Snack of the Summer
Panisses & Rosé Collection
by Tom Wolf
Tempier rosé and pétanque in Bandol
© Tom Wolf
Italy’s Mediterranean coast
© Gail Skoff
Fresh panisses
© David Lebovitz
With lots of flavor and depth, a panisse or slice of farinata invites crisper rosés like Clos Sainte Magdeleine’s Côtes de Provence, from vineyards just east of Cassis, but also darker and more robust bottlings like Giovanni Montisci’s Sardinian Cannonau. Of course, Bandol rosé is a perfect pairing, too!
Tempier rosé and pétanque in Bandol
© Tom Wolf
Italy’s Mediterranean coast
© Gail Skoff
Fresh panisses
© David Lebovitz
With lots of flavor and depth, a panisse or slice of farinata invites crisper rosés like Clos Sainte Magdeleine’s Côtes de Provence, from vineyards just east of Cassis, but also darker and more robust bottlings like Giovanni Montisci’s Sardinian Cannonau. Of course, Bandol rosé is a perfect pairing, too!
Snack of the Summer
Panisses & Rosé Collection
by Tom Wolf
If I say “panisse,” the first thing that likely pops into your head is Alice Waters’ beloved restaurant, Chez Panisse, about a thirty-minute walk from our shop in Berkeley. If you dig a little deeper, though, you’ll discover the name of her restaurant was originally inspired by the character Panisse, the sailmaker in Marcel Pagnol’s Marseille Trilogy, whose name was in turn no doubt inspired by Marseille’s—and possibly France’s—most delicious fried snack. Made from chickpea flour, olive oil, salt, and pepper, panisses are like chunky French fries, only more delicious—and nutritious, relatively speaking.
It should come as no surprise that Marseille’s iconic apéro-hour snack is made with the Mediterranean basin’s most important legume. Chickpeas have inspired countless dishes around the sea for millennia, from hummus to falafel, but in Provence and parts of Italy, you’ll find half a dozen variations of a recipe in which chickpeas are ground into flour and whisked into hot water, along with a splash of olive oil and salt, before being molded and fried or baked. Panisses represent the pinnacle of this family tree, but I stumbled upon a delicious crêpe- like variation called cade in a market in Sanary-sur-Mer last year. Farther east, in Nice, you’ll find a nearly identical snack called socca, and on the island of Corsica they have torta di cecci.
The lineage extends over the border, too, underscoring how intertwined Italian cuisine is with that of Provence. In Liguria, a similar version of socca goes by farinata, in Piemonte by bella calda, and in Tuscany by cecina. Across the Tyrrhenian Sea, Sicily has a version called panelle, and Sardinia a rendition called fainè.
These snacks pair beautifully with their regions’ rosés. With lots of flavor and depth, a panisse or slice of farinata invites crisper rosés like Clos Sainte Magdeleine’s Côtes de Provence, from vineyards just east of Cassis, but also darker and more robust bottlings like Giovanni Montisci’s Sardinian Cannonau. Of course, Bandol rosé is a perfect pairing, too.
Find David Lebovitz’s recipe for panisses here. David is an author and pastry chef living in Paris, sharing sweet and savory recipes suited to home cooks, along with travel tips and humorous stories about life in France.
Wines In The Collection
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
This pomegranate-tinged rosé is remarkably fresh, pure, and focused, with a filtered-through-granite minerality.
Sesti Italy | Tuscany
Gentle and mouth-filling, this rosato is perked up by a touch of salinity imbued by the oceanic soil.
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
An uplifting elixir of bright citrus, fresh berry fruit, wild herbs, and salty sea air, it is perhaps the quintessential Provençal refresher.
Domaine de la Tour du Bon France | Provence
Bursting with clementine, white peach, and lavender, Agnès Henry’s rosé is divine with summer dishes.
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
It takes just one sniff to be transported to Provence; garrigue-laced, and superb with salty snacks like panisses.
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia
It offers deep complexity and layers of flavor, like a nectar of crushed strawberries with a savory, stony finish.
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
Infused with seaspray and stone, the resulting rosé boasts a glistening, sunkissed quality, loaded with sour cherry and pomelo citrus.
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
A gentle wave of peach, melon, and spring flowers rolls over the palate and lingers long past your last sip.
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon
This Languedoc beauty could easily be taken for its Provençal cousin—that is, until you see the price tag.
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon
A cold glass hits the spot every single time, bursting over the taste buds with bright citrus, wild strawberry, and a juicy finish.
I Pástini Italy | Puglia
A delicious aperitivo, it can seamlessly pair with anything you throw its way.
Masseria del Pino Italy | Sicily
A rosé made via ancient methods from ashy soils high on Mount Etna.
France | Corsica
This pomegranate-tinged rosé is remarkably fresh, pure, and focused, with a filtered-through-granite minerality.
Italy | Tuscany
Gentle and mouth-filling, this rosato is perked up by a touch of salinity imbued by the oceanic soil.
France | Provence
An uplifting elixir of bright citrus, fresh berry fruit, wild herbs, and salty sea air, it is perhaps the quintessential Provençal refresher.
France | Provence
Bursting with clementine, white peach, and lavender, Agnès Henry’s rosé is divine with summer dishes.
France | Provence
It takes just one sniff to be transported to Provence; garrigue-laced, and superb with salty snacks like panisses.
Italy | Sardinia
It offers deep complexity and layers of flavor, like a nectar of crushed strawberries with a savory, stony finish.
France | Corsica
Infused with seaspray and stone, the resulting rosé boasts a glistening, sunkissed quality, loaded with sour cherry and pomelo citrus.
France | Corsica
A gentle wave of peach, melon, and spring flowers rolls over the palate and lingers long past your last sip.
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
This Languedoc beauty could easily be taken for its Provençal cousin—that is, until you see the price tag.
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
A cold glass hits the spot every single time, bursting over the taste buds with bright citrus, wild strawberry, and a juicy finish.
Italy | Puglia
A delicious aperitivo, it can seamlessly pair with anything you throw its way.
Italy | Sicily
A rosé made via ancient methods from ashy soils high on Mount Etna.
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