We started touring ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Michigan the night before after having dinner as we wandered about.  In the morning, we drove back downtown, to continue what we hadn’t seen the night before.  We also made an excursion to the Grand Rapids Art Museum, as we always enjoy seeing art museums in other cities when we have the chance and the time.  We also wanted to go back to the JW Marriott hotel to take another look at the display of dresses made from pages of books like from Harry Potter and also from the Princess Bride, among others. While we were there, so was the artist and she was not only helping my Bride, but several other people that were trying to electronically vote and were having difficulty voting.  It seemed that everyone we talked to, had the same problem.  By that time, we had worked up a thirst, and there was a restaurant and wine bar in the hotel called Margaux and a very suitable name for a wine bar.  One of the Grand Cru Communes in Bordeaux is Margaux as well as well as the famous Chateau Margaux; and rumor has it, that Margaux Hemmingway was conceived after her parents had a magnum of Chateau Margaux.

My Bride had worked up a thirst and she wanted something festive and bubbly, so she had a glass of Rivarose Brut Prestige Rosé Mediterranée IGP NV.  Mediterranée IGP is a large area covering Provence and part of the Rhone Valley, Loire, and Corsica; and wines are a major part of the culture and economy of the region.  A large proportion of this designation is rosé wines that are beyond the scope of the AOC wine laws.   This region was previously classified as Vin du Pays, but was changed in 2009, because of a poor consumer image.  The wine was formerly bottled and labeled as Royal Provence Rivarose Brut.  Rivarose is the oldest effervescent wine company in the Mediterranée region, founded in 1909, and they produce alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.  Created by Edmond Thery, a famed economist who had a passion for effervescent wines.  For about thirty years, they assisted Champagne houses until the strict delimitation of production areas; and they created their own wines.  The winery has two-hundred-forty-thousand acres under vine and they use the distinctive Provence style bottle, created, and patented back in the 1920’s.  The wine is a blend of Syrah and Grenache and always harvested at night.  The grapes undergo maceration after pressing to extract maximum aromatic intensity.  The juice then undergoes fermentation and then aged for several months using the Charmat MethodL.  A soft coppery-rose colored wine with fine bubbles that offered notes of predominately strawberry and raspberry.  On the palate tones of red fruits, spices, soft and fine mousse.  A delightful and refreshing wine for the day.

I also had a rosé wine of Les Vignerons du Mont-Ventoux Cuvee des 3 Messes Basses Ventoux 2021.  Ventoux is a large district, southeast of the southern Rhone, bordering Provence, and was known as Cotes de Ventoux until 2009 and known for their rosé wines.  Mont-Ventoux towers over the region, and is referred to as the “Giant of Provence” and is part of the Alps Mountain range.  Wine has been recorded from this region since the First Century AD.  In 1924, the winegrower families created a cooperative “Les Vignerons du Mont Ventoux,” and now has one-hundred-twenty winegrowers comprising of one-thousand-hectares of vineyards and certified sustainable.  The wine is a blend of fifty percent Clairette and fifty percent Grenache Blanc.  Cuvee des 3 Messes Basses (3 Low Masses) was named from a short story penned by the Provencal author Alphonse Daudet who wrote about the grapes harvested on the slopes of the mountain.  The grapes are completely de-stemmed, undergo pneumatic pressing and cold settling of the must and an Initial Fermentation for three weeks.  The Malolactic Fermentation is inhibited to retain brightness and freshness.  The juices are aged separately and aged for a couple of months in vats, before blending and bottling.  The pale coppery-rose colored wine offered notes of peaches, citrus, and white florals.  On the palate tones of citrus and peach, with a crisp, supple feel.  Perfect for a summer day.