#BlackOwnedWine: Week 1: La Fête Du Rosé Côtes De Provence 2018
“Been a long time, I shouldn’t have left you…” Hey guys. It’s been a minute since I’ve written. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll make it up to you. And I’m starting with a bang. For the next couple of weeks, I’m highlighting Black Owned Wines. And to kick off the series, I’m tasting a wine that I’ve dubbed the #RoseGoldOfRosé and that’s La Fête Du Rosé Côtes De Provence 2018.
La Fete Du Rose is from Saint-Tropez, Cotes De Provence. It is owned by Donae Burston. He is the CEO of the company. He’s based out of Miami, FL. He’s actually a Baltimore native but why get caught up in MINOR details. Forgive my subtle Baltimore shade. If you didn’t know, I’m from Miami so that’s why I’m being EXTRA right now.
ANYWAY, Donae has over 15 years in the luxury wines and spirits industry. Oh, you need the receipts? Ok: Dom Pérignon, Armand de Brignac, Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Belvedere, etc. I mean what more of a resume do you need to know that this man knows what he’s exactly what he’s talking about?!
Donae said that he created this Rosé out of a necessity to bring Rosé to ALL people. He was actually introduced to Rosé while hanging out in the south of France. Hold Up! How many of us WISH we could say that? “Oh ya know, I was just hanging out in the South of France and I was introduced to this wine called called Rosé”
At first he thought it was Zinfandel but was soon a believer in the power of the summer water. He couldn’t believe that Rosé wasn’t being marketed to people that looked like him. He would see campaigns for different Rosés that were being marketed to young white women hanging out at their pool in the Hamptons. He wasn't’t seeing himself reflected in those campaigns and so he decided to change that.
And in 2017, he happened to be hanging out at the Cannes Film Festival and who did he happen to start chatting up? Charles Moreau, the OWNER of Bertaud Beliu which is the OLDEST winery in Saint-Tropez. What a testament to NETWORKING, huh? I need to step up my skills cause the most chatting up someone anywhere has gotten me has been MAYBE two free glasses of Prosecco somewhere. MAYBE!
But enough about me… Charles and Donae’s connection in 2017 led to the launch of La Fête Du Rosé in the summer of 2019.
With that, let me get to my tasting notes.
Label: Rose Gold embossing! If you know me, you know that I LOVE Rose Gold and with ANY product I purchase, I will ALWAYS look to see if they have it in Rose Gold.
Eyes: Salmon, Copper hue
Nose:Peach, Apricot, Stone Fruit, Dried Cherry
On the Palate:Dry, Stone Fruit, Medium-Bodied, Long Finish, High Acidity
Varietal Breakdown: 80% Grenache, 14% Mourvédre, 6% Syrah
Food Pairings: Shellfish, Creamy Seafood Pasta, Grilled Chicken or Fish, Seared Scallops, BBQ
Price Point: $25-$27
After sipping this wine, there is one word to describe how I feel: LUXURIOUS! I feel like I was transported from my home in Bed-Stuy and am chilling on a yacht with Diddy and Mase in the shiny suit era of Bad Boy.
That’s the amazing thing about wine in general: it really is a way to TRAVEL IN A GLASS. La Fete Du Rosé literally translates to “The Rosé Party.” I feel like I’m AT a Rosé party when I drink this. Especially since we’ve all been cooped up during quarantine, I sip a wine like this and I can feel like I’m somewhere else for a little.
In addition to allowing me to get away for little, another good thing about this wine is that $2 from every bottle sold of La Fete Du Rose on their website will be donated to The Color of Change, a civil rights advocacy group. That’s amazing. I mean they are company still in it’s infancy and they are still trying to make a difference. That’s to be commended. Cheers to Donae and the whole team at La Fete Du Rose!
I’ll be back next week, sipping on another Black Owned Wine.
Until then, let me know if you’ve tried La Fete Du Rose and what you think of it below!
