In my March 2006 contribution to Wine Blogging Wednesday, For WBW #19, Domaine Monpertuis, Vignoble de la Ramiere (2003), Cuvee Counoise is in my glass, I equaled Counoise grape to Aubun which I found out today was a common mistake.

Had I not discovered the Perles d'Aubun Rose Wine Old Vines (100% Aubun) from Combe de La Belle in Saint-Gilles (Languedoc-Rousillon), I might have persisted in my error for a while.

The lizard motif on their label makes me think of summer.

I learned of my mistake after digging for facts on Aubun via Aubun entry on Wikipedia which offers these few facts:

"Aubun is a red wine grape grown primarily in the Rhône valley. The grape has similar characteristics to Carignan grapes in that it tends to produce high yields and produces wines that are fat with slight bitter finishes."

"Aubun is easily confused with Counoise, because of a large similarity in the vineyard. Aubun and Counoise were also grown mixed in a field blend in some older vineyards.[3] Therefore, Counoise is found as a synonym for Aubun, but the "real" Counoise is considered to be a grape of higher quality, which is one of the grape varieties allowed in the blend of Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines."

Error corrected.