Summer Love and White Wine from Roussillon #FrenchWinophiles

Summer Love is a thing, scientists have researched how people fall in love differently in the summer than at other times of the year.  For me, summer flings were a time to get to know someone quickly, but by fall, it was time to get more serious and settle down.  That's what I think about exploring wine, especially in the summer.  I always have a fling with white wine during these hot summer months.

This summer I am spending my fling time exploring the white wines from the Roussillon area of France.  The area is near the Spanish border and has three rivers that dissect the area.  I have fallen in love with this Chardonnay from Cavalier & Sons.  The wine has all the summer goodies of apple, peach, and soft butter. I also get a little pear on the finish. It is light and well balanced.  A good chill makes this a beautiful summer wine. I found it for $9 at my local wine shop, which is a wine price I can do over and over. Nothing like a summer fling with the French!

If you aren't a big fan of Chardonnay, you can find these white grapes in Roussillon:

Grenache Blanc
Grenache Gris
Macabeu or Maccabéo
Malvoisie du Roussillon (Tourbat)
Muscat à petits-grains
Muscat d’Alexandrie:
Marsanne
Roussanne
Vermentino or Rolle
Viognier

Although I prefer to have my love all by myself, I did pair this wine with a meal and shared it with my husband.  He grilled a pork loin with BBQ sauce, steamed broccoli, and home fried potatoes. The wine is a perfect balance to the spicy BBQ and enhances the butter-topped broccoli.  Beautiful.

So while I am enjoying this wine all I can this summer, I don't think I will completely end this relationship in the fall.  This is a delicious Chardonnay at a very reasonable price, and it is French.  Buy it by the case, you won't be sorry.

Check out all these other delicious white wine and pairings from Roussillon and join us on Twitter for a chat Saturday, July 18th. You can follow us using the hashtag #Winophiles. But if you have a comment we would love to hear from you, don’t be shy! The chat starts at 8am PDT (17:00 in France).

Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla tells us about “A Summer Pairing: Salade Niçoise + Bila-Haut Côtes du Roussillon Blanc 2017“.

Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm pairs “American Bay Scallops with French Roussillon Blanc”.

Cindy at Grape Experiences shares “A Perfect Al Fresco Lunch in Roussillon: Domaine d’Aussières Chardonnay 2018 and Creamy Crab Quiche”.

Jeff from foodwineclick presents “Banyuls Pet-Nat with Treats à La Buvette”.

Allison and Chris from ADVineTURES discuss “Domaine Lafage Cuvée Centenaire: The Essence of Rousillon”.

Melanie at Wining With Mel tells us about her “Adventures in Roussillon white wines” #Winophiles.

Linda from My Full Wine Glass explains “A Dry Roussillon blanc turns my thoughts toward chicken”.

Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “M. Chapoutier’s Cotes du Roussillon Blanc Paired with Halibut Baked in Lemon Butter #Winophiles “.

Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles talks about “Snow capped Pyrenees to the Mediterranean Sea – exploring the stunning and diverse Roussillon wine region”.

Cathie from Side Hustle Wino shares “Why You Will Love the White Wines of Roussillon“.

Lauren at The Swirling Dervish blog tells us about “Biodynamics and the Butterfly Effect: A Labor of Love in Roussillon”.

Susannah from Avvinare shares “Muscat de Rivesaltes – A Marvel from Roussillon”.

Payal at Keep the Peas whips up “Northern Thai Food and a Roussillon Muscat”.

Katrina from Corkscrew Concierge “An Exploration of Roussillon White Wines”.

Nicole at Somm’s Table has “Fun with Ramen & Saint-Roch Cotes du Roussillon Vieilles Vignes Blanc”.

And here on Savor the Harvest I share “Distinctive Roussillon White Wines for your Buy List”.