Rose wines always inspire mixed opinions.

To the hard-core wine geeks--those who wouldn't be caught dead drinking anything less than a wine with both a price tag and a Parker rating approaching three digits--rose is a joke, a nonentity, a waste of one's precious vinous time.

But to other folks who, with every meal, like a little something that's wet, refreshing, and utterly harmonious with food--rose can be delightful. It helps, of course, if these drinkers have spent time in the south of France, and have memories of sun-drenched afternoons at the seaside, nibbling gorgeous salads of local vegetables and fish, sipping uncounted bottles of fresh, pink mirth.

Alas, southern French rose is one of those wines that, historically, hasn't traveled well--so even those who have been positively predisposed to it have been disappointed in their attempts here in the States to recreate that insane lunch in Cannes. More trouble for the pink stuff.

There has been a tremendous shift in recent years in winemaking philosophy in the south of France. Once upon a time, rose wine was a kind of leftover of the winemaking process; whatever didn't make the grade into the local red wine got "used up" by making rose. The stuff tasted fine there, mere months after being made, but it simply wasn't built to endure an ocean voyage or any significant passage of time (like 8 months.) Today, winemakers all across the south are, as my wine-critic friend Steven Tanzer puts it, "making rose on purpose," stuff which stays fresher longer.

One gastronomic tip: these wines, for the most part, are extremely dry, almost austere. This helps them to cut through the rich, garlicky food of the South. But they play one role at table that is amazing: the role of artichoke wine. After tasting an artichoke, everything else tastes a little bit sweeter. That's a problem for most wines. But the southern French roses are so dry that a little extra impression of sweetness is a good thing! Try one of these roses with any artichoke dish (especially one including garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, herbs!)...and you'll be in virtual Cannes in no time.