Why rosé under the tree may be the ideal gifting solution
While Provence rosé has a summertime association, Château Minuty’s versatility and elegant design make it perfectly suited to festive gifting.
What do you get for the person that has everything? It may be a cliché question, but it is one that remains nonetheless pertinent. As the final preparations are underway, there will be many asking precisely that question – often somewhat manically.
One option, in an era of easy purchasing and a resultant excess of stuff, is to buy something consumable. Rather than offer a further item to sit in a cupboard or – worse still – to regularly dust, you can purchase something to be loved on a temporary basis. Whether eating them, drinking them or even washing with them, they can represent a more thoughtful choice than another item.
That is why, of course, wine has long been such a popular gift. Yet a careful balance must be struck; it is a question of finding a bottle that both looks and tastes a cut above the usual.
A feast for the eyes
Provence rosé has visual appeal even in its most minimalist bottlings. It is no coincidence that the wines are almost invariably bottled in clear glass: the pale pink of wines of the region have enticed many consumers.
Château Minuty – as one of the preeminent producers of the region – has taken that approach with Rose et Or. The cuvée, whose name translates as pink and gold, is presented in a simple, elegant bottle, with the wine as the core focus.
Its colour reflects the name, as it has the subtle hints of gold that characterise high-quality Provence rosé. The bottle, meanwhile, reflects the flavour profile; it is a wine defined by elegance and delicacy. It amounts to a gift with suitable visual appeal to amount to something special.
For those that want a touch more ‘wow’ rather than delicate minimalism, Château Minuty 281 offers a festive gift with bolder visual impact.
The bottle itself is relatively minimal, simply bearing the cuvée’s name. Yet it is enrobed in a stroke of vibrant blue: the colour is Pantone 281. Placed in bold contrast to the delicately hued liquid within, it marks the wine as something special rather than another everyday bottle.
Backed up by quality
A beautiful bottle would be largely irrelevant, however, without quality to back it up. Certainly, if the wine inside is average, there is little chance the bottle will be selected again.
Partner Content
Fortunately, Château Minuty has the expertise to back up its visual flair. Since founder Gabriel Farnet discovered the site in 1936, four generations of his family have acquired the know-how to put themselves at the forefront of Provençal winemaking.
Oftentimes, that has had an environmental component. Since the very beginning, no herbicides have been used on the estate’s vines and in the years since, further progress has been made; for instance, sheep roam the vineyards as natural weed control while cover crops improve the soil structure. One upshot has been that Minuty has had high environmental value (HVE) status since 2019. In February 2025, it achieved HVE Level 3 (V.4), the most demanding version of the certification.
Yet the winemaking, too, is the result of high standards. Both Château Minuty Rose et Or and Château Minuty are made to exacting standards: the free-run juice of hand-harvested grapes fermented at cool temperatures for the best possible expression of Château Minuty’s Provence terroir. The core difference is in the plots: as the winery’s top expression, Château Minuty 281 is made using only the oldest and the finest clone of Grenache on the estate.
Château Minuty Rose et Or shows finesse and purity of fruit aromas – ranging from white-fleshed orchard varieties to tropical fruits – albeit marked by the terroir’s characteristic salinity.
Château Minuty 281, meanwhile, is a more structured wine, perfect for festive indulgence. Its flavours, ranging from floral to tropical notes, play out against a backdrop of minerality and salinity. Its fine wine credentials are in no doubt: earlier this year, François Matton took the award for Best Rosé in The Master Winemaker 100 thanks to the cuvée.
Rosé at the dinner table
With such quality-minded production, the two cuvées can also comprehensively refute the notion that rosé has no place at the winter table. Perhaps pairing them with a hearty winter stew would be unusual, but many of the indulgent dishes seen in the festive season match well with the Château Minuty wines.
One could turn to starters for the Rose et Or, for instance. The wine pairs well with oysters and prawns, as well as the simple indulgence of melon and Parma ham. It can stay on the table through the meal, however; it makes for an elegant accompaniment to berry sorbet.
Château Minuty 281, on the other hand has the structure to stand up to more potent flavours: lobster, risotto or even duck. With its structure and minerality, the wine can cut through many variations on Christmas indulgence.
Or, of course, one could be forgiven for saving a gift of Château Minuty for another occasion (perhaps when there are fewer visitors with which to share it).
After all, a rosé is for the whole year, not just for Christmas.
Related news
Non-vintage is ‘putting together a puzzle’ says Champagne Lallier
