It's shaping up as a beautiful rosé weekend

There are several big events coming up this weekend and next for wine explorers, starting with Saturday’s rosé tastings from 3-5 p.m. at Andover Classic Wines in the Shawsheen Plaza. Manager Andrea DiFiore always has a nice selection of the newest and fascinating wines from California, France and Italy, so you don’t want to miss out on this event.
DiFiore told me she’ll be displaying 14 rosés, most of them dry. Make sure you taste the Banshee Pinot Noir Rosé which is full of fruit flavors and incredibly smooth. Plus it’s dry as a bone.
Dry rosé is one of my new favorites, now that I’ve experienced several products made in the historic region of Provence in southeast France. Actually, the biggest buzz this season is emanating from Provence, where the A-List couple of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are turning out their first rosé vintage after purchasing the Chateau Miraval for $60 million in 2012.
The couple, working with the Perrin family of the legendary Chateau de Beaucastel, have taken wine-making seriously and upgraded the Miraval estate and its vineyards. The result was a 2012 debut wine — Jolie-Pitt & Perrin Cotes de Provence Rosé Miraval — that won rave reviews. Wine Spectator  gave it a 90-point rating and selected it as a Top 100 Wine of 2013.
The 2013 effort, as reviewed in Wine Spectator’s June edition, received a very satisfying 89 points. The article says it is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah and Rolle (Vermentino in Italy) and costs about $30.
I have not tried the Pitt-Jolie rosé but I will when it starts moving onto shelves at local stores. DiFiore is expecting an allotment to arrive in the weeks ahead. Richard Rourke, of Tutto Bene Wine & Cheese Cellars in downtown Lowell, is also expecting a shipment and tells me if might be in this weekend.