Pop princess Kylie Minogue is the latest celebrity to launch a southern French rosé, which will make its UK debut tomorrow to coincide with her 52nd birthday.
Made from a blend of 80% Carignan and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon from the southern French coast, the salmon pink Vin de France rosé was kept on its lees for three months in stainless steel for added complexity.
In an exclusive interview with db due to appear in our June issue, Minogue revealed that drinking Provence rosé during sweltering nights in Nashville while recording her 14th album, Golden, inspired her to want to make her own.
“It was exceptionally hot and humid that summer, and it was an exciting time, being in Nashville and writing songs with no distractions.
“While dining outdoors one night, my manager Polly and I were drinking Whispering Angel to cool down from the heat, which got me thinking how great it would be to have my own rosé. I love pale pink rosés and all the associations of the Mediterranean that go with them,” she told db.
The rosé was made in collaboration with celebrity wine supremo, Paul Schaafsma of Benchmark Drinks, the man behind Sir Ian Botham’s wine brand.
According to Schaafsma, the juicy and refreshing pale pink boasts notes of red berries and white blossom.
During a tasting session at Minogue’s London office to decide upon the blend, Schaafsma was immediately impressed by the singer’s tasting ability.
“She has a fantastic palate. She knew exactly what she liked when we went through the wines and picked out some really smart rosés,” he told db.
Kylie revealed to db that she’s not a fan of sweet wines. “I don’t like sugar in wines, which was one of the first takeaways for Benchmark during this process. I like complexity in wine but I don’t like wines that are too heavy.
“But you don’t want them too light either – they’ve got to have a bit of body, and an unexpected note in the wine is often appealing,” she said.
Keen to be involved in all stages of the production process, Kylie chose the wine’s long-necked, bell-shaped bottle finished with a pearlescent capsule.
She also designed the label featuring her name repeated in relief and her signature in black in the middle.
Minogue’s 2019 Vin de France Rosé will be launching exclusively in over 450 Tesco stores nationwide on 28 May with an RRP of £9 a bottle.
Later this summer Minogue will release a Côtes de Provence rosé from the 2019 vintage made from 50% Grenache, 40% Cinsault and 10% Rolle at the 27-hectare Château des Anglades west of St. Tropez.
Due to launch at the same time as her Provence pink are a further two wines – a lees-aged Sauvignon Blanc from Gascony and a Pays d’Oc Merlot. A high-end Chardonnay from Margaret River in western Australia is also in the pipeline.
Kylie is the latest star to express a passion for French pinks – earlier this month Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker launched a southern French rosé under her Invivo X brand, while rapper Post Malone released his own Provence pink.
An in-depth look at the rosé category will appear in the June issue of the drinks business, which also features an interview with Kylie Minogue.
