Emily’s Wines of the Moment - September ‘25
I am starting this series to share with you some of the wines my husband Joe and I have brought home from our travels to France. I also hope that you’ll be able to learn something new along the way and be able to try some of these wines for yourself!
How do we bring wine home, you ask? Over the years, we’ve perfected it. For our honeymoon in 2023, I gifted Joe a VinGardeValise wine suitcase—on the outside it looks ordinary, but inside it holds 12 bottles snug in foam inserts. We fill the ‘slots’ up with toiletries and other items on the way to France, and quickly fill it up with 12 bottles of wine to take home!
The rest is a bit more adventurous! Years ago, my dad suggested finding boxes to bring wine home ourselves. That led us to discover special 12-bottle cardboard boxes used across Europe for wine and olive oil. Now, every trip includes a hunt for these boxes—at post offices, wine shops, even a truffle museum! With tape and Sharpies in hand, we assemble them ourselves and check them as luggage!
Now to the more important piece… my wines of the month!! I have for you one Rosé and one Red:
2022 Clos Cibonne 'Cuvée Caroline' Tibouren Rosé Côtes de Provence - This was a very unique Rosé and was a ‘souvenir’ from our visit to the winery in 2024 while we were staying in Cassis. It is run by a small family, and the Cuvée Caroline is named after the owners daughter. They had beautiful oak barrels and the Tibouren is a grape local to Provence. The rosé was a different color than the classic Provençal rosé (due to the grapes) - it was very dark rosé. It had complex flavors, which made it structured and full.
2015 Clos de l’Oratoire des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - Super!!! This wine is truly top notch - velvety, juicy, delicate just delicious. We visited this winery in 2023 and this was one of our most informative visits. Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which translates to The Pope’s New Castle, is about an hour drive from the villa we were staying at in Ménerbes. The story of this appellation is deeply rooted in papal history. In 1309, the Pope moved the papal court to Avignon, just a stone’s throw from today’s vineyards. Over the next 70 years, the “Avignon Popes” made their mark not only on the church but also on the wine world. It’s a reminder that even centuries ago, wine was woven into the culture and daily life of Provence.
We learned a lot about the AOC (Appellation d'origine contrôlée) regulations in Châteauneuf-du-Pape - more on AOC in another post! While there are regulations around the soil, grapes used, and barrels, Clos de L’Oratoire is also innovating a lot to combat the effects of climate change. They are planting more trees for shade, grass to bring in more oxygen, and rocks for better drainage.
We toured the entire estate, including the old monks quarters where they actually created a pipe system out of stone for olive oil production. The estate now uses this same system for the wine production!
This wine is truly a special treat!!
Will be back with more wine next month…
