A pioneer in many areas, Michel Chapoutier continues to promote wine to an ever-widening audience. He proves it again with Rouge Clair, a red wine that can be served over ice, to respond to new modes of catering and consumption
May 9th – For more than 400 years, it was the alcohol content that gave the impression of quality in a wine. The arrival of AOCs gave an additional hierarchy of quality. In the collective unconscious, we do not chill a red wine because we break its aromas and harden its tannins. Red wine, in particular, is therefore trapped in a certain snobbery from which it only asks to escape.
Once red wine is designed to be chilled, or even served on ice, all the benchmarks change and the wine can free itself from reductive codes. This is the case of this Rouge Clair which combines accessibility and quality and plays the uninhibited card.
Produced under the Vin de France denomination, which offers greater freedom, this first Rouge Clair 2023 is composed of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah. The grapes are subjected to lower vinification temperatures in order to obtain a less tannic red wine, with freshness and fruit, with a strength of 12.5°.
In a responsible approach to reducing waste, the capsule of this light red wine disappears in favor of a “bandule”, a contraction of strip and capsule, and the wooden cork is replaced by a stopper made from sustainable from sugar cane. As for the label, always written in Braille, it is thermochromic: the word “fresh” appears when the bottle is immersed in water at less than 12°.
ROUGE CLAIR lends itself to all current modes of consumption and catering. Aperitif dinner, platters to share in a wine bar, summer cuisine, etc… not very tannic, it can pairs meat as well as fish, just like exotic cuisine. Previously placed in the fridge, it is served in a “water seal” between 10° and 12. Rouge Clair therefore constitutes an excellent alternative to rosé.
About Maison Chapoutier
For more than 210 years, Maison M. CHAPOUTIER has produced the greatest wines while respecting the natural balances and the terroirs from which they are born. It took a new turn in 1990 with the arrival of Michel Chapoutier who notably introduced biodynamics to his estates.
An Earthling at heart, his passion for the terroirs defines his wine quest. A visionary, he unearths forgotten soils and unexpected places with the conviction of creating exceptional wines. Maison M. CHAPOUTIER is the owner of around ten Domaines throughout the world. It has also distinguished itself through its innovative and sharing- oriented initiatives such as the creation in 1996 of the first Braille labels or the establishment of the first competition for the Best Student Sommelier in Wines and Spirits of France to encourage vocations and perpetuate this profession of passion.
