The only research center in the world
only dedicated to rosé wines !

THE MOST DIFFICULT WINE TO VINIFY

Work in the Centre du Rosé started in 1999, with vinification, the distinctive colour of rosé requiring specific precautions, different from the other two colours.

Today, our work on vinification is still decisive, and continues to develop, whereas the notions of quality, terroir, grape variety and tending the vines are the objects of constant discovery.

Studies on the vine and on the grapes have been carried out in parallel with consumer’s observations and their expectations, which are as numerous as the vast quantity of exported wines.

The Centre and its figures

2019

15
programmes
1
jury
of experts
2
books
9
employees
19
members
20
companies
24 912
analyses
30
publications
250
rosé wines
800 000
euros annually
234
specimens
12
trainees / year
4
million euros invested

Why the ‘Centre du Rosé’ ?

  • To provide wine growers of Provence with technical references, and thus to constitute a showcase of quality requirements, which is the source of its success with consumers.

  • Vinifying rosé wine requires perfect knowledge of terroir, raw material and the production target.

  • Vinifying rosé wine requires great technicality in the preparation, at key points, with rapid decision-making. As the volume of wine increases, technical advice is multiplied and diversified.

  • The ‘Centre du Rosé’ is always committed to strengthening the status of rosé wine : demonstrating its link with terroir, clarifying the making process, validating its analytical identity, inventing the tasting vocabulary … all this objective evidence to enhance the reputation of Provence rosé wine.

Why in Provence?

  • A handful of visionary wine growers saw the amplitude that rosé wine was going to take.

  • Provence was already the number one region of rosé in France in 1999. So the obvious choice was to set up the Centre in the heart of this specialized wine growing area.

  • There is a demand for excellence in the vineyard, which is why a tool was necessary to help progress in satisfying this demand.

Provence is the first region of France in the production of rosé wine: 156 million bottles AOC, 42% of the national production and 6% of rosé wines in the world !

The wine growing area of Provence is the only one to produce 89 % of rosé wines.

(CIVP figures – 2016)

Outils

THE EXPERIMENTAL
CELLAR

A miniature house for vinification : all the apparatus is miniaturised : crusher, press, filter, vats… The scale of work is around 100 times smaller than conventional vinification units.

It enables the faithful reproduction of “large volumes” and the rigorous standardization of the vinification procedure. Every year, the Centre du Rosé cellar creates 250 rosé wines corresponding to the different research projects.

ANALYSIS
LABORATORY

The laboratoires are equipped with all the general material necessary for its functioning: heat chamber, centrifuge, ventilating hood, precise scales, varied glassware… :

– The analysis laboratory has three specialized machines which measure the parameters classically followed in the course of vinification : alcohol content, sugar, volatile acids, sulphur dioxide, acidity, colours…

SENSORIAL ANALYSIS
ROOM

A central table divided into 21 places, which can receive a jury with tablets, which simultaneously register the answers of each taster.

t operates 60 tastings per year shared between three complementary juries: a jury of experts, a professional jury, a panel of consumers.

In the field of œnology sensorial analysis remains crucial. The most sophisticated apparatus very rarely achieves the precision of the eye, the nose and the mouth of a taster.

The functioning

THE CENTRE DU ROSE IS AN ASSOCIATION UNDER THE LAW OF 1901.

Its functioning is structured around a General Assembly (AG), a Board of Directors, a committee and a President who changes every three years around three pillars.

The association and its professional representatives direct the programmes.

The Ordinary General Assembly is made up of :

  • The « founding members » who are divided into three pillars :

    1. The College of the Chamber of Agriculture : Chambre d’Agriculture du Var,

    2. The Technical College : Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin (I.F.V.),

    3. The College of the Sector :
      Inter-professional Council of Vins de Provence, Unions or associations from the following appellations: Côtes de Provence, Coteaux Varois en Provence, Coteaux d’Aix en Provence, Bandol, Cassis, Bellet, Palette, Les Baux de Provence, the Union des Vignerons du Var.

  • The « user members » :

    Chamber of Agriculture of the Bouches du Rhône, Regional chamber of agriculture in PACA, Federation of independent wine-growers, Federation of cooperative cellars, Regional Federation of the trade, group of producers, ODG Wines from the Alpes du Sud.

1

THE MISSIONS OF
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

– To vote the statutes and the internal regulations,


- To set out the general policy of the Centre of Research and Experimentation on Rosé Wine, to fix the general objectives to achieve.


– To fix the contributions of the Centre of Research and Experimentation on Rosé Wine – Vote the provisional budget, approve the accounts.


– To elect the Board of Directors and verify its actions with respect to the objectives fixed. The latter elects the President who submits his choice of committee to the Board of Directors for approval.

2

THE SCIENTIFIC
COUNCIL

They examine the projects and validate the results.

These members, designated by the Board of Directors, are scientists who are considered capable of giving a qualified opinion on the programmes and results of the Centre du Rosé. The Scientific Council meets as often as deemed necessary.

It is presided by Michel MOUTOUNET, and composed of eight renowned experts.

3

PRESIDENTS OF
THE CENTRE DU ROSÉ

Bernard ANGELRAS (elected in November 2018)

Presidents since 1999 :

Claude BONNET,
Chamber of agriculture of the Var : 1999-2003


Alain BACCINO,
College of the Chamber of agriculture : 2004-2007


Alain COMBARD,
College of the profession : 2007-2011


Christian PRADE,
College of the IFV : 2011-2014


Alain BACCINO,
College of the Chamber of agriculture : 2014-2015


Fabienne JOLY,
College of the Chamber of agriculture : 2015-2018

Financing

The annual budget of the Centre du Rosé is close to 800 000 € (2019 figures).

ITS RESSOURCES COME FROM:

50%

professional funds (CIVP, Chamber of agriculture of the Var, membership fees),

40%

subsidies (France Agrimer, Regional council of PACA, Departmental Council of the Var, Europe)

10%

services or private partnerships.