The Mediterranean conjures images of beautiful blue oceans, fields of lavender, acres of olive or lemon trees, charming villages, passionate people with foreign accents, generous plates of food and wine glasses filled to the brim. While all of these would be accurate, the area along the Mediterranean coast consists of 22 countries across three continents and along a shared coastline of 46 000 km, so there is much more to "The Mediterranean" than anchovies and rosé.
Having said that, the Mediterranean is important to La Motte because of our connection to France's Provence province, exactly the spot for anchovies and rosé...
La Motte was named after the small village, La Motte-d'Aigues in Provence and our Vin de Joie Rosé wine is inspired by these famous, delicate pink Provençal wines. As Provence reaches along the coastline of the Mediterranean sea and the renowned French Riviera or Côte d'Azur, it is very much at the heart of the Mediterranean and therefore our inspiration for October is both because of our connection to the area and the fact that we are releasing the latest vintage of our Vin de Joie Rosé - a wine that just about loves each and every Mediterranean flavour on your plate!
A Wine of Joy
The 2025 Vin de Joie Rosé is a delicate shade of pink, varying between salmon and onion skin and in appearance, typical of a Mediterranean style rosé. The nose is slightly restrained, but with well-defined melon, grapefruit and nectarine as well as a charming hint of sweet candy floss. The palate has an exceptional velvety feel for a dry wine and offers a pleasing elegance with mineral complexity and a fresh aftertaste of ripe nectarine.
A blend of 69% Grenache, 18% Mourvèdre, 9% Cinsault and 4% Shiraz is the ultimate partner to summery salads, charcuterie and seafood.
A Plate of Joy
This summer, try some of these delicious salad recipes by Christine Capendale:
- Mediterranean pan grilled calamari salad with crispy capers, spring onion and tomato salsa.
- Chicken crunch salad with hummus dressing and toasted flaked almonds.
- Platter of asparagus, peas and Parmesan on a lemony crème fraiche.
- Beef Tagliata with oven roasted Roma tomatoes, avo, rocket and parmesan.
