadily planted white varieties and experimented with blending over the years. The result, AIX White, is now ready in a limited release for the maison’s loyal customers.
A mixture of Rolle (the Provençal Vermentino), Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache Blanc, it blends aromas of citrus blossom, exotic fruits and ripe peach. This sits against a palate that still maintains minerality and Provence’s characteristic freshness and elegance.
The wine, of course, is perfectly suited to its home region in its food pairings too. The recommended matches include Provençal salads, grilled seafood and goat’s cheese. In short, it seems, everything you might need for a relaxed, al fresco evening.
A new take on Provence
Behind the scenes, however, Maison Saint Aix was not just revitalising classic styles, but also working on something distinctly modern. After several years of development, it has now revealed BEAU VIVA, its first non-alcoholic release. The sparkling rosé expands Maison Saint Aix into the fast-growing no and low sector. Unsurprisingly, it has been developed with quality in mind. A rosé was the perfect way to nod to the winery’s hallmarks, but Maison Saint Aix chose to create a sparkling wine for the added structure that the effervescence lends. Of course, that combination of rosé and fizz also has a celebratory connotation, which also influenced the decision. Likewise, the grape varieties were chosen to ensure the best taste. Colombard, with a bright aromatic profile that survives alcohol removal, provides the backbone of the blend. A dash of Merlot, meanwhile, adds complexity and several of the key components: a lick of pink colour and aromas of strawberries and raspberries.
These grapes are able to maintain their character thanks to the process of vacuum distillation. Among the many ways of making non-alcoholic wine, Quiles and his team felt that this method preserved as much of the original aromatic profile as possible and kept the wine’s pleasant texture. It also guards against oxidation, ensuring that the wine remains light and refreshing.
Although free of alcohol, BEAU VIVA has many of the flavours one would expect of Provence: grapefruit, strawberry, raspberry and orange zest. Enhanced by its mousse, it also has the same freshness quality one would expect from a Provence rosé.
Even though traditional rosé is the region’s hallmark, Maison Saint Aix is now ensuring that there are several ways to enjoy Provence’s wines. After all, whether a rosé fan or not, it is hard to resist sitting on a terrace on a bright, sunny day and sipping something cool and refreshing. Relaxing in a timelessly beautiful landscape with a glass of something delicious: what could be more Provençal than that? 
