Ep 467: The Greats -- Tavel of the Rhône Valley
Wine for Normal People
Wine for Normal People
4.6 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 28 March 2023
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Hailing from the southern Côtes du Rhône, Tavel is a 100% rosé AOC and is one of the only rosé only AOCs in France. It is the darkest rosé made and it is in a different class of wine, more similar to the clairets of old (light reds) than the rosés of the modern day.
Photo: Chateau de Trinquevedel, Credit Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Importer
Located across the Rhône from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, just north of Avignon this small region makes what many writers have called a fourth type of still wine. These wines are dark in color, and bold in flavor with bright minerality, a touch of tannin, a round body, and intense fruit and herbal notes. Using a blend of uniquely Rhône grapes, it relies not just on reds but on whites, which are co-fermented to generate complexity and maintain acidity. Unlike many rosés, these wines can age for years or decades and improve with time.
With multiple soil types, and a legacy that dates back to the Avignon Popes, this wine is no ordinary rosé. It deserves its place among the greatest wines in the world, and after you hear this (and taste the wine) you’ll be sure to agree!
Full show notes with producers and links are now exclusively available on Patreon! Become a member today!
Sources used:
Rosés of Southern France by Elizabeth Gabay and Ben Bernheim
Syndicat Viticole de l’Appellation Tavel
Elizabeth Gabay MW on what makes Tavel rosé so different, The Buyer
Wines of the Rhône by Matt Walls
_________________________________________________________
I could not be happier to announce my partnership with Wine Access, once again. The best, wine the best selection – this is where people in the wine industry shop for wine! Go to www.wineaccess.com/normal to sign up for my wine club with WA or go to www.wineaccess.com/wfnp to see my latest favorite wines and get 10% your first order. Support Wine Access – their support allows you to keep listening to the show at no cost! Click here to sign up!
If you think our podcast is worth the price of a bottle or two of wine a year, please become a member of Patreon... you'll get even more great content, live interactions and classes! 
www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople
To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Wine for Normal People, the podcast for people who like wine, but not the snobbery |
| 0:12.6 | that goes with it. |
| 0:13.9 | I'm your host, Elizabeth Schneider, author of the Wine for Normal People Book, and certified |
| 0:20.1 | wine dork. |
| 0:21.1 | And I'm MC Ice, just a wine-loving normal person. |
| 0:24.1 | The podcast is sponsored by Wine Access. |
| 0:26.2 | Wine Access is my go-to source for awesome wines at great prices. |
| 0:31.8 | Go to wineaccess.com slash normal to join my wine club at wineaccess.com slash WFNP to |
| 0:38.8 | see the wines that I'm drinking right now. |
| 0:40.8 | Listen in the middle of the show for more details. |
| 0:42.7 | You don't want to miss out. |
| 0:44.9 | So today we have another one in the great series. |
| 0:49.7 | As we think about the greats, probably this will be one of the only rosés. |
| 0:54.5 | We'll definitely talk about Provence Rosé. |
| 0:56.4 | I think that deserves a place, especially from some of the best producers. |
| 1:00.7 | But in my years of teaching the rosé class, which I do teach every year, and mostly it's |
| 1:06.9 | just so that I can drink the rosé, because most of the classes do fill up, and I love |
| 1:11.6 | you guys for it, because you're taking classes. |
| 1:13.2 | Oh, you could have zero people sign up and you would still teach the class. |
| 1:15.9 | I will be there. |
| 1:16.9 | Yeah. |
| 1:17.9 | If you don't want to be there, I will be there. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Wine for Normal People, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Wine for Normal People and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.