The Gourmet Gazette returns to one of its fine wine finds of the year with the splendid wines of Divineo whose vineyards are in central southern France but whose oak ageing casks are in Burgundy, imparting a uniqueness to these wines that make them holiday hits, or any time of the year hits. Take the Grenache Vieilles Vignes 2022 which as its name implies emanates from old vineyards, 70-year-old vineyards imparting upon the wine its heady taste and an intense garnet-color and a deep flavor that is sublimed by roast lamb with Provençal herbs. The wine, with its unique grape variety of Grenache rouge, has been aged for 20 months in an oak cask and it is heady. So if you are game for game, this is an excellent choice as well for pheasant or venison. And the bonus, this wine can be carefully kept in the cellar for at least a decade.

Another one of our favorite Divineo wines is the Éclipse Blanche 2022. This is a rare wine, a special wine for this is a Blanc de Noirs, in other words red grapes of the black Grenache variety, worked into a white wine which gives it an exceptionally rich taste clearly enabling it to hold up to poultry or fish in rich sauces. However, this is perfect with the cheese course as white wines are becoming increasingly popular with French cheeses. A rich goat cheese or a veined cheese like Roquefort are perfect alibis for this lovely and lively wine. Divineo’s Fusion Rouge 2022 brings together black Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault grape varieties for a flowery bouquet. Which while it can be served with a meat course, it is perfect with a dessert revolving around red fruits. Divineo suggests nothing less than a pavlova, one of those tried and true old time meringue desserts, a pavlova of berry fruits and vanilla flavored whipped cream.

Meanwhile the vineyards of Divineo, spreading out over 50 acres (20 hectares) in Saint-Mamert-du-Gard in central southern France, are located on the edge of a forest in a protected valley where coolness is the order of the day thanks to the famous Mistral wind and the Cévennes mountains and a plentiful water supply. The result being that the level of alcohol remains on the lower side, 12.5 degrees on average, unlike many wines of the southern reaches that rise to 14 percent or beyond. The hand harvested grapes then make their way to several different winemakers in Burgundy where they are aged in oak casks with local yeasts and hardly any sulfur. Because of this unique blending of two winemakers (the grape grower with one of the winemakers in Burgundy) is why Divineo calls itself a wine brand created by four hands.

You can visit Divineo’s website and you might want to think about joining their wine club, appropriately dubbed the Club des Affranchis which can be loosely translated as club of the free folk. For the end of the year holiday season Divineo is proposing a discovery case of the 2022 vintages of Fusion Blanche, Éclipse Blanche, Insolente Grenache, Fusion Rouge, Syrah de Robiac and the sublime Pétale de Grenache, a delectable macerated rosé. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. https://vindivineo.com/en/home-english/