A couple of years ago over a long and languorous lunch at Le Café Anglais, with chef-patron (and FT food guru) Rowley Leigh, I was lamenting the fact that while the cuisine of Provence is justifiably celebrated its best wines are regrettably overlooked. Rowley is a man of action who requires little encouragement and before I knew it ‘Le Grand Aïoli’ had been born. Rowley had devised a Provençal feast with aim of pairing some of the region’s top wines with classic Mediterranean dishes. The inaugural Grand Aïoli, in June 2010, was a hedonistic affair with a mouth-watering menu encompassing olives, sardines, seabass and beef brisket accompanied by lashings of Cassis and a budget-busting Domaine de Trévallon. All those who attended seemed to enjoy themselves enormously – there certainly weren’t any complaints – so, I guess, it was inevitable that sooner or later we would do it all over again.

The second (and, having since reviewed the margins, almost certainly final) Grand Aïoli took place last Thursday at Le Café Anglais and, I have to say, Rowley surpassed his previous efforts. Word was definitely out in London’s foodie fraternity that good things were afoot as seasoned truffle-hounds like Fergus Henderson, Bill Knot, Matthew Fort, Jeremy Lee and Tom Parker-Bowles could be seen priming their palates with a blameless, coral-pink Coteaux d’Aix: Domaine Oullières 2010 at the bar before we were under starters’ orders.

Glistening bowls of pungent, fresh Aïoli appeared as diners were seated and plates of salt cod, prawns, radishes, sweetbreads and artichokes soon followed. With this magnificent medley we served an organic Bandol Blanc: Mas de la Rouvière 2010, which is made from pure Clairette and has inimitable wild herb scents and flavours which married marvellously with the garlic-infused mayonnaise.

Rowley Leigh serves Bourride

Next up came a Bourride of hake, Gurnard, monkish and John Dory that Rowley served in bowls en place and soon solicited sighs of gastronomic contentment. This piscine tour de force was accompanied by a rare Bellet Blanc 2010 from Domaine de la Source. Made from 100% Rolle this sapid, savoury, straw-coloured, niçeois white did nothing to assist an already straining budget but it did take the food and wine matching to new heights and amply illustrated that you get what you pay for.

A brace of bountiful reds was then brought into play to do justice to a stupendous ‘Grillade des Mariniers du Rhône’. The crowd-pleasing Côtes du Luberon 2009 from the ever-reliable Château la Canorgue stood up well to the culinary alchemy of very slowly-cooked skirt beef with onions and seasoning but the vinous high point was probably the celebrated (and horriblement cher) Château Simone from Palette. This majestic, antediluvian, anachronism is made from a blend of 17 different grape varieties including such rarities as Branforcas, Manosquin and Castels. It has the cassis, cedar and sandalwood characteristics of a venerable old Claret but a wild, untamed touch of the garrigues in the background too – no wonder Winston Churchill was a fan.

We rounded proceedings off with a divine apricot and almond tart alongside the peerless, orange blossom-scented Muscat de Beaumes de Venise 2007 from Domaine de Durban. Although the west London skies were overcast you could feel the warming sun of the Côte d’Azur in the dining room of Le Café Anglais. Who knows? If we can find a generous benefactor we may even do it again next year….

Each May when the majority of our newly-bottled rosé wine range has arrived here in Mere we host a tasting to assess the vintage and compare and contrast offerings from different producers. Our chosen venue for this is Medcalf bar and restaurant in Exmouth Market, London EC1 [www.medcalfbar.co.uk] because its relaxed, urbane atmosphere seems to suit the genre and they have a secluded and sheltered private terrace which is ideal for tasting au plein air – undoubtedly the best way to sample pink wines.

Tired of big, corporate, free-for-all tastings we deliberately arrange for this to be a low-key and understated event by the simple expedient of not inviting many people. While this may seem commercially illogical it does make for a very pleasant atmosphere and ensures that those who do attend are unhurried and relaxed which are also important considerations when sampling subtle, berry-scented, summery wines.

The big variable, over which we have no control, is the weather. Rosé wines are very atmosphere sensitive and they never show at their best if it is overcast or, even worse, tipping it down. Fortunately, last Monday we were blessed with sunny skies and gentle breezes in the Metropolis prompting Jancis Robinson [www.jancisrobinson.com] to Tweet: ‘Perfect day for tasting Yapp’s interesting rosé range outside at Medcalf – will report.’

Jane Parkinson and Jancis Robinson assess our latest batch of rosé wines

The spectacle of two dozen different rosés lined up side by side is always a visual treat as there is a full spectrum of colours from a very pale ‘onion skin’ hued Reuilly Pinot Gris through the classic coral pinks of Bellet, Bandol and Cassis right up to the deep brick-red of an Irouléguy. My opinion is, of course, heavily biased but the 2010 vintage seems to be bien classique to me, with ripe red fruit aromas and flavours in abundance and plenty of deft wine-making in evidence. Personally I can’t abhor sweet, ‘jammy’, over-extracted rosé wines and happily there were none of these in evidence but bags of elegance and finesse which bodes well for carefree drinking this summer. My personal favourites were the delicate, bone-dry, Vin de Corse Sartène 2010 from Domaine Saparale, the ever-reliable Sancerre ‘Maulin Bèle’ from André Vatan and the rare Bellet: Domaine de la Source, made from pure Braquet, which I revisited over a delicious and highly convivial lunch of artichoke hearts, asparagus and hand-picked Dorset crab. Indeed – a perfect day!

An aperitif of refreshing rosé Bandol: Mas de la Rouvière 2007 was accompanied by a delicious amuse bouche of pissaladière. The dry, coral-pink, berry-scented wine was the perfect foil for the warm, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth pastry topped with anchovies, olives and caramelised onions. On my table we fought over the crumbs.

Next up was an equally appetising bouillabaisse served with golden, garlicky croutons and a pleasingly authentic rouille. This was partnered with the ideal wine – a 2007 Cassis blanc from Clos Sainte Magdeleine. The herb-tinged, slightly oily wine moved into a different dimension with the satisfyingly gritty bisque that accompanied mussels, prawns and firm white fish.

Our main course was a (very) generous rack of herb-crusted lamb, served rare with ratatouille. The accompanying red wine was a belter – an organic Côtes de Provence ‘Cuvée Tradition’ 2007 from Domaine Richeaume. This blend of Bordelais (Cabernet Sauvignon) and Rhône (Syrah) varietals is packed with sweet cassis fruit with savoury, minty undertones. It was wonderful with the lamb and equally successful with another Provençal delicacy – a mature Banon goat’s cheese that one seldom sees on these shores.

By this stage nobody actually required further sustenance, but an apricot tart of which Elisabeth David would have been proud (see Yapp ’09 page 10) was very happy in the company of a luscious, straw-coloured Muscat de Beaumes de Venise 2006 from Domaine de Durban that was served ice-cold, in stylish little Parisian glasses. We then had coffee and sensible people (who didn’t abuse their rum rations) caught buses and trains home.

If you’ve yet to engage the Ambassador in diplomatic relations it’s high time you paid a visit. We’ll certainly be heading back soon.