Winemakers in Provence have cultivated their passion for crafting classic rosé wines for generations. From the Mediterranean coast to the foothills of the Alps, and from Aix-en-Provence to Nice’s Riviera, Provence’s vineyards stretch across approximately 195km.
2021 saw 167 million bottles of AOP wines produced (equivalent to 1,255,060 hl in volume), 91 per cent of which were rosé, 5% were red, and 4% white wine. The main grape varieties are Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Tibouren and Mourvèdre.
Compared with 2020, when budburst came particularly early, the growing season began around ten or even fifteen days later, depending on the areas. Key dates thus reverted back to those of a normal year.
April 7 and 8 have gone down in the vintage history of Provence wine.
The extremely rare frost event that occurred on those dates affected areas that had not experienced frost for fifty years, causing severe damage to the earliest ripening vines and a sudden stop in budburst on others.
However, serious damage for some winegrowers did not translate to widespread losses across the region.
From drought over the winter, a rainy spring and an extensive wildfire in August, which affected around thirty farms over the plains of Les Maures, to a minor frost event on 24August, 2021 was anything but plain sailing for winegrowers.
Despite the vagaries of the vintage, the crop turned out to be felicitous. The hot, dry summer was beneficial for winegrowers.
The fruit was healthy with average alcohol content and lovely acidity. Harvesting kicked off around August 20 for the coastal areas and the beginning of September for the others, ending in good conditions at the start of October.
On top of the quality, the 2021 harvest was also satisfactory from a volume perspective and was on a par with the five-year average. Production came in at 1,255,060 hl, equivalent to 167 million bottles, guaranteeing a marketing potential that will support the rate of growth for wines of Provence
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