Rosé and summer go swell together.  Consider adding this one to your long weekend activities.

Rosé is the best known style of wine from Bandol – a tiny wine region on the French shores of the Mediterranean.  Bandol is part of Provence where the difficult-to-grow Mourvèdre grape is king.

Also known as Mataro or Monastrell, depending on where you’re growing and drinking it, Mourvèdre is difficult to ripen completely because it requires a long, extremely dry growing season.  In addition, the evenings must be cool so the grapes aren’t overly sweet and the wines too alcoholic.

There are not too many parts of the world where it grows well – but it is well suited to Bandol and the Southern Rhône Valley, as well as Paso Robles, Australia and its native land, Spain.

The Bronzo family owns this Bandol-based winery perched on the shores of the Mediterranean between Marseilles and Saint-Tropez.

On the eyes, it’s the colour of orangey-pink salmon with a rhubarb, pink grapefruit, and herbed strawberry nose.

The palate is creamy and dry with juicy acidity and flavours of more strawberry juice and fresh rhubarb with dried thyme, more pink grapefruit and crushed rock.

WSET Good Plus, this wine could be laid down for a couple of years for additional development. Drink it with anything, all day long – and consider serving it with salmon.