# Cousin Oscar "On se l'arrache !" (NV)

- **Producer:** Domaine Rimbert
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Cinsault, Pinot Noir
- **Region:** Languedoc-Roussillon, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 11.5%
- **Average price:** €15
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** strawberry, cherry, plum, violet, black pepper, liquorice, leather

## About this wine

Jean-Marie Rimbert of Domaine Rimbert in the Languedoc region crafted this playful "vin de soif" as a tribute to a famously handsome character named Oscar, the cousin of his former girlfriend. The name "On se l'arrache !" translates to "everyone is fighting over it," which humorously matches the wine's immense popularity. Rimbert, a self-proclaimed peasant winemaker, champions fresh, digestible, and joyous wines over heavy, over-extracted styles, making this a cult favorite in natural wine bars worldwide.

## Interesting facts

- The vintage-style label was designed by winemaker Jean-Marie Rimbert himself using scissors and 1950s magazine posters.
- Named after a famously handsome cousin of the winemaker's ex-girlfriend, whom local women supposedly fought over.
- Winemaker Jean-Marie Rimbert is a fierce defender of historic Languedoc grapes, often calling himself a 'Carignator'.

## Food pairing

This light-bodied, high-acid red wine acts as a refreshing palate cleanser. Its low tannins and bright red fruit flavors make it incredibly versatile, pairing beautifully with light, savory picnic dishes, charcuterie, and moderately spiced dishes without clashing.

## Wine making process

Grapes, primarily old-vine Cinsault, are hand-harvested from limestone soils in the high-altitude Berlou sub-region. In the cellar, the grapes undergo a gentle, partial carbonic maceration for only three days to minimize tannin extraction. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and concrete tanks. The wine is aged on its fine lees over winter, bottled using gravity in the spring with minimal sulfur additions, and is neither heavily fined nor filtered.