Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news You are receiving this pop-up because this is the first time you are visiting our site You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker) we are relying on revenues from our banners So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.Thanks The Roussillon artichoke got off to a slightly later start this year which has been producing artichokes for 5 years takes stock of the season for this vegetable as well as the cooperative's diversification into citrus fruits 5 years ago "Artichokes allow us to bridge the gap between winter and summer produce"Coopérative La Tour started producing (green) artichokes a few years ago mainly because of the vegetable's historical presence in the region "Artichokes have always been grown here; it is a traditional crop," explains Yannick Chevrier which now has 15 hectares under cultivation The cooperative also started producing artichokes for reasons of rotation the crop also has the advantage of providing a link between winter crops (mainly cabbage) and stone fruit An emblematic product of the Catalan region artichoke acreage has nevertheless declined over the years due to the disappearance of small producers and to the higher yields made possible by new varieties on smaller areas "It is also a question of timing," explains Isabelle Falcou The Roussillon artichoke season usually starts well before the produce from Brittany (between 3 weeks and 1 month) as the vagaries of the weather have completely altered the calendar "We have had too much water and too little light allowing for an earlier start." This overlapping of production areas has had an impact on the market and sales were also boosted by the Easter celebrations But prices started to drop last week in the region especially as the biggest consumer areas (Brittany and the Paris region) are on holiday," explains Yannick Chevrier the Roussillon artichoke still has a bright future Status of the Roussillon clementine In 2020 the Roussillon cooperative decided to diversify into citrus fruits the surface area has stabilized at 10 hectares The citrus fruit dynamic seems to be going well "The first harvests have tasted very good and the varieties have adapted perfectly to our region," explains Isabelle Falcou While there are "still a few agronomic aspects we need to work on," according to the manager the growers can count on the technical support of Civam Bio 66 (association of organic growers of the Pyrénées-Orientales) which organized a technical trip to Corsica as the island is already well versed in this domain the objective of doubling the volumes harvested by 2029 could come up against a climatic factor and we do not really know where we are headed especially as drought remains a problem in our department." For more information:Coopérative La TourKm 1 Route de Thuir66170 Millas (Pyrénées-Orientales)Phone: +33 (0) 4 68 57 11 11[email protected]www.cooplatour.fr Frontpage photo: © Coopérative La Tour FreshPublishers © 2005-2025 FreshPlaza.com Tucked into the Mediterranean curve that joins France to Spain dry Mediterranean climate is ideal for the production of rich red and fortified wines It is a surprising place to look for quality whites so why is it making some of France’s most characterful It was a question that occurred to me repeatedly at the recent Roussillon tastings where the white wines really stood out for their distinctiveness It’s not to take anything away from the quality of the reds which are the majority of the region’s production or the impressive Vin Doux Naturel wines which represent the historical output of the area There is an intense textural quality to the wines of Roussillon that inspires comparison with top Côte d’Or blanc and Chablis With indications of declining red wine consumption could white Roussillon be an important area of interest over the coming decades one of the chief proponents of white Roussillon has already seen it happen “We are planting more white than red,” he says the market has become extremely receptive to Le Soula’s Blanc Part of it is certainly down to the region’s uniqueness An unusual hybrid of French administration and Spanish Catalan heritage including the powerful Tramontane from the north Roussillon has complex and varied soils and exposures a robust selection of local grape varieties 300 days of sunshine is a benefit and a hazard One of the most characteristic features of many of Roussillon’s best whites is that they come from vines on the higher parts of the hills with deep roots and careful soil management aiding in the retention of low pH in the final wines and adding an unexpected freshness and tension despite technically low acidities It’s sunny here for around 300 days of the year with increasingly dry conditions threatening both young vines and more established Although small amounts of irrigation are permitted and even necessary in view of the increasingly arid conditions in the region many vignerons understand that the most sustainable and strategic option is to encourage the vine’s roots to go deep enough to find their own sources of water Wendy Paillé: With drought damaging existing vineyards the planting of new ones is contingent on the arrival of rainfall “We collect rainwater from the roof of our building and we can store 40,000 litres.” But this is barely enough for a single season Thirty years ago only 10% of Roussillon’s wine production was dry and white Today around 38% of the region’s 23,000 hectares are white grapes A wide range of grapes are important both for quality and volume: Macabeo is perhaps the most significant grape for dry whites heat-resistant skins that help to add structure and concentrated fleshy berries that give texture and mid-palate fruit The main drawback is that the acidity of the grape can drop suddenly and dramatically Grenache Blanc is a mainstay of the AOP regulations for white but some producers find its low acidity and neutral palate difficult to work with winemaker at Domaine Treloar it provides “richness oiliness and an oxidative quality which can make wines taste a bit Sherry-like.” It is also very drought-resistant Grenache Gris is appealingly spicy and savoury in flavour and brings mineral sensations and length as well Producers like Hesford feel positively about it: “Grenache Gris is a very high-quality grape I think it is the finest white grape in the Roussillon The problem is that many of the old vineyards of white and gris grapes have already been dug up because they were not valued by the cooperative growers.” Nonetheless and Le Soula has put 0.4ha into the ground in the hope that it will take The variety currently accounts for 1056 hectares Carignan also exists in both Blanc and Gris versions they provide highly desirable acidity when blended with other lower-acid varieties such as Grenache Blanc Rolle/Vermentino (155ha) is currently the fastest growing white grape in the region and is an important component in some of Roussillon’s best whites where it adds a complex aromatic dimension Viognier (118ha) and Sauvignon Blanc (67ha) are also planted although most growers seem to have little to say about them suggesting they are often of utility value in blends or exist to perk up labels with some name recognition Both Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc plantings are decreasing There are plantings of Roussanne (80ha) and Marsanne (30ha) but the Roussillon has started to look beyond France for the next generation of drought-resistant white grapes with varieties such as Xarel-lo and Assyrtiko going into the ground in recent years Many producers are positive about the quality potential for Malvoisie de Roussillon/Tourbat (26ha) which is probably of Spanish origin but which likely arrived in France indirectly Both Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains (2135ha) and Muscat of Alexandria (1801ha) were planted for the sweet Muscat de Rivesaltes wines and are increasingly being used for pleasant but tend not to feature significantly among the best white wines of the region except occasionally as seasoning in a blend This wide range of white varieties contrasts sharply with France’s more famous controlled white wine districts in Burgundy It makes Roussillon one of the more dynamic of France’s wine regions but when it comes to marketing and selling the wines it also poses major challenges in terms of consumer expectations or any attempt to find a common style across the region’s white wines Four appellations are used for the bottling of dry white wines: the Côtes du Roussillon Villages appellation is exclusively for red wines meaning the best whites don’t have an extra tier above the regular AOP to help them stand out Any white wine that contains a majority of Grenache Gris or more than 10% Carignan Blanc or Carignan Gris must be labelled under IGP Côtes Catalanes and is disbarred from AOP status despite the fact that many producers consider these varieties among the best the region can offer for white wines most whites are bottled under the IGP of Côtes Catalanes creating a sort of ‘Super Roussillon’ category (similar to the early Super Tuscans) that contains many of the region’s very best wines “Currently a consumer can buy an IGP Côtes Catalanes that is 100% Muscat 50/50 Viognier/Chardonnay or 60/40 Grenache gris/Carignan blanc,” Hesford says Having such radically different styles of wines under the IGP classification isn’t unusual but it does little to establish an identity around Roussillon’s whites All this has caused a considerable amount of discontent among producers “Collioure blanc is perhaps the only AOP with a consistent style The IGP Côtes Catalanes rules allow cropping at up to 90hl/ha (which is huge considering the rainfall and poor soils) and that means that there are some pretty poor examples of white wine under that label as well as some of the best wines in the region.” There are indications that the IGP and AOP regulations are up for review but whether it will result in significant change is currently unclear Perhaps the most sensible proposal would be to enshrine within the AOP regulations the well adapted local varieties — the two Grenaches Macabeo — and insist that they are released either as varietal wines (e.g That would allow Roussillon to develop a distinct regional style at AOP level Any changes will come slowly and take years to implement so for now the producers are on their own The top wines should really be priced alongside the best whites of the Rhône There is also a vibrant scene for natural and orange wines in the region to complement the more traditional styles.“ Climate change will prove the most immediate threat but the latest reports from the region indicate that at this point in 2024 the producers have had some much-needed rainfall - but is it enough The overall trend makes for difficult reading with cumulative rainfall decreasing year on year for the past five years – 530mm in 2020 When winter rains are too low the end result is that feeder roots and fine root hairs are brought closer to the surface which Two months ago the grapes were looking very strong and there was even talk of a green harvest with some growers but today the yields are significantly down - by 50% in many cases – which means new plantings and viticultural advancements are put on hold posing an ongoing challenge to Roussillon’s highly promising white wines The 2018 is led by Rolle/Vermentino with Sauvignon Blanc this is a ruggedly characterful white with a tangy salted grapefruit edge and Manzanilla-like pungency Showcasing Hesford’s beloved Grenache Gris (70%) and Carignan Blanc (30%) this is an outstanding field blend wine and delivers bright red apple and green banana fruit alongside elusive cereal and tahini notes and a subtle fleshiness of texture Domaine Gardiés Clos des Vignes Blanc 2022 Intense and structured with marked oak but a strong spicy character from the Grenache Gris muscling through this has slightly unresolved banana bread and coconut flavours from the wood A year in bottle should help it all to integrate Sélection Parcellaire Chrysopée Blanc 2020 and honey and spice from 100% oak maturation Bone dry and very persistent this is an amply structured ambitiously-scaled white that is the highlight of the Chapoutier Roussillon project Banana and apricot jam lead the nose on this fleshy it showcases how Roussillon’s whites can delivery heady fruit character while still remaining structured and refreshing Domaine La Part des Anges Parcelle Secrète 2022 A rare 100% Carignan Blanc from David Loiret this centenarian vineyard on granite and gneiss was picked in late September and early October this shows off the mineral stamp that makes Roussillon’s whites so distinctive parsnip and a touch of starch on the finish A 100% Grenache Gris fermented with selected yeasts in eggs over seven months this is rich and spicy with quince and hazelnut notes alongside banana with a distinctive glycerol-rich but bone-dry texture A great example of Grenache Gris’ versatility and character The Buyer TVClick below to watch The Buyer's library of online debates, videos and webinars. But while the white wines surrounding Avignon tend towards generosity and richness those around Perpignan have a distinct crispness and clarity is a grape with a familiar name but a distinctive profile: Grenache Gris Grenache is like Pinot in many respects: it comes in three colours, it has thin skins, and it can reflect the minutiae of where it’s grown with precision. And just as there’s a clear difference between Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris so there is with Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon (CIVR) has announced a three-year campaign to support its producers and importers in the UK The commercial push will include media initiatives educational and tasting events for merchants These will highlight potential buys and unique offerings from the southern French region a series of press and buyers’ trips to the region will be organised by CIVR in spring and early summer of this year Read more: Bureau de L'Occitanie London office set to close after 17 years The past few years have seen growth in the proportion of total Roussillon wine exports heading to the UK the figures stood at 5% and 6% in terms of volume and value respectively while in 2024 these figures had risen to 7% and 7% The UK ranks sixth as an importer of Roussillon AOP wines but it is the third-largest importer of Roussillon’s fortified sweet wines It is notable that despite this growth the Bureau de L'Occitanie is shuttering its London office after 17 years of operating co-director in charge of exports at the CIVR is hopeful Roussillon wines can continue their forward march in the UK in the years ahead “The United Kingdom is a key market for Roussillon wines food friendliness and respect for the local environment Those values appeal to UK consumers who are looking for great wines with authenticity.” “It is important for us to build on the momentum achieved over the past three years Alongside continuing to raise the profile of Roussillon wines our main focus will be to support the commercial efforts of Roussillon producers and their importers across key strategic channels namely the on-trade and the independent sector,” he said AWL announces creation of new global win... Robin Copestick joins Packamama board London Wine Fair announces line-up Gen Z shifts towards low & no alcohol am... Diageo GB announces new marketing and in... LWC and MDCV enter new on-trade partnership You can now view the latest Harpers supplement with our digital edition... View the Top 100 2024 competition results here.. Vergelegen – continuity and change on the Schapenberg Talking innovation and opening doors with LWC Koshu brings flavour of Japan to London Reh Kendermann: Sales Manager UK Copyright © DELINIAN (GLOBALCAPITAL) LIMITED and its affiliated companies 2025 The content you are trying to view is exclusive to our subscribers You have reached the limit for gifting for this month Don’t miss the latest drinks industry news and insights Sign up for our award-winning newsletters and get insider intel and trends delivered to your inbox every week This wine region has been flying under the radar for some time but Roussillon is gaining serious traction with sommeliers and wine enthusiasts across the globe Its distinctive collection of micro-terroirs and long-established viticultural know-how are just some of the factors that make this southern French region so compelling Pioneering winemakers—many of whom are focused on creating organic and biodynamic wines—are also bringing new energy to the region Roussillon offers a tantalizing selection of expressive dry white and red wines at great value—and is particularly renowned for its world-class vins doux naturels One of the Old World’s most underrated wine regions Roussillon is lately making a name for itself as a first-rate producer of diverse dry and sweet wines made from a number of grape varieties the winemaking community in Roussillon has been committed to producing low yields of high-quality grapes The region currently boasts the lowest yields in France averaging less than half the yield of any other appellation d’origine protégée (AOP) in the country Its wines are now receiving international acclaim is often associated with the greater Languedoc-Roussillon region but it stands out in many ways and has its own specific identity The region represents 2 percent of France’s wine production by volume; however it produces at least 80 percent of the country’s AOP-certified vins doux naturels The production of these traditional fortified sweet wines is something that sets Roussillon apart from France’s other wine regions as Roussillon remains the leading producer of the style in France—and even one of the leaders in the world Roussillon also leads in its commitment to organic and biodynamic viticulture possessing the highest percentage of organic and biodynamic vineyards in the country There are 19,676  hectares under vine in Roussillon The vineyard area in its totality is planted on slopes with elevations rising to 650 meters Approximately 70 percent of these vineyards are devoted to AOP wines The average yield is normally less than 30  hectoliters per hectare There are 2,334 winegrower families in Roussillon working in 417 private cellars and 28  cooperatives The latter drive 75 percent of the region’s wine production The majority of wineries are small and family-owned possessing an average vineyard size of 8.3  hectares This small wine region is located in the south of France near Spain’s Catalonia region it’s notably different from the rest of the Languedoc With an average of 325 days of sunshine a year the summers are hot; autumns and winters tend to be mild Rainfall accumulates primarily in the autumn and early spring The mountain ranges that surround Roussillon on three sides—the Corbières to the north the eastern part of the Pyrénées-Orientales and Mont Canigou to the west and the Albères to the south—form the shape of an amphitheater and the Tech—help define the topography of the region and moderate its Mediterranean climate Because of the high degree of variation in its geology Roussillon boasts an impressively diverse range of soils and subsoils—from the limestone-rich red soils around the Corbières to the stony Another climate-moderating influence in the region is its numerous frequent winds—the most significant being the Tramontane These winds provide natural protection for the vineyards by warding off pests and diseases—and they’re one of the reasons Roussillon is home to so many organic and biodynamic vineyards The viticulture of Roussillon was established by the Greeks in the 7th century BC Greek seafarers from Corinth were involved in the profitable iron trade and when they settled in the inlets of the Côte Vermeille Roussillon’s viticulture was further developed by the Romans which became the main trading hub for wine and remained so for many years One of the most significant events in Roussillon winemaking history was the invention of mutage in 1285 the rector of the University of Montpellier and a doctor at the court of the King of Majorca Mutage is the process used to make vins doux naturels the winemaker adds pure neutral alcohol of wine origin (96% ABV) to the fermenting must at a proportion of 5 to 10 percent of the must’s volume This stops the action of the yeasts before they have converted all the sugar into alcohol and thus preserves part of the sugar from the fruit trade in Roussillon wines turned toward Catalonia in the south The area was ruled by Spain—the kingdoms of Majorca and Aragón—from the 13th through the 17th centuries It was not a period that favored winemaking in Roussillon The vast majority of wines exported to the capital were the sweet wines—they traveled better and their high price made up for transport costs Roussillon did not become part of France until 1659 many people in the area identify themselves as Catalan In the 17th century the construction of the Canal du Midi which linked the Mediterranean to the Atlantic enabled Roussillon wines to move into new markets where they entered into competition with Bordeaux wines Roussillon was designated as the department of the Pyrénées-Orientales the region’s vineyard area grew from 38,000 hectares to nearly 80,000 many of Roussillon’s vineyards were destroyed by the phylloxera blight When it became possible to graft new vines onto phylloxera-resistant American rootstock the vineyards were gradually able to recover the surface area was covered with 65,000 hectares of vines; however the quality of the wines being produced at that time was not very high and rosé wines of Roussillon was inaugurated in 1930 with the creation of the professional association of winegrowers of Haut-Roussillon Vins doux naturels were the first to benefit from the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC starting with the Banyuls and Maury AOCs and then the Rivesaltes in an effort to foster quality and reunification the Côtes du Roussillon appellation was created Côtes du Roussillon and Côtes du Roussillon Villages were awarded AOC status Since then the wines have continued to improve reflecting the region’s commitment to quality standards With 14 AOPs authorized to use 25 different grape varieties—and two IGPs there’s a wealth of wines coming out of Roussillon Of the 25 white, gray, and black grape varieties commonly used in Roussillon, 17 are authorized for AOP wines. Grenache Noir is the most widely planted grape These grapes play an important role in the region’s dry red AOP and IGP wines and grey)  are also key varieties in the vins doux naturels of Banyuls A large number of Muscat à Petits Grains and Muscat d’Alexandrie vines are also planted throughout the region mainly to provide fruit for the Muscat de Rivesaltes vins doux naturels but these days they’re often used as well for dry IGP wines Roussillon produced a total of 622,319 hectoliters of wine including 106,565 hectoliters of AOP vins doux naturels which accounted for 17 percent of overall production; 250,471 hectoliters of AOP dry wine which represented 40 percent; and 222,304 hectoliters of IGP wine The remaining 42,979 hectoliters were accounted for by wines without any geographical indication AOP dry wines are blends made with a minimum of two or three of the following grapes: Grenache Noir AOP fortified sweet wines can be blends or single-varietal wines made from Grenache Noir Carignan Noir and Syrah may also be used as complementary grape varieties IGP wines can be blends or single-varietal wines also with several complementary grape varieties Widely planted in both Spain—where it’s known as Garnacha—and southern France, Grenache Noir is a rich grape that yields wine with smooth and delicate notes of cherry and plum It’s a key variety in the region’s dry blends; it’s also the red variety most suited for the production of vins doux naturels A common blending partner for Grenache and Carignan, Syrah provides structure to Roussillon’s dry reds In addition to creating aromatic dry rosé wines which develop in flavor from red fruit and violet notes to licorice Roussillon has many old, well-established Carignan vines that thrive in the region’s soils A key component of many of Roussillon’s dry red wines Carignan is often blended with Grenache Noir It’s a late-ripening grape that flourishes in hot climates and is mainly used in Roussillon to make bold dry red blends that are strong and structured with red fruit Typically cultivated along the Mediterranean, this variety yields dry wines with intense color and firm structure It offers strong tannins and complex notes of black fruit and garrigue and is often used in Roussillon’s more age-worthy wines Also known as “small-grape Muscat,” this variety has been grown in Roussillon since Greek antiquity It is a highly aromatic grape with distinctive floral notes that also offers notes of citrus and delicately musky spices to create vivacious It’s used in both the region’s dry white and fortified sweet wines Muscat d’Alexandrie vines produce large fragrant berries that are an ideal complement to Muscat à Petits Grains and like wines made from small-grape Muscat dry wines and vins doux naturels made with Muscat d’Alexandrie tend to be characterized by minty floral notes as well as notes of white- and yellow-fleshed fruit delicate wines with flavors of white and yellow fruit and white flowers when harvested at peak ripeness Macabeu is used for both dry wines and vins doux naturels Another grape used for both the region’s dry and fortified sweet wines, Grenache Blanc produces rich full-bodied wines with floral and aniseed notes and a long finish Also known as “gray” Grenache, this variety may be found in Roussillon’s dry whites It yields powerful wines with notes of citrus zest and aniseed Wines made from Grenache Gris are characteristically voluptuous and elegant with vibrant minerality and gentle structure Because Roussillon is receiving increased recognition as a producer of a diverse range of delicious the region is expanding into foreign markets Roussillon exports 21 percent of its total AOP dry wines and 3  percent of its vins doux naturels to the rest of the world and the region is seeing especially strong growth in exports to the U.S with just over a million bottles exported in 2019 is now the fifth largest export market in volume for Roussillon AOP dry wines It’s also the number two export market in volume for the region’s vins doux naturels Fortified sweet wines—primarily Banyuls and Rivesaltes Ambrés—represent 3 percent of exports to the U.S as well as the region’s vins doux naturels are being crafted with passion and precision and they’re getting better with each vintage Many winemakers who favor natural practices are helping build the region’s reputation as France’s number one producer of organic and biodynamic wines As a sign of the region’s evolution in quality and research the introduction of new grape varieties was approved in May 2020   The IPG Côtes Catalanes requirement specification has been updated with the addition of five grapes varieties which are disease-resistant: Muscaris (white) Investments made by foreigners are also helping support quality production and distribution throughout the world of Roussillon wines there is a new international demand for its wines which pair well with many of the world’s most popular cuisines Besides providing an excellent alternative to spirits the vins doux naturels pair wonderfully with a meal of game meat They are also perfect at the end of a meal to accompany cheeses Learn more about how Provi simplifies the complex process of ordering and promoting wholesale alcohol between buyers SevenFifty Daily is an award-winning online magazine about the business and culture of the beverage alcohol industry covering all three tiers of the alcohol industry Languedoc-Roussillon is a term which does not appear on wine labels, but has long been used by administrators, retailers, writers and other wine professionals. It groups together various appellations in the south of France from Nîmes and Montpellier in the east, along the Mediterranean coast and inland all the way to the Spanish border The administrative region combining Languedoc and Roussillon was created in the 1980s to what most wine professionals identify as Languedoc-Roussillon both are part of the new "Occitanie" entity The latter extends north and east into what was once Gascony and to include the Lot department (whose capital is Cahors) Geography and culture separate the two parts Languedoc is quintessentially French in character belonging to the country since the 13th Century Roussillon was acquired from Spain in the 17th Century and shows clear influences of Spanish and Catalan culture Separating the terms Languedoc and Languedoc-Roussillon can be confusing the usage of "Languedoc" has included the Roussillon region between the Roman period and the Middle Ages the territory of speakers of Occitan (the language of Oc or the "langue d'Oc") covered much of the southern half of what is now France The Pays d'Oc IGP more or less covers Languedoc-Roussillon. However winemakers with vineyards entirely within Roussillon have the option of labeling under IGP Côtes Catalanes In contrast, the Languedoc AOP (formerly Coteaux du Languedoc) is confined to vineyards in the Hérault plus the those of La Clape and Quatourze in the Aude This is still over 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Roussillon About a quarter of all the wine producing vines in France are located in Languedoc-Roussillon. They contribute such diverse wines as the sparkling Blanquette de Limoux; the rich, sweet red fortified wines of Banyuls; and the rosés of the Côtes du Roussillon, not forgetting a vast range of often well-made, varietally-labeled Soil types and terroir vary across the region – as much as the topography – making it hard to collectively describe them. Overall, it is a hot, dry region, with a definitively Mediterranean climate While Languedoc's vineyards are mostly located on coastal plains those of Roussillon are either perched on cliff tops or nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees A large proportion of the land here is garrigue – the quintessential southern French landscape of dry, low-lying scrubland on limestone soils. There are also areas of slightly higher-altitude terrain and around the Montagne Noire in the north The arrival of railways in southern France (in the 19th Century) was a dramatic boost for the local wine industry and led to significant changes at a national level the transportation of wine had been limited almost entirely to water-borne means This gave regions like Bordeaux and the Loire Valley a significant advantage over their southern counterparts who lacked an efficient connection with key markets in northern France Even with the Canal du Midi connecting Montpellier to Toulouse (and ultimately to Bordeaux via the Canal de Garonne) shipping wine northwards (effectively 'uphill') was a slow and impractical process Once the vineyards of Languedoc and Roussillon were connected by rail It was this industrial development which marked the beginning of the area's story as a successful wine region research and development manager at Domaine Lafage just outside Perpignan the average rainfall at this Roussillon estate between 2010 and 2023 was just 550mm per year These last few years have been particularly dry: in 2021 and 2022 there was 340mm just 240mm – ‘like Marrakesh,’ says Lespès Thankfully, Roussillon has a natural defence against drought: 50% of the region’s vines are over 50 years old well-established root systems pump water from below the ground instead of relying exclusively on that which falls from the sky And this is just one advantage of having plenty of venerable old plants The wines below are made from vines at least 60 years old is among the swimmers set to compete at the first stop of the 2025 Mare Nostrum Series Il circuito Mare Nostrum ’25 si aprirà dunque con una tappa d’élite a Monaco dove i big della scena internazionale testeranno la condizione verso i Mondiali Siobhan Haughey returns to the Mare Nostrum Tour where in 2024 she swept the 100s and 200s free se realizó la tercera y última etapa del prestigioso circuito y hubo buenas noticias para los nadadores de la región Milak moves up from #7 to #4 in the World this season and swam season best times in both butterfly events in Monaco after losing the 200 fly in Barcelona The first stop of the 2024 Mare Nostrum Tour kicks off tomorrow in Canet-en-Roussillon France with a wealth of international talent set to take to the pool this year’s Mare Nostrum includes the following meets: The three-stop series is celebrating its 30th anniversary and has added another way to earn prize money to celebrate An additional €1050 will be awarded to a swimmer to sweep an event at all three stops (Swimmers in the 800/1500 have to participate in Monaco in at least one of the events) Like last year, swimmers can earn money for the best World Aquatics (formerly FINA) points swim Swimmers also earn money for placing in the top three in an event notable names to the tune of Michael Andrew of the United States and Cate Campbell of Australia are missing reflecting how both nation’s Olympic Trials are coming up next month Below are some of the key talent to watch per nation as the first stop unfolds with Olympic bids on the line for some of these competitors as a last-chance competition Hong Kong – Adam Chillingworth, Siobhan Haughey Japan – Reona Aoki, Yu Hanguruma, Tomoru Honda Sweden – Louise Hansson, Sophie Hansson, Sara Junevik, Sarah Sjostrom Trinidad & Tobago – Dylan Carter Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" There are entry times in this document page 3: https://swimswam.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/marenostrumtour2024-INFO-1710401185.pdf but slower than the US Olympic Trials standards No Sjostrom at the first Mare Nostrum stop Will be interesting to see if anything great comes out of these meets Most of these swimmers – except those desperate for an OQ – should be in hard training before Paris and not tapering an inch Don’t say this about a meeting with the legendary Sarah Sjöström She’s always ready to do something very special I guess someone didn’t read the article Article literally says MA is not competing Trials and then finding a comfy couch to watch the Paris coverage from home Not before he goes on Instagram and slams USA swimming for not selecting him Unfortunately we will get to see the seller of the century Michael Andrew get clapped by Leon in 1breast Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule that includes having earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC More from Retta RaceSee All Subscribe to our newsletter and receive our latest updates Be one of the first to try our new activity feed The hardest part about Velo Roussillon is getting an invitation to the week-long camp When invited to a week of riding bikes with Velo Roussillon in the hills of Asheville I envisioned a week of sub-three-hour rides at a leisurely pace On the first ride from the Applewood Manor Bed and Breakfast, I noticed a few of the two-dozen riders in sported red-white-and-blue cuffs to indicate previous national champions. Then there were the Velo Roussillon jerseys, with the motto saluez le blaireau d’attaque (“salute the attack badger”) and a bulldog image. And then I was thinking: Am I in over my head? Velo Roussillon is a cycling club of sorts. It’s a week-long, invitation-only meet-up in its 10th iteration, created by Stephen Collins. The group of accomplished cyclists has been gathering annually in the Roussillon province of southeast France near Mont Ventoux, to ride bikes, enjoy amazing food and drink, and celebrate the camaraderie that cycling provides. Velo Roussillon grew from toddler to teenager quickly. It was no longer a dirty, dozen friends just showing up in May to ride the Giant of Provence, and hoping for good weather. The week-long camp was well planned. Collins brought structure and asked for a financial commitment of $3,500 to $4,000 (depending on multiple factors) to cover some of the costs associated with the week of riding, which included dining at Michelin-star restaurants. In previous years, the annual event in France might have included as many as 40 riders and an ascent of Mont Ventoux, usually early in the camp. But with pandemic restrictions in Europe, as well as lingering fears of infection and travel difficulties in the United States, the 2020 edition did not happen. The 2021 Velo Roussillon was staged in Asheville, North Carolina, based out of Collins’ Applewood Manor Inn Bed & Breakfast. After our evening shake-the-legs-out ride, my legs were already tired. And this was all before dinner on the night before our first of many 100-mile-plus days. The group assembled at the Applewood Manor Inn for dinner prepared by Andrew Atsumi. Asheville-local beers were at hand, as well as a wine selection provided by Todd Mathis of DNS Wines, who was riding a bike previously owned by Jonathan Vaughters. The morning of the first full day of riding, after the egg-and-cheese-sandwich breakfast expertly prepared by Stephen’s wife Robin, and then deliciously chased with some oatmeal and tasty coffee, I checked in on my bike which had been racked in the driveway of the B&B by mechanic and all-around-nice-guy Philip Martindale. Philip had all the bikes — both private and the 3T loaners available to those who opted to not bring their own — set out more than an hour before the start of riding. With the planned stop for a feed after the halfway point in the ride, I kept eating and drinking frequently until I could fill my bottles and jersey pockets with more Torq nutrition — unlimited and provided to all, every day — fig newtons, and the like. Lunch was a Coke and a tasty sandwich, made on Robin’s fresh-baked bread. The rain eventually abated, and we were under mostly sunny skies again. By the time we finished the first 100-mile day with 10,000 feet of elevation gain at the base of the Applewood Manor Inn driveway, I was shattered. I racked my bike and slumped into a chair, sipped on a post-ride protein drink (before I cracked an IPA), and thought how am I going to do this again and again and again? That WackyWeed IPA, an Asheville-local brew, helped me contemplate this before a shower. And then dinner, chat, wine, more chat, more wine, and then some much-needed sleep. When I woke on the second morning of the camp, my legs definitely felt like they already had a lot of miles in them, and I again tried to convince myself that others felt like I did. The weather forecast was for rain, again, so I packed rain gear and a change of clothes in my day bag which was tossed into the van with Philip. The second of the two toughest climbs of the day we faced featured a switchback descent. We were cautioned about the wet, steep, narrows off-camber hairpin turns. Water sheeted across the road. Taking the shrinking-radius hairpin turns with rain on my glasses was enough to slow my roll on the seven-mile drop from the top. There were just a few of us on the front, and the weather conditions further separated the group on the descent. Most of the rest of the day was really fun riding—until I was dropped from the front group on the return trip with some 20 miles remaining. Sam and Robin were excellent riding company, and while I ached a bit, and my legs were quick to let me know when to back off. The remainder of the day was just amazing scenery;  the evening’s food and wine pairing, again courtesy of the brilliant work of Todd and Andrew, was equally brilliant. While the riding this day was a single, very tough climb it was just one climb. We all made the climb at our own pace. And there would be more climbing, side-by-side, and single-file, some racing each other, and some just happy to have a companion to share suffering. Thursday’s route was 2019 Haute Route Asheville stage 2, and the course profile looked intimidating. Philip was planning on driving ahead of the group and meeting us at the summits of five, very steep climbs. And like the previous days, we were provided with the route in advance to load into our GPS units. We were also provided with a few, simple words of encouragement from Stephen. “VERY steep climb on Crabtree,” Collins wrote to the WhatsApp group. This was considered to be fair warning. Drinks and then dinner on my final night with the group were in some ways just like the other nights — pre-dinner drinks, dinner, fun conversation with a lot of laughing — but then Stephen gently and firmly stopped the group from talking away and drinking more wine before we dispersed or had more to drink. He presented a lavender jersey to Robin and to me. Earlier in the week, Stephen explained that these special jerseys could not be bought (well, they list for $1,000,000 in the Panache team kit store…) and that this jersey had to be earned. The criteria for earning one of these specially designated cycling tops were never disclosed in detail, and Collins indicated that he bestowed the jersey on deserving individuals at his discretion. I tend to be on the flight home typing up my notes and forming an idea in my head of what really stood out for me that’s worth reporting on There might be one or two really stand out take-homes in which case you’re pondering the best direction to go I would never have professed to be any kind of expert in Roussillon before I went and I’ve been lucky enough to taste through and write up the Sud De France tastings when they come to London But nothing prepared me for the eye-opening differences in culture and quality of production that altered any previous perceptions I had of this unique region A potted history of the wines of Roussillon During our first night in Perpignan, CIVR (Conseil Interprofessional des Vins du Roussillon) director Eric Aracil began with a fascinating historical tour de force Roussillon is an ancient wine making region Its two major exports since the ancient Greeks established bases there had been iron ore (hence the “Rou” part of the name) and wine This was accelerated in the middle-ages when physician (and local celebrity to this day) Dr Arnaud De Villeneuve first used an alembic still to create the medicinal wine that would become Vin Doux Naturels in the 1280s The northern Corbières mountain range acted as a protective shield in the late nineteenth century from the spread of phylloxera The winemakers of Roussillon could still supply a wine-starved market so that by the 1900s when phylloxera finally arrived they had the financial resources (and by then also the knowledge of what phylloxera was) to replant the vineyards and move forwards As French colonies in North Africa claimed independence the French government created the Languedoc-Roussillon in order to produce the volumes of colourful alcoholic wines to supply the military (and winemakers further north) with the production lost from the likes of Algeria and Morocco But the demand for very specific styles of wine was not necessarily a useful thing “Roussillon was never adapted to that style of production,” stated Aracil we have the smallest average yields in France That view has been reinforced by the large decrease in planted vineyards since the 1980s as bulk producers realised this was not the land for them 28 co-ops and a handful of négociants managing 20,700 hectares of vineyards around a third of the plantings of 40 years ago owner of Domaine Lafage in Canet-en-Roussillon once said: “Roussillon is not for the faint hearted!” “Our best wines are hard to sell,” noted Didier Rodriguez of Domaine Sol Payré but the export market still doesn’t know what to make of us.” “We won’t work with any importer that would refer to us as from Languedoc-Roussillon.” – Benoit and Sebastien Danjou-Banessy It’s very clear very quickly that Roussillon is first and foremost seen by the locals as the northern part of Catalunya rather than the southern part of anywhere in France Our flights were in and out of Barcelona airport for a start we became very used to hearing conversations that married both French and Catalan interchangeably “Our inspiration has always been our grandfather with whom we spoke Catalan,” revealed Benoit Danjou-Banessy who runs the Domaine of the same name with his brother Sébastien in Espira D’Agly I only really know the name of the vineyard tools we use in Catalan!” It again questions the promotional tie-up with Languedoc with their range of imposing Cathar castles But this obvious difference in culture and winemaking ethos highlights the basic nature of ‘Languedoc-Roussillon’ it’s fantastically oversimplified,” proceeded Danjou-Banessy “We might as well have split it as North and South France!” The largest IGP in the region is IGP Côtes Catalanes “I like to use it on labels,” mused Wendy Wilson of Domaine La Soula “it reminds us where we’re from.” But it’s not always an easy moniker “Part of our rebrand is because we’d go round the world trying to sell our wines and people were expecting us to be Spanish,” remembered Armen Ratchiyan of VICA There is also the difficulty of workers arriving in the region from other parts of France “We love using Côtes Catalanes as it really reflects the culture here But it’s not easy to get used to,” joked Laura Sicard of Cave Dom Brial but soft and gentle when you get to know them!” the winemakers of Roussillon are in no doubt Roussillon should be thought of as a very separate region “We’re more similar to Penedès than Languedoc,” added Danjou-Banessy “I won’t work with any importer that would refer to us as from Languedoc-Roussillon.” They are as impressive as they are imposing It means vineyards range from sea level in areas like Canet-en-Roussillon to over 1000m inland The foothills of the Corbières Mountains in the north are home to AOC Maury Sec (and Doux) as well as the named Côtes Du Roussillon Villages areas of Tautavel highlighting the vital role altitude plays in the production of quality wine The newly christened (2017) AOC Côtes Du Roussillon Villages Les Aspres is further south as the land rises towards the iconic Mont Canigou Dominique Génot runs Mas Llossanes near Tarerach After a decade running Château Giscours’ Tuscan property and the Mediterranean sun which I really wanted having enjoyed my time in Tuscany,” smiled Génot “We now manage 11 hectares between 550m and 700m In 2015 these vineyards were seen as less desirable set by the likes of Chapoutier’s Bila-Haut is clearly increasing for quality minded producers.” whose valleys cut grooves throughout the region producing further aspects for grape growers to exploit the central River Têt and the southern River Tech also act as intra-regional markers that often can be used as a point of reference when talking about the winds and the soils prevalent in each region Roussillon is famous for being subject to strong winds that blow one day in every three throughout the year There are eight main winds gusting in all directions bringing warmth or freshness The famous winds are the Tramontane from the North-West but the relative effects of these winds are rarely constant and keep vineyard managers on their toes “We’re experiencing a bit less of the Tramontane in recent years,” noted Hervé Bizeul of the fabulous Clos Des Fées in Rivesaltes we’re getting more of the Sirocco winds from the African deserts the mountains and valleys were hewn by large movements in the tertiary and quaternary periods leaving exceptionally diverse soil formations down into the Agly Valley are known for sandy gneiss and famous dark schists giving spicy Iron rich red clay and limestone dominate the Corbières foothills give deeper Rocky alluvial soils cover the river valley terraces for minerality and warmth What is clear is that there are distinct styles and terroir everywhere you look “Vin Doux Naturels is like Catalan Viagra!” – Nicolas Raffy of Mas Amiel Cinsault and Lledoner Pelut (hairy Grenache) are accepted to be local grapes “Plantings of Syrah began to increase in the 1970s,” noted Danjou-Banessy “We only have one small plot ourselves as it’s not really adapted to the region and grafting has been tough.” Syrah has also struggled in the face of climate change with Bizeul noting “we’ve lost 30% of Syrah vineyards during these last three years of drought.” There are certain areas where it works better than others require at least 40% Syrah in the final blend revealed they only use Syrah for their entry level blends Grenache Noir remains most highly prized for both dry and Vin Doux Naturels It was also great to see Carignan with naturally restricted yields and even some carbonic maceration widely lauded especially for its natural acidity as temperatures rise White plantings are dominated by Muscat Blancs a Petit Grains and Muscat of Alexandria being the main ingredients in white Vin Doux Naturels The later in particular a source of great hope for the future “Grenache Gris does give more tannin,” noted Danjou-Banessy “and it’s that extra structure that gives it more of a fresh feel.” and progressive cellar techniques mean that over extracting jammy wines are very much…well I was going to say a rarity but I don’t think I had one that fit that description in the days I was there Vin Doux Naturels come in a range of styles and deserve an article all of their own It’s clear that more needs to be done to help this historic style the question is whether the demand is still there Is it enough to simply produce a set of world class wines and just expect wine drinkers to continue to buy them Food matching can be great fun and will help “Vin Doux Naturels is like Catalan Viagra!” exclaimed Raffy whose line-up of Maury Doux paired with chocolate cake would truly work wonders towards the end of…ahem…a meal "It really feels like a piece of the New World but in France.” – Jonathan Hesford of Domaine Treloar Roussillon has an enviable portfolio of old vines over 50% of the vines planted in the region are over 50 years old These old bush vines contribute to Roussillon’s claim to have the lowest yield of combined PDO and PGI categories in France This allows for truly unique wines to be made who manages 120-year-old plots of Garnacha put it: “You don’t make what you want to make that also includes a handy help for harvest planning in a changing climate “It’s great that the deep roots allow resistance to the drought and also the concentration of the berries,” noted Dominique Génot “But it also means production is more stable in terms of both quality and quantity.” that old vines will produce the best grapes As Hervé Bizeul put it “a young idiot usually grows up to be an old idiot.” He pointed out that younger plots in Romanée-Conti aren’t seen as lesser Roussillon remains a very attractive place for young winemakers to set up Jonathan Hesford and his wife set up Domaine Treloar just under 20 years ago “We were moving to France from New Zealand and were looking for an area we could be profitable but also make our own style of wines,” remembered Hesford relatively very cheap and you can buy old vineyards with very interesting varieties It really feels like a piece of the New World With vineyard prices as low as €8,000 per hectare Antoine Lespes of Domaine Lafage – commended for his strides in regenerative viticulture Climate change is bringing particular pressures “We’re the first region in France to really feel it,” continued Bizeul “I understand that everywhere has its challenges but if the vines don’t get at least 300mm of rain they won’t survive for long.” With just 240mm of rain falling in 2023 the situation is pressing Domaine Lafage was voted highly commended in this year’s Drinks Business Green Awards largely thanks to the work of impressive head of viticulture “Being part of the Regenerative Viticulture Alliance (a Catalan movement started by Torres) has helped us spread the word to our growers and partners Our studies have targeted the use of drip irrigation around budburst as optimum for the plant and our work with BioChar has seen our water and compost inputs reduced to just a third for the same vegetative result.” Further work on reducing erosion with increased root systems of companion plants and planting vines following contours of hillsides has had a marked effect The increased use of on-site water recycling units like that being built into the new wine tourism works at Domaine Sol Payré windy and dry weather does have a large upside for modern consumer behaviour The likes of Domaine La Soula has long been known in the UK as embracing organic and biodynamic methods 35% of Roussillon’s vineyards are either certified or in organic conversion This is an impressive number given the large role co-ops play and the challenges they face in incentivising all their members voted France’s best co-op in 2022 by the Berliner Wein Trophy Laura Sicard revealed the importance placed on future proofing the business and also signed up to the Vignerons Engagées programme,” stated Sicard “10 of our 40 full time growers are also now organic certified which really helps our message.” For more information on wines and winemakers in this article, please contact Mike Turner via contact pages on www.the-buyer.net For more information about the Wines of Roussillon please contact Celine Bouteiller on celine@otaria.co.uk judge and regular contributor for The Buyer Fancy trying some of the wines from the fabulous winemakers mentioned in this article They are currently working with the following importers: Domaine Danjou-Banessy – Cambridge Wine Merchants Mas Llossanes – Currently seeking an importer Domaine Sol Payré – Currently seeking an importer Vignobles Terrasous – Sommelier Consultant Domaine Treloar – Cambridge Wine Merchants The wines of Languedoc are experiencing an exciting renaissance Having reinvented itself in recent decades by shifting its production focus to wines of truly high quality the region has become one of the most dynamic in the country Leading winemakers combined time-honored traditions with state-of-the art techniques to revitalize the region’s appellations and their innovative vineyard and vinification practices have yielded a diverse range of terroir-driven wines including the greatest percentage of organic wines in France Their efforts have led the Languedoc AOC to become one of the fastest-growing categories from France and sweet AOC wines are being sought out as new “discoveries” by consumers around the world who are seeking exceptional quality and value (AOCs may be classified as AOPs in the EU system.) Languedoc is the largest producer of organic wines in France as well as the biggest producer of IGP and AOC rosé wines in the country The region has also become a welcoming area for foreigners attracting producers not only from other regions of France but from the world over Languedoc is now flying high on the reputation of its rich history the Languedoc is part of the large Mediterranean coastal area now known as the Occitanie region reaching from the Spanish border on the southeast to the region of Provence in the east The Languedoc makes up approximately 90 percent of the territory; Roussillon occupies the other 10 percent Together they represent France’s largest wine-producing region and vineyard area—more than one in three French wines is produced here The greater Languedoc-Roussillon region is also the largest vineyard area in the world with a geographic identity Viticulture is one of the main drivers of the local economy and many of the wineries are small family holdings that date back generations The Languedoc is known for being quite distinct from Roussillon as far as culture Languedoc AOCs represent about 16 percent of Occitanie wines The region is home to multiple climate and soil types The majority of Languedoc’s wines are red blends but rosé and still white wines are produced here as are sparkling wines made in the traditional method a technique made famous because of its association with Champagne but one that’s believed to have been discovered in Languedoc’s Limoux area Documents dating to 1544 support this claim There are also four Languedoc sweet wine appellations which produce vins doux naturels from the Muscat variety The main area of the Languedoc wine region stretches across three départements—from the Aude to the Gard by way of the Hérault—and then extending to the Pyrénées-Orientales where it meets Roussillon The region’s proximity to the Mediterranean Sea helps provide greater consistency across vintages than in other areas of France which help prevent pests and disease by giving natural protection to the vineyards contribute to the region’s ability to sustain a high level of organic production—36 percent of all organic French wine comes from the Languedoc – making it the country’s leader in this category and in some areas the amount of rain is the lowest in France But the Languedoc has reserves of water in most of its calcareous soils with clay and limestone being the most dominant Languedoc’s vineyard history dates to the 5th century BC when the Greeks introduced vines to the area as occurred in many other French vineyard regions Viticulture has continued to play a crucial role in the regional economy since that time a unique method called passerillage was used to produce wines; harvested grapes were dried in the sun for over-ripening which connected the Mediterranean to the Atlantic the railway system made it easier to ship wine to Northern France which led to a period of great prosperity for the Languedoc wine community Phylloxera began attacking Languedoc vineyards in 1868 vines were grafted onto phylloxera-resistant American rootstock and major replanting was undertaken—with a focus on quantity and high yields the Languedoc produced the largest volume of table wine in France yielding up to 120 hectoliters per hectare the annual production was 21 million hectoliters This overproduction resulted in plummeting prices a situation that was compounded by wine frauds involving the illegal manufacture of wine produced from sugar beets as well as inappropriate chaptalization practices a new effort to revive Languedoc wine was begun Blanquette de Limoux was granted appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) status and thus became the first AOC established in the Languedoc region—and one of the earliest AOCs in France In 1945 the Languedoc received major recognition from the National Institute of the Appellations of Origin (INAO) when the organization allowed the region’s wines to be designated Wine of Superior Quality (VDQS) and approved the appearance of that designation on labels This designation would later evolve into the AOC system Languedoc producers gradually began shifting their focus toward standards that would raise the region’s level of quality and winemaking methods led to a restructuring of the Languedoc region and the classification of its terroirs into various AOCs which now guarantee the quality and authenticity of Languedoc wines Although the major share of Langeudoc’s production is still made up of IGP wines representing about 16 percent of its total production The base of the Languedoc appellation structure lies with the regional Languedoc appellation AOC Languedoc This regional appellation evolved from the extension of the Coteaux du Languedoc appellation It covers recognizable and accessible geographic origin red with blending across the terroirs of the AOC Languedoc and Roussillon Production covers the whole of the Languedoc-Roussillon These wines are known as enjoyable everyday drinking wines that deliver a strong quality-to-price ratio there are also 14 designations or vineyard sites who have filed an application with the INAO for specific recognition: the region also includes 19 IGP Sud de France denominations named not only for their viticultural aspects but also factors such as history and geography Languedoc’s AOC wines are predominantly red blends made with Grenache Their flavor profile is dominated by red fruit and spices and is often associated with an herb blend called garrigue Red wines make up 60 percent of the Languedoc’s total production Approximately 93 percent of the wines produced in the region are still wines and 2 percent are sweet Muscat-based vins doux naturels This variety has been cultivated in France since the Middle Ages Grenache provides structure to Languedoc blends It also has an aromatic flavor profile and an exceptional ability to age (provided yields have been controlled) Grenache is often combined with more tannic grapes elegant wines with notes of cherry and plum in youth Wines made with Syrah tend to be robust and high in alcohol and tannins which makes them good candidates for aging fruity wines with red fruit and strong floral notes Grown throughout the southern Mediterranean, Carignan is a low-yield variety that produces powerful intensely colored wines with strong tannins It helps build the foundation in Languedoc blends Carignan offers red and black fruit notes as well as typical regional notes of garrigue balsamic notes may develop as Carignan ages This variety’s history in France dates to the Middle Ages tannic wines that are deep in color and firm in structure It contributes complexity to Languedoc blends and its flavor profile features blackberries as well as baking spices and herbal garrigue notes Known for its supple, juicy, and fruity wines, Cinsault yields wines that tend to be light ruby in color with notes of sour red berries This grape is also used in the production of the Languedoc’s excellent rosé wines Numerous other varieties can be found in Languedoc Occitanie is still the largest wine region in France representing 30 percent of all French wine produced and the largest vineyard area in the world with a geographic identity Languedoc in many ways has become a new frontier for French wine Not only does it offer a diverse range of wine styles but it delivers exceptional quality at approachable prices Consumers are seeking out Languedoc wines as new “discoveries.” These are innovative wines that combine the best of traditional practices with new winemaking ideas and technology The region is also evolving because of the numerous young people and foreigners who are buying up local land and joining the Languedoc winemaking community With shifting consumption patterns and increasing international demand producers are tackling new challenges to support the success of Languedoc wine as a rapidly growing category This is evident in the increased production of rosé wines as well as the commitment to expanding organic production even further within the region Languedoc now accounts for 30 percent of total French rosés and 11 percent of the world’s production Languedoc is also home to 36 percent of all French organic vineyards It also has the highest percentage of certified organic grape growers in France with a 10 year plan for 40 percent of all producers to have some form of high value certification and 60 percent of surfaces committed to the process of sustainable development Surrounded by three mountain ranges in a natural amphitheatre opening to the Mediterranean Sea Roussillon is a hidden gem of quality wines in the south of France In the first ever Roussillon ‘Coup de Coeur’ blind tasting event a team of UK wine writers selected what they deem to be the 12 finest examples of Roussillon wines available in the UK market With the aim of shedding light on this often-overlooked region the experts tasted approximately 100 wines across a range of styles and selected the 12 top bottles that showcased the best that Roussillon has to offer Experts assessed approximately 100 wines across a range of styles and selected the 12 top bottles that showcased the best that Roussillon has to offer Once belonging to the kingdom of northern Spain Roussillon boasts a Catalan influence interwoven with its southern French style Roussillon benefits from a near-perfect Mediterranean climate influenced by the sea of the same name which borders the eastern part of the region as well as three mountain ranges: the northern Corbières the western Pyrenees and the southern Albères there are eight types of wind that blow across the 14 AOPs and two IGP certifications where there are many micro-terroirs across various soil types as well as 24 grape varieties regularly grown in styles as diverse as still dry white rosé and red wines and the fortified sweet Vins Doux Naturels A leader in France for organic and biodynamic viticulture 35% of the region’s vineyard is certified organic While today’s winemakers undoubtedly honour a history and methodology passed down by winemakers over generations Roussillon is also one of France’s most innovative wine regions today experimenting with modern techniques alongside historical know-how Surrounded by three mountain ranges and close to the Mediterranean Sea As the 12 top bottles from this first edition of Coup de Coeur show, there’s never been a better time to discover the breadth and quality of wines from Roussillon in the UK. to keep the financial balance sheet in good shape So often these practical aspects are dismissed in estate visits Just the sort of property I would want to work with if I was buying again,” writes McCleery.Charles Perez Mas Becha is a 110 hectare organic estate in Nyls, south of Perpignan. Charles Perez is blessed with a one-plot, 30-hectare vineyard, planted on the chalky, arid soils of the Aspres. Alongside his vines there are almond and olive trees and crops of wheat and barley. The beauty of biodiversity is in full force here no malolactic and careful vessel selection according to the style being sought Portraits de Famille is the ‘entry-level’ range and included a red Few red wines in the four-day trip delivered as much joyful plump-fruited and fresh drinking as the Charles 2020 60% Syrah with 20% each Grenache Noir and 20% Mourvèdre Hipgnoisis 269 2020 was a breathtaking white Vermentino-led with splashes of Macabeo and Grenache Blanc terroir-driven wine with elegant white floral notes Tasting these wines alongside a lunch of brandade fresh vegetables and other tapas-like dishes put the wines in a modern context and showed how readily saleable they are Domaine Gardiés has its vineyards in the foothills of the Corbières mountains where the soils are predominantly the black schists of the Espira de l’Agly with limestone too the estate has 53 small parcels across the area when tasting the Gardiés wines was ‘precision’ Les Vins de Mon Père 2020 is 10% Roussanne red apples abundant on the nose were followed by a palate that was impressively generous in flavour with a fine backbone of acidity and a green herb Clos des Vignes Tautavel is a Grenache Noir/ Carignan blend the fruit coming from vines planted in limestone soils black pepper and mushroom notes with fine-grained tannins Domaine Brial is a cooperative working with 200 growers They have 2000 hectares under their stewardship What Brial has done well is to understand that consumers are looking for wines of all styles Domaine Boudau was one of those wineries I leave with a spring in my step Its (organically certified) wine range delivered both quality drinking and good value for money Véronique and Pierre Boudau have made sensible decisions too Selling vineyards in order to keep the estate at a manageable size and to bottle wines that are readily drinkable Just the sort of property I would want to work with if I was buying again Cellar door prices of €9,40 for the quality delivered in the Côtes de Roussillon range were pretty much unbeaten the whole trip an entirely unpretentious 80% Grenache Noir Domaine Cazes has long been on my radar Lionel Lavail is an enthusiastic and clearly passionate advocate for their wines biodynamics and the all-important Vins Doux Naturels I just cannot quite get a grasp on what it is to be a Cazes wine Perhaps it is the sheer extent of the range In the end I kept getting tugged back to Lavail’s property in the Anse de Paulilles Here there are 63 hectares of vineyard planted on schistous terraces Yields are ludicrously low here and you have to admire Lavail’s commitment to biodynamics in a place where the locals thought he wouldn’t succeed I thought the wines from here achieved terrific complexity Especially impressive was the red Les Clos de Paulilles 2020 all topped off with notes of dried spice and garrigue herbs A step-up again was Les Clos de Paulilles Cap Béar 2020 this was one of the most elegant of the powerful reds I tasted on the visit the fruits black and herbal but with a nice lift of crunchy black raspberries that gave the wine nice energy Domaine de la Pertuisane is owned by Englishman they bought three hectares of old-vine Grenache in the steep vineyards above the village Dry-farming and hand-harvesting are the name of the game here Yields from some plots drop to as low as 10 h/l per ha Sarah and Richard are clearly heavily influenced by the Californian style and their partner David Phinney (he of Orin Swift/ The Prisoner fame) I will hold my hands up and say that as much as I can appreciate the labour of love and peerless intensity of the wines A pity because I thought Richard was terrific and he’s clearly a gifted winemaker Perhaps surprisingly it was his Grenache Gris floral and pink fruit nose was followed by a weighty palate defined by green pea and fennel fruit with raspberry and aniseed notes too Folks say owners are like their dogs. I say, Jean-Roger Calvet at Domaine Thunevin-Calvet has made wines in his own image He’d said in the winery that he wanted his wines to show the impressive concentration the region is capable of but with no loss of freshness make all of his wines as IGP Côtes Catalanes where he will have more freedom with single varietals It shouldn’t be a deterrent for interested parties All of his vineyards are planted in the schist soils around Maury The 2020 L’Amourette Blanc is 100% Grenache Gris and laden with bright summer orchard fruit with a custard crème (or rather crème Catalan) feel I was similarly enthused by the red L’Amourette 2020 Terrific density of spicy black fruit but enduringly sprightly You can work up the range here with complete confidence that you get good value for money at every stage Domaine Lafage was the first tasting of my visit to the Roussillon and Jean-Marc set a high bar for all who followed A widely experienced oenologist and consultant his ventures run well beyond the Roussillon area but his presence here is a terrific thing for everyone It is always a mistake to think you’ve tasted one of the best wines you’re going to have of the whole visit within a couple of glasses but I wasn’t wrong Centenaire 2021 is an IGP Côtes Catalanes field blend of Grenache Gris and Blanc with Roussanne the Grenache Gris and Blanc gave me a nose of fresh cut pea pod and fennel that were joined by white summer orchard fruit The mille-feuille palate was enduringly generous and fresh The full-bodied Léa AOP Côtes du Roussillon Villages Les Aspres is a blend of Grenache Gris Négociant Jeff Carel with Sébastien Calduch bought the 18-hectare Domaine d’Ansignan when it was under threat of being ripped out They saw considerable potential in these hilltop vineyards and the old vine Syrah The project has taken on a ‘social’ leaning in every sense with efforts being made to support the local village with employment opportunities and whilst the local human inhabitants are pleased to see them there’s a less happy relationship with the wild boar community Vintage reports aren’t solely articulated in terms of flowering rain and sun but also the level of boar hunger and the subsequent impact on yields I liked their idea of a “rosé red” – Les Grenadines 2021 – a wine you could drink fresh Terrassous has 800 hectares under its stewardship They have a smarty-presented range of white What impressed the most was the Vins Doux Naturels being made here… at simply incredible prices The Rivesaltes Ambré 2000 comes in at 19.5% but doesn’t taste it at all fresh-ground coffee beans and baking spice brimming with energy and slipped down a treat It would set you back €16.50 if you walked in from the street (Jeff Carel – no UK importer yet for the Roussillon wines) Domaine Fontanel sums up all that is great and exciting about Roussillon Owned by the very lovely Matthieu (and I assume Matthieu talks with admiral respect and openness about the support they get from Pierre Fontanel This husband and wife team learnt their oenology skills at Montpellier whilst in their 30s and everything that Matthieu says is an indication of his passion for this long-waited-for life They are striking a fine balance between maintaining a respectful balance for the estate’s history whilst embracing modern winemaking techniques and securing much-appreciated freshness There’s a good deal of integrity in the man and the wines Arrels AOP Maury Sec 2018 was the first wine I’d tasted from the AOP Sappy and savoury with gingery-spice and crunchy tannins AOP Côtes de Roussillon Villages Tautavel 2017 was a broodier with 80% Syrah and 20% Mourvèdre and 18% ageing in oak barrels If I have one regret about the Roussillon trip, it is that we did not make a visit to Château de L’Ou Séverine Bourrier and tasted her wines over dinner and hearing her talk made me wish we were picnicking in her winery instead the estate vineyards are located over four distinctive areas: Maury in the Agly Valley Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes in the high Agly Valley where they also have vineyards in St Paul de Fenouillet It’s an important point because terroir expression lies at the heart of Séverine’s philosophy The cellar sounds like a veritable treasure trove of fermentation and ageing barrels with ongoing trials to see what plots and which varietals fare best in which There’s everything from clay and stone terracotta to wooden barrels of all shapes and sizes… oh and eggs too Secret de Schistes Blanc 2020 is an amphora-vinified Grenache Gris (with a whisper of oak) that has a pea mousse peach and stone fruit nose and a brilliantly taut palate Compartir 2019 AOP Côtes du Roussillon Villages really impressed with smoky graphite notes the balance was à point and the finish took me straight back to the garrigue The Wines of Roussillon trade and press tasting will take place in London on June 13. There will be two masterclasses focusing on red and white AOPs from Roussillon. To register click here. I see more similarities in the Roussillon and South Africa than I do elsewhere – it’s got that kind of old vine feel with feisty individuals who want to do something different,” says Daniel.Man with a mission: Steve Daniel The current rejuvenation of Greek wine in the UK owes a lot to one man – Steve Daniel, head of buying for Hallgarten & Novum Wines (HN Wines) During his 16 year stint as buying and marketing director for Oddbins and in the 20 years since Daniel has made it one of his key missions to restore Greek wine to its rightful place as one of the world’s top producers of fine wine the untamed corner of France’s wild South West where he has found an exciting mix of long-established producers and newbies seeking to impress with new-found investment and an array of winemaking techniques well suited to craft fine wine from an area rich in low-yielding old vines almost the last frontier in many ways of France it’s undiscovered still – even though it’s been there in people’s consciousness as an appendage it’s never been fully discovered,” says Daniel outside the London leg of HN’s Roussillon Roadshow “I think they’ve also re-discovered it themselves,” he adds “rather than looking at it as an area of mass production – they’ve realised it’s impossible to have mass production in an area like the Roussillon where it’s old vines it’s just not geared up for it so the people making wine down there are working with their terroir and producing some truly exceptional wines.” so has there been a noticeable change in the winemaking since Daniel has been buying wine “Back in the day when I was at Oddbins in 1987 I was buying wine from the Roussillon but it was right at the very beginning and it was always ‘Please don’t make the wine like that’ or ‘Can you not have brettanomyces in your wine?’ ‘Can you not do this and can you not do that?’ and it was always a remedial action The guys that got it … their fruit was amazing.” “There’s always been pioneers down there like Gauby but now there’s a whole heap of people investing in the area because if you want to set up a winery from scratch it’s the cheapest vineyard area in France It’s not the cheapest place to produce wine – you can buy a hectare of vineyards very cheap – but they are old vine low yield and dry farmed so what these people have seen is that this is an area with potential for fine wines and that’s what excites me – they are producing fine wines in an undiscovered area that is undervalued and therefore offering real value.” Victor from Domaine Gardiés: a rising star making terroir-driven is the historical ‘lumping together’ of the Languedoc and Roussillon especially when it comes to expectations over wine style and price “Let’s stop calling it Languedoc-Roussillon for a start The Languedoc is a massive producer that makes some fabulous fine wines and lots of… vin ordinaire if you like Roussillon is tiny in comparison it’s like 1 per cent of the output of France as opposed to the Languedoc which is many If you’re lucky enough to go to the region you will see immediately that it’s a very different area The Languedoc generally speaking (and this is a massive generalisation) is more about rolling hillsides and is more typically Mediterranean but the Roussillon is wild landscape it’s sauvage mountains and crags in a very small area surrounded on three sides by mountains and on the other by the Med.” “You can also go very short distances and have different soil types – you can go from limestone to schist to clay to whatever… whatever you want you’ve got it there there are places you can plant vineyard and there are abandoned vineyards you can find and rejuvenate Charles Perez from Mas Bécha: two classic Côte de Roussillon blends with a modern twist grape varieties and semi-arid climate all point towards making modern “It’s not an easy route for these guys – they can’t necessarily make mass market wines so the co-ops we work with Dom Brial can get down to a price that’s interesting – it won’t be bargain basement prices you can get from the Languedoc but you can get real value there in the co-ops – but then again Roussillon is not dominanted by co-ops it’s dominated by smaller producers.” grapes like Grenache which is going to be the next big grape as far as I can see sexy and far more quaffable than most Burgundian Pinot Noir at the moment and then in the whites you’ve got the amazing Grenache Blanc Grenache Gris so there’s a bit of everything down there and there’s also a few interlopers – Roussanne you’ll see now but it’s generally classic French Mediterranean vineyard and French Mediterranean varieties.” The summer of 2023 was one of the driest ever with the region now having been officially declared a semi-arid area of France Is the changing climate here of worry for Daniel “If I was looking at it as a source of bulk wine I’d be very worried but if it’s a source of really individual fine wine at sensible prices I’d be less worried – these are vineyards that have never been irrigated and some years it’s going to be more a struggle than others and I think Yeah the potential is there but not as a bulk wine producing area.” Dom Brial’s Xavier Ponset: a co-op with many firsts to its name So is this a new departure for HN Wines and what sort of timeframe has been set “Absolutely it’s a new development – I like a long-term project – I was happy to devote 25 years of my life to get Greece to work with the Roussillon I see it as a five-year project – starting kind of now I’ll keep pushing to say ‘look if you want a fine wine producing area of France that you don’t normally associate with fine wine the Roussillon is where it’s at.’ “It will give you better value than a lot of the Northern Rhône and some of the whites are disarmingly fresh and mineral so well-made Grenache Gris or Grenache Blanc will more than fit that bill Chablis to me doesn’t taste like Chablis used to – maybe the people that think Chablis doesn’t taste as minerally as they’d like will see Roussillon as a source of really fine white wines.” Elise Gaillard moved from the Rhône to found Domaine Madeloc in 2002 it’s almost like the New World in the Old World – it’s a rediscovery – I see more similarities in the Roussillon and South Africa than I do elsewhere it’s got that kind of old vine feel with feisty individuals who want to do something different.” So how has the reception to the new Roussillon wines been to date It’s a bit like back in the day with Greece… ‘Would you like to try a wine from the Roussillon?’ Answer ‘No’ Show them a wine from Roussillon That’s amazing’ So it’s going to be one of these jobs – no-one’s asking for Roussillon but that doesn’t mean it’s not relevant and it’s not my job to present it because it really is a valid proposition.” Bruno Cazes from Mas de Lavail; making dry reds in the heart of Maury To taste the wines from HN Wine’s new Roussillon producers visit the annual portfolio tasting taking place on Monday and Tuesday 19th/ 20th February at Lindley Hall Hallgarten and Novum Wines is a commercial partner of The Buyer. To discover more about them click here. words: On this episode of “Wine 101,” host Keith Beavers heads south to the foothills of the Pyrenees to dive into the wines of Roussillon this wine zone is known for being the sunniest place in all of France Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify We just found out that the speed of a computer mouse is measured in Mickeys When I did the Languedoc episode I did it knowing that not a lot of wine lovers know this particular wine region It’s one of the largest wine regions in France I also mentioned that it’s often hyphenated with its neighboring wine region to the west Last episode and we talked about leaving the yellow wine I think we need to talk about Roussillon because this is a place that you probably have never heard of the Roussillon wine region was traditionally focused primarily on sweet wines and we talked about this all the time in the wine world and the history of wine It thrived at a time when sweet wines were popular because they were the wines that could travel and not die and just flab out on a ship running to another market I mean, it’s thought that this is the region where the idea of adding spirit to grape must to stop fermentation was invented/discovered. It’s called mutage. This happens in port. It happens in Madeira, which we’re going to get into this is a very different wine situation that was happening to the east in Languedoc the people here are very closely tied to northeast Spain it looks like a little bit of an amphitheater as we talked about in the Languedoc episode Languedoc takes up primarily the eastern part of that amphitheater this is what we’re getting into the Roussillon territory This is kind of the big city town that represents Roussillon The Pyrenees are a mountain range that borders Spain and France It’s so high that you can see snow-capped mountains all through summer I have a story I’ll tell in a second and this is where a lot of Roussillon wine is made There’s also wine being made on the coasts There’s a reason why the department of France that this Roussillon is in is called the Pyrénées-Orientales. Did I say that right? Although there is fertile land towards the coast, which there always is, the majority of this area has poor soil, so the two crops that really thrive here are olive and grapes. Whereas last episode how it’s the coldest wine region in France it is the sunniest wine region in France with 325 days of sun but because of it being in this very mountainous foothill region My colleague and I were up in some part of the mountain and we needed to go to this old hermit house and you could only get to the hermit house with a rope You had to use a rope to climb along this wall to get to a stairway to get to a house It’s on top of a mountaintop hill thing you had to use the rope because the winds were so bad It also does a lot of work for a certain kind of wine We’re going to talk about it in a little bit was known from the 14th century through to the 19th century — in the early 20th century — as a sweet wine-producing region It’s only in modern times that it’s starting to be somewhat recognized for their dry whites One of the reasons why we may not know about Roussillon on our market is number one: it’s not as plentiful the thing is sweet wines aren’t as popular now with humans that drink wine than it was back in the day these were the only wines that could travel and we’re into more of a modern time trying to focus a little bit more on their dry red wines and some white wines and rosés and just having the legacy of these sweet wines there The legacy of those sweet wines are in three appellations something that has to be noted is that in the Languedoc episode I mentioned how independent these winemakers are but there’s enough of them that they just want to do whatever they want to do and do what they’ve been doing for a long time I’m going to do whatever I want to do that kind of stuff.” That may as well have — I don’t know — hindered the distribution of wines from this place We should be getting into Roussillon no matter how it’s made Similar to Languedoc, the red wine grapes that are being used here in Roussillon are Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cinsault That is what we see from Provence all the way over to the Pyrenees with the region still having a love-hate relationship with Carignan Let’s try to make this thing awesome.” I’ve tasted some great Carignan from Southern France Something that’s unique to this area is a grape called and I don’t know if I want to say this right These are grapes that are used mostly for these sweet wines I’m going to talk about the sweet wines aren’t as popular anymore more of these areas are making dry white wines from the Muscat grape like perfumed aromatic but dry on the palate — like just a really wild but it’s a grape called Torbato or Tourbat There’s no need for Chardonnay in this area but it’s there because Chardonnay is everywhere so the appellations in this area — I’m going to explain the appellations and it’s going to be very similar to what you’ve heard because this area is not very familiar to a lot of people I think what I would hope you take away from this episode is just to go out there and find wines from Roussillon to try Whatever’s on the label is on the label Then maybe come back to this episode and see what you got Covering the entire region is the Côtes du Roussillon Appellation the only thing is you have to use at least three of Carignan we get into the very hilly area of the region there are five communes that can append their commune or village name to Côtes du Roussillon Join me as I butcher these names: Caramany the reason they can be appended is because of their specific areas We’ll talk about it in the soil episode it has to be primarily Carignan and Syrah and Mourvèdre There’s not a lot of soil going on there Every little commune has their own rules to separate themselves from the larger Côtes du Roussillon That pretty much covers the dry wine situation in Roussillon and I love seeing wines in the United States from Roussillon Now we have to talk about the history here The legendary sweet wines of this area that were once celebrated on the level of all the other sweet wines you had out there during the time before modern winemaking — this is the thing — we’re not going to see a lot of these wines around It’s sort of in the northern part of the region What these places are known for is a wine called Vins doux naturel which means “naturally sweet wine,” but it’s not really naturally sweet in that a spirit is added to the grape must to stop fermentation we’re going to talk about this season What you’re doing is you’re allowing the wine to be exposed to oxygen One of the words they use in Roussillon is called — well I’ve seen white wine made this way put into carboys and just tossed outside of a winery to let it just be under the elements and to take in the sun and to oxidize a little bit turning into what we talk about with vin jaune from the Jura They’re very deep and dark and nutty Depending on whether you’re in Banyul they use different proportions of the different kinds of grapes within that list that we’ve talked about you can’t release a wine for 16 months but I must tell you that — especially Rivesaltes — you see those more often than you see Maury or Banyul tertiary aromas that you would usually get from aging The even cooler thing is that outside of these three places and it’s not made the way the rules state like if you want to do whatever you want — because it’s Roussillon they don’t like rules — they put a rule in place for that If you’re making one of these Rancio or Vins Doux Naturel wines and you’re not adhering to the rules within those three communes umbrella rule that is pretty acceptable for people who don’t like rules You see how it got a little confusing there for a second They can be deep and dark and full-bodied and intense there’s a wide range of styles from a small place This is the last French episode of the season @VinePairKeith is my Insta Rate and review this podcast wherever you get your podcasts from at the VinePair headquarters in New York City I want to give a big old shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin for creating VinePair for creating the most awesome logo for this podcast And I want to thank the entire VinePair staff for helping me learn something new every day Gallo Winery is excited to sponsor this episode of VinePair’s “Wine 101.” Gallo always welcomes new friends to wine with an amazingly wide spectrum of favorites ranging from everyday to luxury and sparkling wine but this is a wine podcast.) Whether you are new to wine or an aficionado Visit TheBarrelRoom.com today to find your next favorite The Roussillon is home to a range of wine styles Sweet fortified wines (vin doux naturel) used to dominate production with still dry wines (vin sec) in the minority and vin sec now makes up the majority (80%) of the Roussillon’s output not only highlighted many good quality dry wines being produced but also cemented the idea that Roussillon whites are worth taking seriously We’ve selected 15 top picks from the tasting The list below highlights a selection of wines across various price points with some offering excellent value for money While others are pushing into a more premium price bracket ‘Less than one glass of wine per plant’ co-director and export manager at the CIVR (Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon) It is clear that there is still great value to be found in the Roussillon and it might be that whites are where to look White wines are made in just two of the Roussillon’s nine AOPs which explains why a lot of white Roussillon – in fact 72% – is labelled as IGP Côtes Catalanes (and a small amount of IGP Côte Vermeille) The IGPs also allow more flexibility in terms of grape varieties Producers wanting to shine a light on a single grape variety Wines of Roussillon’s recent figures show that 17% of dry wine production in the Roussillon is now is white ‘What is important for me is that this percentage is increasing each year Aracil said that it is consumer demand driving this increase in production of white wines Sales of white Roussillon AOP wines (Côtes du Roussillon and Collioure) have increased 14% over the last five years ‘We have some very fresh, crisp, pleasant white wines which are completely unexpected, and which are completely different from classic Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc we can have some wonderful white wines.’ Domaine Treloar’s dry, orangey and saline One Block Muscat is a must-try and a steal Le Soula’s Blanc 2015 is a superb example of the complexity and ageability of Roussillon whites While the focus at the recent tasting was clearly on dry whites and reds some may be surprised to learn that 26% of Roussillon’s dry wine production is in fact rosé this rosé is mostly consumed in Roussillon itself So there is not a huge amount on the export market The small number of rosés on show at the tasting as opposed to overtly sweet and strawberry-led is dry and full of tangy citrus and cranberry notes While the cooperative Arnaud de Villeneuve’s Stellaire rosé 2021 has a savoury There’s no doubt that the hot and sunny Roussillon climate produces some intense, high alcohol wines. In the past, heavy oak use could dominate. But good examples of this style do exist. Take Domaine Singla’s Passe Temps 2020 which manages to balance the alcohol with deliciously plummy There are also some lighter-bodied reds to be found, such as Domaine Lafage’s La Rétro, which is designed to be a juicy easy-drinking red – it even comes in a litre-bottle Production levels of vin doux naturel wines may have tanked in recent years due to decreased demand but the Roussillon still knows what it’s doing when it comes to fortified wines They offer next level complexity found in very few wine regions worldwide The Dom Brial Grande Réserve Rivesaltes Ambré 1969 is incredibly complex nuts and orange to mahogany and pine resin While this particular wine retails just under £100 and therefore may not be an everyday drinking wine there are other fortifieds that offer great value in the Banyuls and Maury appellations Andrew Jefford finds great winemaking near Maury Wine lovers may remember 2003 as the hottest summer since the big bang but it began with a very cold winter — and by autumn Sam and I were staying in a tiny cottage in a 9-house hamlet called La Vialasse in the middle of the Corbières” at that time one of Britain’s best-known supermarket wine buyers was looking back on a turning point in his life We’d bought a few bottles in Maury earlier that day we’d got the doors of the stove open and a thick duvet wrapped around us then I pulled the cork of the Clos del Rey 2001 It unleashed this extraordinary explosion of deep black fruit which until then had been rather insubstantial We’d found the kind of wine that I wanted to make.” Clos del Rey is the creation of Jacques Montagné his son Julien and Justin in their cellar: the three Js “There was a crisis of the vineyards around 20 or 25 years ago,” Jacques pointed out “No one wanted our fortified wines any more; the market was collapsing We had to do something.” He bought up the best old parcels of Grenache and Carignan he could find At the same moment, celebrated St-Emilion garagiste Jean-Luc Thunevin arrived in Maury, lured to Roussillon by those same old vines He fell in love with the Clos del Rey wines “He said to me ‘You vinify and I’ll sell'” Jacques remembers being invited over to St-Emilion for en primeur season as an obscure winemaker from a troubled fortified-wine zone suddenly to find himself sitting with Thunevin Alain Vauthier and Peter Sisseck as Jancis Robinson and Michel Bettane called to taste Thunevin egged him on to follow the garage techniques of the day and then even more new wood afterwards.”  Three years later Jacques was joined in the cellar by Julien he and Jean-Luc Thunevin parted company — and he barely ages his wine in any wood at all any more Father and son have 50 ha — but they only vinify the eight best hectares themselves which goes some way to explaining why their wines are so good; the rest of the fruit goes to the Maury co-operative Some tasting notes for this hidden star of the Roussillon are given below couldn’t forget the wine that he and Amanda drank in the autumn cold He subsequently made friends with local British winemaker Richard Case of Domaine de la Pertuisane – and he asked him to report back if any good local vineyards came up for sale Justin found himself (without Amanda this time) standing in a bleak vineyard of old vines on stony schist soils called Coume de Roy sited directly beneath some of the very finest Clos del Rey vineyards “I didn’t,” admits Justin “have any idea at all about what I was doing It’s hard to tell much about a vineyard in February But … I said yes.” This was the birth of Domaine of the Bee It’s hard to underestimate the challenge of Roussillon where the average yield is around 25 hl/ha and where outstanding wine is more likely to come from vines yielding around 15 hl/ha (that was the figure Justin used for his business plan) “We asked ourselves how we could create a supply chain whereby we could make any money the only way I was going to maximise my enjoyment of my wine was by knowing my consumers.” So 85% of Domaine of the Bee’s production is sold in the UK and of that around 80 per cent is sold directly via the domain’s own wine club and at fairs “It’s so important to tell your story and get a share of the headspace of your consumers.” Justin Howard-Sneyd in his Roussillon vineyards Even though the couple have bought more vineyards, giving them a total of just over 4 ha, it doesn’t justify a winery of their own — so they work with Jean-Marc Lafage, who bought Ch St Roch from Marc and Emma Bournazeau-Florensa (see last week’s blog) in 2007 and who also runs Domaine Lafage — a total of 170 ha altogether The hyper-professional Lafarge had worked around the world as a consultant winemaker after training in part in Australia with Andrew Mitchell in the Clare valley so the fit with the internationally minded Howard-Sneyd is a good one are besotted with the Roussillon’s old vines “Those old vines are like people in a retirement home,” reflects Justin and you’ll find they have something very interesting to say.”   And the alcohol levels “like the flavour of wine at 15% alcohol they’ve learned that it’s now fashionable to say that you want a wine at lower alcohol but it wasn’t very long ago that people looked at the label of a wine and said they wanted it to be higher It was lighter here and the critics all loved it But the public didn’t like it; that vintage sold less well It’s a terrible mistake to say that everyone is moving towards low-alcohol wines.” I agree (look out for a feature on this subject in the December edition of Decanter magazine) And if you object to wine at 14.5% or 15% you’ll never have a chance to enjoy the wines which best express the sunlight Jane Anson uncovers some long-lost gems in this tiny corner of southern France There must be some kind of sweet poeticism in holding a rare grapes festival in a village that is Off the beaten track hardly does justice to the location of Trilla It’s at one of the highest points of the Agly Valley in the Fenouillédes region of Roussillon through wild landscape of craggy hillsides along hair-raisingly windy roads This is not unknown winemaking territory by any means – the wider area is home to some of southern France’s most exciting names in the shape of Domaine Matassa Domaine de l’Agly and La Soula – but it’s little surprise that there are only 65 villagers (of seven different nationalities) who make Trilla their permanent home and that over half of the houses are holiday homes rather than main family properties The nearest boulangerie is a good 20 minutes drive away and the only commerce is one very small bar with uneven opening times This is not a place for the faint-hearted or overly sociable even if the sunset over the surrounding hills takes your breath away every single time play a supporting role in protecting the treasures of the Roussillon – largely because one of these 65 permanent residents is André Dominé journalist and writer who was born in Hamburg but who has lived in the village with his Mosel-born wife since 1981 Dominé was a novelist early in his career and has published dozens of books on French wine and gastronomy including the magnificent Wine that runs to 900 pages and has been translated into 17 languages (it started He now also runs one of France’s most unusual – and for my money worthwhile – wine festivals ‘The Roussillon region has one of the most important collection of old vines in the whole of France,’ he tells me over supper in the village’s former wine cooperative long since closed down and now converted into a private house ‘And yet as demand for the local sweet wines fell away many of the vineyards that produced them were abandoned or grafted to more fashionable grapes such as Syrah’ is a destruction of the region’s natural heritage equal to any terrible planning decision and he has dedicated much of his time over the past decade to drawing attention to its impact and since 2011 with La Fête des Vieux Cépages festivals are seen as a way of attracting visitors and bringing in tourism euros Trilla used to be the site of a rock music festival that must have seemed a little out of place in a village populated pretty much entirely by retirees It was the local mayor who first had the idea of changing it to a wine festival celebrating the region’s indigenous grapes – and handed its organisation to Dominé The festival showcases grapes such as Grenache Noir As I last met Dominé at a conference in Rioja defending the forgotten terroirs of Spain it is no surprise that every year a producer from further afield is invited to Trilla for the festival – Marcel Deiss from Alsace in 2015 Marta Rovira Carbonell from Mas d’en Gil from Priorat this summer ‘There are dozens of local grapes to highlight just from the Roussillon,’ he says ‘but what is happening here is being mirrored elsewhere The characteristics of indigenous flora is increasingly valuable in the face of climate change,’ he adds ‘These local grapes that were dismissed in the 1960s for their high acidity are now being taken seriously for the exact same qualities There are increasing numbers of young winemakers rescuing plots of abandoned grapes or replanting existing vineyards with traditional varieties This is what we are trying to draw attention to,’ he says We may receive a commission on purchases made from links The regional cuisine and wines match symbiotically the mountainous regions produce world-class cheeses The Languedoc and Rousillon areas are a culinary playground because many microclimates allow various types of produce to be grown wild mushrooms and chestnuts are essential aspects of the food scene Famous chefs such as the Pourcel Brothers showed the world the regions beauty by showcasing local goods at their 3-Michelin starred spot Even though it sadly shut its doors in 2016 and more folks are taking notice of the impressive gourmet locale We put together some of the most important dishes that all gourmands must try The proximity to Spain has influenced the cuisine in these regions in many ways — one of which is the popularity of small plates, like tapas. Small pâtés, like Les Petits pâtés de Pézenas, are considered starter plates. Pézenas is a historic town in Hérault where they have originated and mastered these sweet and savory appetizers. According to Bloc-Notes Culinaire these are special charcuterie preparation from 18th-century Indian cooks passing through the area It is a baked pie filled with sweet and savory minced mutton filling This starter plate is usually eaten warm at the start of a meal along with regional rosé wine or a Frontignan muscat. Wine-Searcher explains that Frontignan muscat is a sweet or semi-sweet and floral wine made in the Frontignan town It suits the Petits pâtés de Pézenas because it elevates the sweeter flavors of the pâté while balancing the savory bits Another way to go is to enjoy them with a local syrah or red blend to compliment the delicious savory Pro tip: Raw Pézenas pâtés freeze very well so don't feel inhibited when making your batches or buying this delicacy and herbs and sometimes filled with melted bacon fat Some iterations are made with local sausage either alongside or stuffed into the snails You will know they are done when they start to whistle — like an escargot kettle they are served with aioli (as if they weren't rich enough) As this is another example of a tapas-like dish (called apéro in France) they are usually eaten while standing and socializing with a glass of wine or local beer in the other hand and a lovely pairing is a red blend from the region Think of creamy mashed potatoes with the added brine and salt of cod. Cod brandade, which, according to Leite's Culinaria and herbs (sometimes anchovies are added for umami) The mashed potato serves as a filler and enhances the deep sea salt taste of the cod It is typically done as an hors d'oeuvre or small plate but can quickly become a dinner staple by adding a poached egg so drier wines with high acidity are the way to go A simple dish that takes very little time to prepare is anchovies gratinés with herbs. Passion and Cooking explain the easy recipe: Lay the anchovies down in a baking dish (cut in half lengthwise) and then cover with a mixture of bread crumbs This dish is sometimes served alongside a mixed salad in a lemon and olive oil dressing The outcome is a rich and creamy dish that is crispy on top It has a zing from the lemon and tons of umami from the anchovies Anchovies are one of the best foods for cardiovascular health because they are high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 In between sips and dips of crusty bread into your bourride, enjoy the gorgeous fizz from Limoux. Limoux is actually where the first sparkling wine was ever made. Reuters explains that these sparklers are vibrant and complex there are differences between crémant de Limoux and blanquette de Limoux but either one will give you the fresh lemon and biscuit notes that will meld with the dish as if they were made to be enjoyed together Gérard Bertrand has worked to put the area on the map with its incredible range of local wines the Cote des Rose perfectly matches your tuna à la catalane Light and bright with summery notes of cassis this wine will bring out the crispness of the dish while giving an acidic backbone and soft fruity notes that will drive the beachy vibe home A sweet and savory dish, clapassade is a traditional stew hailing from Montpellier made with slowly simmered lamb, honey, olives, and star anise, per Taste Atlas A roux is made and then deglazed with local wine — as they say goes together." The lamb shanks are adorably called "souris d'agneau," meaning "mouse of lamb," since the shanks are so tiny Your local butcher can cut larger shanks in half if needed The sanguine flavors of the lamb gain an undercurrent of licorice and sweetness All ingredients are hyper-local to the Montpellier region A trip to the local Montpellier farmer's market (or a few clicks from a specialty shop) can check off the ingredients needed: lightly brined lucques olives réglisse (licorice root that is usually tied in a muslin bag) Snag your favorite wine from Montpellier to go with it. A red from Pic Saint Loup echos the rich and complex flavors of the dish Pic Saint Loup wines are showy with flavors of garrigue and black cherries that elevate the clapassade white kidney beans are submerged with pork products such as smoked ham Cassoulet de Carcassone includes chunks of mutton while cassoulet in Tolousain is all about duck or goose confit A bottle of Corbières red is rich in texture and herbal notes that are sure to mesh with your cassoulet beautifully Another Wine Blog explains the differences and similarities between Mardi Gras in the United States and the Limoux Carnival While Mardi Gras is technically one day (with celebrations surrounding it) Limoux Carnival lasts from January to March while Carnival is unfettered joy and celebration Mardi Gras is typically toasted with cocktails like the popular Hurricane while Carnival is celebrated with the regional sparkling wine — Blanquette de Limoux one thing is the same — King Cake plays a considerable role in both fêtes French "galette des Rois," or King Cake as we know it It is a round or rectangular puff pastry cake filled with frangipane Nearly 20 million of these cakes are consumed in France each year There are many traditions surrounding the King Cake (some less savory than others) but the most well-known is that the youngest person goes under the table and chooses which guest gets each slice (without being able to see it being cut) Whoever gets the piece that has a bean or an ornamental charm inside gets to be king for the day and has to buy next year's cake Croustade languedocienne is a thinly crusted pie that is hand-formed (almost like a galette) filled with apple slices that had been swimming in Armagnac and sugar. According to Francoise's Kitchen you can make it with a homemade puff pastry Some iterations include orange blossom water and almonds The apples are drained before being placed in the dough and the juice is then brushed onto the dough halfway through cooking to give the crust a crispy caramelization A glass of Armagnac (brandy made in the Armagnac region) is a lovely accompaniment as its bitter notes attenuate the toothsome flavors and the weight of the brandy is in balance with the croustade a glass of regional demi-sec viognier pairs nicely; not only is it in accordance with fruitiness but the rich floral notes of the wine complement the pectin of the apple and orange blossom water If you are looking for a lighter variation of crème brûlée but this Catalan-inspired version is made using whole milk for the custard rather than the heavy cream that is used in crème brûlée Another difference is that it is made with lemon or orange zest and cinnamon instead of vanilla the crema Catalana is set by chilling rather than being baked in a double broiler like the crème brûlée The top can be caramelized similarly — using a torch to crisp up sugar crystals on top, but another way is to use a round iron device to burn the sugar, says Laylita's Recipes. No worries if you don't have either kitchen gadget — the broiler will do just fine. According to Regions of France some chefs will serve it slightly warmed to bring out the spices and citrus What looks like a doughnut, crunches like a biscuit, and tastes like Christmas? Rousquilles Catalanes, of course! The French Pâtissier explains how to make these delicious tea-time snacks They are round with a hole in the middle like a doughnut but they are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside The name means "little wheels." Some are standard doughnut-shaped it is a creamy farmhouse cheese that boasts a light funkiness due to the speckles of mold Roquefort is well known worldwide and hails from the Occitanie — mainly in the Languedoc This complex and funky bleu cheese is made exclusively with raw whole sheep's milk from a specific breed of sheep called "lacaune." It ripens in the natural caves of the Combalou slope in the village of Roquefort-Sur-Soulzon If you are looking for a milder bleu cheese Languedoc-Roussillon: two words You’d be forgiven for assuming some kind of parity But Roussillon makes only about 5% as much wine as Languedoc Ask wine lovers to name the greatest estate in Languedoc and Mas de Daumas Gassac will undoubtedly feature. But what about Roussillon? Not so obvious, but there’s one producer that I would suggest without hesitation – Domaine Danjou-Banessy. Why has Priorat captured the wine drinker’s imagination when they have definite similarities,” says George.Rosemary George And what have you been up to for the past 18 months It turned into a very satisfactory lockdown project I was in the middle of what I expected to be my last research trip there so I came back to London rather sooner than planned and got on with the writing And then I managed to get back to Roussillon during the summer to finish the research and meet the deadline What was the objective of this book compared to others you have written about the region and I attempted to emphasise its individuality Whereas my other writings on Roussillon have been part of larger books French Country Wines and The Wines of the South of France Have these strange times ironically been good for an author like yourself You are considered to be one of the world experts on the wines of Roussillon It is really only with writing this latest book that I have got to know Roussillon in any depth Before it has always been part of another book or the subject of an article or two What is it about the region and the wines that draws you to them Its originality – the wines are very different from anywhere else in France and it is a fabulous region to visit with spectacular scenery and the dramatic backdrop of the Pyrenees Because presumably their styles have changed since the days when you first discovered them I think you have to look at the two strands of Roussillon viticulture The vins doux are the tradition of Roussillon and the best are fabulous wines and subjected to all the climatic vagaries Sadly they are not as appreciated as they should be partly as their reputation is tarnished by cheaper mediocre vins doux A younger style of vin doux has also been develop called Rimage or Grenat The quality of the vins secs has improved enormously in the recent years Remember that they are a relatively recent phenomenon and there is now a much better understanding of winemaking than there was 20 or even 10 years ago I was particularly surprised but the quality of the white wines often Côtes Catalanes rather than appellation Côtes du Roussillon with typically rugged Roussillon landscape For someone who is unfamiliar with the wines of Roussillon could you describe what are their defining characteristics Again there are two strands to that answer The best of the vins doux are beautifully aged rancio wines And there is some wonderful old vine Carignan though often the oldest vineyards are field blends of Grenache and Carignan How do they differ from wines of the Languedoc Firstly the Languedoc places much less emphasis on vins doux with just a handful of appellations based on Muscat And Grenache is much more important for the vins secs in Roussillon than in the Languedoc You do find Syrah in Roussillon but I do not think it has taken over to the extent that it has in the Languedoc Roussillon is now part of the larger region of Occitanie Pyrénées Méditerranée but the thing to emphasise is the difference between the history of Roussillon and that of the Languedoc Much of Roussillon was part of Spain until the treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 Roussillon speaks Catalan and the Languedoc speaks Occitan the Pyrenees links it with Spanish Catalonia Do you still think this region suffers from being over-complicated for the consumer to understand I don’t think the appellations are that complicated which covers a large part of the southern part of the department of the Pyrénées-Orientales; Côtes du Roussillon Villages is red and covers the northern part focussed on the Agly Valley Rivesaltes and Muscat de Rivesaltes covers all the departments apart from the four villages of Banyuls and also Maury Collioure is the vin sec synonymous with Banyuls Côtes Catalanes is much more important than Pays d’Oc There are far fewer wines from the international grape varieties than in the Languedoc Would it be fair to say that Roussillon gets less attention to the Languedoc and the winegrowers have successfully adapted to making world recognised table wines in Priorat whereas I feel that Roussillon is still struggling to acquire an international reputation No one has really given me a satisfactory answer to that question – possibly the fact that Barcelona is an international city whereas Perpignan is a more of a provincial town If that is the case then presumably this presents UK consumers with a number of opportunities there is no doubt that there are some wonderful discoveries to found in Roussillon The only style that Roussillon doesn’t really make is sparkling wine but there are people wondering about sparkling Macabeo an unfortified oxidised wine that is the region’s answer to fino sherry Gérard Gauby and son Lionel: his influence cannot be underestimated Could you name 6 producers who you think collectively show off the wines of Roussillon at their best Only six …… You have to mention the pioneers Gérard Gauby has attracted a host of other excellent winemakers to his village of Calce but numerous other estates in Maury are making their mark I have a soft spot for Domaine des Soulanes as I stayed there during part of my book research in les Aspres; also Domaine La Tour Vieille in Collioure Roc des Anges makes wonderfully elegant wines Then there is Domaine des Chênes in Vingrau Could you name 6 up-coming producers who you think we should keep an eye on and why Domaine Danjou-Banessy – run by two brothers who question wine-making convention a thoughtful way Le Soula – Wendy Wilson is a talented winemaker Domaine Paul Meunier Centernach – Paul Meunier comes from a winemaking family in Burgundy and came to Roussillon as he loves fortified wines Domaine des Schistes – a new generation doing interesting things Clos du Rouge Gorge – an outsider with an interesting take on the wines of the region Clos Mané – another successful generation change Domaine Madeloc – the Roussillon estate of Pierre Gaillard of Côte Rôtie fame Domaine Pietri-Géraud and Mas Karolina – both run by wonderfully enthusiastic and talented women Domaine Benastra and Domaine la Bancale are three recently created small estates that have made a good beginning The Wines of Roussillon by Rosemary George MW is published by Infinite Ideas Classic Wine Library and available to buy here Taste the Languedoc – George’s blog can be accessed here. It’s forbidden for visitors to scratch at the ridge the village of Roussillon is built on The ochre loaded soil is soft and porous and quick to erode it has been a thriving village for many centuries Around Roussillon the earth is flaming red the buildings reflect those colors to create an amazing view and warm and welcoming surroundings The region is known as “Petit Colorado” (little Colorado) As easy as it is to find examples of places in the U.S I never thought I’d see it the other way around ochre was an important source of income for the town Thousands of people in the region made a living mining Awareness had risen about the damage continued mining would do to the landscape new techniques made it easier and cheaper to produce pigments making the ochre trade less profitable anyway What is left today is a village with the radiant colors of the surrounding soil Every hour of the day the light changes and with it: the colors tourists outnumber the 1,200 residents of Roussillon Except for the period from roughly mid July until August Roussillon maintains a calm and almost tranquil appearance and offers the most amazing photo ops Apart from colors and shapes that make any photographer grab a camera one of my favorite discoveries in Roussillon was the local ice cream Mine was a fresh and creamy blood orange flavor with a color that nicely blended in with the landscape The girlfriend was disappointed to find they ran out of pansy-sherbet but settled for a scoop of bright purple lavender flavor We will need to return one day for the pansies you want go get yourself a scoop of ice cream Roussillon is a town to leisurely wander through but that’s not unusual in the South of France there only was the slow paced and charming small town life The absence of specific “must see” places is compensated with steep alleys and narrow staircases that lead to the highest point of the town The church originates from the 11th century but was updated in the 17th and 18th century It is now an eclectic and appealing mix of styles and a lovely place to cool down a bit after a walk in the sunshine The belfry was restored in the 19th century it’s sparse and simple yet breathtakingly beautiful in its colorful simplicity there is plenty of opportunity to enjoy a good meal in one of the restaurants in town spend the night in the area so you can enjoy the changing colors at sunset It’s easy to find a lovely B&B or apartment nearby we didn’t get to try them but some of the rentals we saw almost made us regret having the tent If Roussillon is full or too hard on the budget a lovely quaint hilltop village with medieval houses with prices starting at $50 for a double room with en suite bedroom or a small apartment Or go all out on one of the luxury resort type B&B’s in the area With double rooms usually at $100 to $200 per night you spend the night in a typical Provence villa with lush gardens and a pool questions or suggestions are more than welcome You can contact Mickey Welsh at mewelsh@gannett.com You can follow ‘Wish I Was There’ on Facebook for a daily dose of Europe. https://www.facebook.com/travelmickey1/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel Reports from major producers show rainfall in these areas was often below 400mm in 2021 and 2022 Plants die of thirst slowly: pine trees brown Even spring this year has struggled to find its flush of emerald ‘Vines are dying,’ wrote an observing Justin Howard-Sneyd MW from his Domaine of the Bee vineyards in Roussillon in a 23 February 2024 email circular ominously titled ‘Sorry to be the bearer of sad news…’ ‘Roussillon is in crisis,’ confirms leading producer Jean-Marc Lafage with more than 300ha in six different zones of French Catalonia ‘Many vineyards in the area are already marginal We’ve only had 300mm of rain in the last 18 months; winter was completely dry We’ve never pruned the vineyard so fast – because there’s so little wood to prune.’ and notably with strategies which can broadly be grouped under the ‘regenerative viticulture’ banner Jean-Marc Lafage will be re-using all his winery water: a significant 18 million litres a year He’s also doubled soil water-retention by using biochar and achieved further benefits with low-density cover crops minimum-strategy irrigation and contour plantings is working on similar schemes: changes to row orientations increasing soil organic matter (a 1% increase helps keep an extra 240,000 litres of water per hectare in the soil) ‘But you don’t get immediate results,’ says Miguel’s sister Mireia Torres ‘so it isn’t helping us much with the immediate crisis.’ Another problem is the tussle between different agricultural sectors for existing supplies of irrigation water an end to this drought will eventually come just as it did with Australia’s 2001-2009 and 2017-2019 droughts and California’s 2011-2017 and 2020-2022 droughts folk are kayaking in Death Valley.) Europe is warming at twice the rate of other continents though (WMO ‘State of the Climate in Europe 2022’ land-encircled Mediterranean – with its proximity to the hyper-arid regions of North Africa – that will bear the brunt of this Southern European wine-growers must adapt if they’re to survive If any of the Torres range evokes the climate battle a blend of 85% Garnacha and 15% Cariñena from Costers del Segre (£18.95-£24.99 at Fareham Wine Cellar The name derives from the fact that this remote inland estate was founded by errant monks banished from their mother house as a penance The wine will endure – let’s hope the vines apricot volumes are expected to drop this year in Europe technical and sales manager at COT International which promises a good campaign in terms of volumes given this year's mild winter temperatures and the drought that has been the norm for the past 2 years." The significant return to blossom may seem difficult to explain for some but it could be that the few cold episodes this winter were simply more qualitative than last year." "COT International varieties perform well in this production basin especially the latest varieties such as SMART COT cov the Roussillon region looks set for a positive campaign unlike other regions of France like the Rhone Valley which suffered from highly variable weather conditions "The season got off to a good start in the Rhone Valley with beautiful flowering more than 15 days ahead of schedule temperatures even reached 25 degrees during the day we are still struggling to assess the impact of these temperature variations on production." Although climate change is a challenge for all orchards endemic varieties such as the Bergeron apricots have been suffering the most These varieties used to be "very well adapted to their production basin but this is less true today." as we have been able to observe our varieties at different sites and the volumes are satisfactory." DELICOT at the end of March 2024 in the Rhone Valley sorting the trees has been extremely difficult with great heterogeneity depending on the plot Some growers are seeing a drop in production of up to 50% these figures seem to contrast with the cold episodes that initially seemed sufficient "We perhaps need to focus on the quality of these cold episodes rather than their length We will have to review our model for calculating these cold episodes as it is becoming obsolete in our understanding of tree physiology." COT International has therefore launched a study of cold weather hours in conjunction with IMIDA (Instituto Murcia de Investigacion y Desarollo Agrario y Medioambiental) in Spain and the AVEC group (Orchard Adaption to Climate Change) in France The aim is to validate another predictive model of variety adaptation according to production basins in order to provide producers with the most comprehensive information possible when choosing to plant a new variety for production over the next 15 years With the French season arriving 10 to 12 days earlier than in 2023 the Roussillon is well placed to benefit in terms of volume "Roussillon red apricots also seem to be much more present than last year in terms of volumes It remains to be seen whether the drought will have a significant impact on sizes We also remain vigilant with regard to hail and we are keeping our fingers crossed that the weather will lead to a good harvest for all French producers." The Gard-based breeding company will be present at MEDFEL on April 25th especially for the European apricot forecasts and at the booths of its nursery partners present at the event Fonds régionaux d’art contemporain (FRAC) This proved to be a phenomenal tasting of Languedoc-Roussillon white wines with more than a third of the 100 tasted achieving high scores and the rest not far behind Prices ranged from around £25 to above £100 per bottle with a couple of outliers under £20 that held their own against the big players has announced a partnership with leading UK wine importer Enotria & Coe to distribute his Château Saint Roch brand.  Château Saint Roch encompasses 44ha of vineyards in the Agly Valley nestled between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Sea Located under the Cathar castle of Quéribus the vineyards benefit from the region’s microclimate Grenache Noir and Syrah from predominantly older vines.  The Lafage family’s winemaking heritage dates back to the late 18th century playing a crucial role in Roussillon's legacy travelled the world in the 90s as winemakers gaining experience at Gallo's facility in California and working in vineyards in Australia Returning to Roussillon in the early 2000s the pair took over the family estate and acquired Château Saint Roch in 2006 “We are excited to embark on this journey with Enotria & Coe,” said Jean-Marc Lafage owner and winemaker of Château Saint Roch “Their reputation for quality and market expertise aligns perfectly with our values and commercial goals and we look forward to growing our customer base with them.” Enotria & Coe views the partnership with Château Saint Roch as an opportunity to enhance its 300-strong wine portfolio which supplies 12,000 on-trade sites across the UK: “We are thrilled to welcome Château Saint Roch to the Enotria & Coe family,” said Ants Rixon (pictured) “Their commitment to sustainable practices and Jean-Marc’s longstanding winemaking expertise resonates with our mission to offer our customers exceptional quality wines with a real sense of place.” Château Saint Roch wines available to UK independent merchants and on-trade via Enotria & Coe include Le Vieux Figuier White Organic 2023 Corbarol White Côtes du Roussillon 2023 Tangerina Orange Wine 2022 and Chimeres Côtes du Roussillon Villages 2020 Enotria & Coe’s client on-trade client base includes prestigious venues such as the Gordon Ramsay Group The Dorchester Collection and Lord’s Cricket Ground Chris Kirkham is quick to respond when asked why Roussillon deserves to be recognized in its own right, apart from its popular but boorish sibling, Languedoc: “If you visit the regions and look at them, they could not be more different,” he says. Kirkham, the assistant winemaker and sales director at Res Fortes Wines with his thick red beard and manifold tattoos looks more like a biker or fisherman than he does a winemaker Along with Res Fortes’ owner and head winemaker he is at the fore of Roussillon’s fight for independent recognition in the wine world As the latter and I sat and tasted Res Fortes’ wines a considerable amount of time was spent hashing out the complex origins of his business partner Bak was (deep breath): born in the Netherlands to a Dutch father and a German mother and was raised in England all while summering in the South of France with his grandfather When you consider Bak’s inner circle working at and around the winery—his Canadian wife his Canadian-born Portugal-residing assistant winemaker and business partner Frances De Sousa—there can’t be a more international foursome in the wine world If an in-depth understanding and wholesome appreciation of a thing is dependent on juxtaposition and cross-examination then no winery knows and loves Roussillon like Res Fortes Res Fortes has been such an ardent supporter of Roussillon that two of its wines were among the 42 named Ambassadeurs du Roussillon by Vins du Roussillon in 2021 a classic Roussillon blend of grenache noir and grenache gris that makes up about 50 per cent of its annual output were both deemed representative of the region’s diverse terroir Kirkham is proud of this achievement at the same time as he is aware of the irony in their accepting it Res Fortes has made its name by producing wines that are atypical for the region but only because it holds the land and its terroir in higher esteem “We’re trying to do a style that’s not prototypical of Roussillon Its entry level features three blends—a red and a white—made from varietals found in the South of France and Catalonia (grenache and macabeu among them) as well as a 100 per cent merlot called Merlot Madness which is meant for drinking young and with food tastes much more like a syrah from the Northern Rhône than it does one from Languedoc and it succinctly epitomizes the positive affects that Roussillon’s elevation and aspect can have on noble grapes All of Res Fortes’ vineyard sites are certified organic and each cuvée apart from their ultra-premium wine is aged in stainless steel Res Fortes’ ultra-premium bottle is a little different it is 100 per cent grenache noir from 120-year-old vines planted in one of the highest vineyards in the region and it is the only one of Res Fortes’ wines that sees time in oak It only gets made in years where the growing conditions are perfect Noting that only 350 bottles of Brave were made in 2017 Brave is truly the epitome of Roussillon’s best winemaking—the grapes are grown at a high enough elevation that the hot Mediterranean sun doesn’t cook them which results in a wine uncharacteristically floral for both typicity and climate the vineyards are so treacherously high and hard to farm that the act of picking the grapes gives the wine its name because you either have to be stupid or brave and we’re not going to call it ‘stupid’,” says Kirkham He is dead serious about Roussillon and its wine Res Fortes’ wines will be available this spring/summer in British Columbia ShareSaveLifestyleSpiritsWhy Languedoc Has Your Next Best WineByLana Bortolot La Clape in the Languedoc wine region of France is defined by its massif and the Mediterranean sea Coming over the scrubby massif from Gérard Bertrand’s wine estate in La Clape the sky drops down to the sea and after a few winds of the road—like the clicks in a ViewMaster—the snow-capped Pyrenees Mountains come into view in one panorama you see what this region promises: wines of the sea and fields and mountains A former professional rugby player, Bertrand especially when it comes to his love affair with this land you cannot make an exceptional wine.” He cites his shift to biodynamic farming in 2002 as one way to get down to earth The charismatic winemaker estimates he travels about 150 days of the year as an informal ambassador for his region “It is important to put Languedoc on the map for wine Gérard Bertrand is the master of his domaine in Languedoc And that map has been shifting over the past decade or so with new appellations coming to the fore and shifts in the existing. Tack on improvements in viticulture and the leadership of long-term anchors such as Bertrand and Jean-Claude Mas and you have a landscape of reinvigorated family estates as well as newcomers to the area Once known rather inelegantly as the wine vat of France Languedoc has vastly upgraded its offerings thanks to revisions to wine laws that uplifted the quality level throughout the region Most notable is the improvement in the table wine category—called Vin de France since 2010—that permits naming the grape variety and vintage on the label just a few miles south of the medieval city of Carcassonne A 2011 revision of the AOC adapted a pyramid system of quality hierarchies that includes seven designated Crus (11.5%) a large classification (69%) of Grand Vins that feature traditional regional grape varieties In Grand Vins, says Jérôme Villaret, of the Languedoc Interprofessional Wine Council (CIVL) “there is a stronger personal wine with its own specific nature,” while the Cru designation—linked to towns and villages—offers more “complex “they are still subject to evolve” with some 36 up-and-coming AOCs “We are convinced these are the great dynamic wines of tomorrow When combined with the neighboring Roussillon Languedoc is the single biggest wine-producing region in France with approximately 607,792 acres under vine It comprises more than a third of France's total wine production Home to numerous grape varieties—both traditional such as Mourvedre Languedoc boasts some of France’s oldest vines as well as the largest organic viticulture (some 9.4% of the growing area) Languedoc and Roussillon have distinct personalities with Roussillon maintaining much of its Catalan flavor both culturally and gastronomically (A future article will look at Roussillon’s unique wines and character.) Natural sweet dessert muscat white wine produced in glass demijohn bottles in parts of the.. the region delivers numerous styles: still reds and sweet wines made by unique traditional processes Regional specialties include four styles of Muscat and sparkling Blanquette de Limoux off-dry wine made primarily from the Mauzac grape (and the first wine produced with bubbles) In the way rosé defined the Provencal lifestyle a bracing maritime-influence white AOC wine Well-known AOC appellations here include Corbières And within the larger Languedoc AOC appellations are several sub-districts with distinct styles of their own such as the wild exotic and acid-driven wines of La Liviniere (Cru) and Terrasses du Larzac (Grand Vin) An infusion of experimentation and experience Languedoc attracts winemakers from prestige areas such Joseph Helfrich, owner of Grands Chais de France, which has holdings in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire and Alsace, and who owns Domaine de la Baume in Servian “It’s more easy to do what you want to do in the south; here there is creativity,” says Bordeaux-trained Solange Dremiere “I did not want to go back to Bordeaux and make wine the way others would tell me Eric Fabre (L) and his son Vianney of Château d'Anglès owner of Chateau d'Anglès in La Clape The former technical director at Château Lafite Rothschild in Bordeaux’s Médoc region purchased his 45-hectare estate in 2001 working with traditional Rhône-style red and white grapes He says part of his reason for migrating south was “I always fought against the Parker style of wood and power It’s easier to make a wine that’s quick to drink instead of [those] that require aging.” Recalling that offerings from the region were “plonk for almost a century,” he said “Americans are starting from scratch with their knowledge of Languedoc and will have a good surprise of environment The Bordelaise are not the only winemakers to find new frontiers in the Languedoc. The Outsiders is a group of 12 producers hailing from seven European countries who moved to the region specifically to leverage the terroir and their own creativity but also people from other careers ranging from media and teaching to marketing and business “I am quite sure that the people in [the] group and others like them came to Languedoc-Roussillon because in a way it's like the Wild West: It's a place where you can be creative let your hair down and really do something new,” said Louise Hurren herself a London transplant and public-relations specialist who founded the group in 2010 Some of the 12 "Outsiders" in Languedoc From L to R: Jon Bowen (Domaine Sainte Croix) Robin and Liz Williamson (Domaine de Saumarez) John and Nicola Bojanowski (Le Clos du Gravillas) Graham Nutter (Chateau St Jacques d’Albas) They are joined by like-minded visionaries such as Laurent Calmel and Joseph of Calmel + Joseph The Frenchmen founded their small négotiant in 1995 to specialize in smaller-production wineries with a particular focus on native grapes in very cool terroirs Joseph likens their philosophy to that of Rhône or Burgundy Despite making wines in an area where half the market is bulk “Americans think of us as being about vats and value but this is a paradise for winemakers where you can show the terroir with totally different wines,” he says Or, as Thomas Verdeil, an oenologist at Les Domaines Auriol in Corbière She was joint Regional Chair for Languedoc-Roussillon at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2015 Andy Howard MW and Frederic Marti tasted 122 wines with two Outstanding and 47 Highly Recommended Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their latest-release dry red wines from AP and IGP regions around Roussillon as well as Vin de France if from grapes exclusively within Roussillon Six years have passed since Decanter’s last panel tasting of red wines of the Roussillon Fellow judge Andy Howard MW summed up recent developments in the region: ‘I was expecting more hefty powerful wines and was pleasantly surprised by the restraint and elegance’ as opposed to vin doux naturel (VDN) fortified is a relatively recent development in the Roussillon 70 million bottles of VDN were sold per year Rosemary George MW is a wine writer based in London and the south of France. Author of more than a dozen books on wine, her latest is The Wines of Roussillon (£35 Infinite Ideas). She publishes her own blog, focusing on the Languedoc, at rosemary-george-mw.com Andy Howard MW is a Decanter contributing editor and DWWA Regional Chair A former retail wine buyer for more than 30 years he now runs his own consultancy Vinetrades Frederic Marti is director of wines at five-star 45 Park Lane in London working up through Michelin-starred restaurants including El Bulli in Spain before his first head sommelier role at London’s Pollen Street Social in 2013 MONTREAL – CF Montréal announced on Thursday the addition of its newest partner club as part of its Scouting and Development Centre (CIP) CS Roussillon brings together players from Saint-Constant “It is with great excitement that we welcome CS Roussillon as our new partner club,” said Academy Director Marinos Papageorgopoulos and we're excited to help them grow and start working with them in its community.” “We are all united and committed to continuing to develop soccer in the region and maintain the solid partnerships that are important factors in our success I am very pleased and proud that we have been able to sign such an agreement with CF Montréal and become part of the CIP family CF Montréal is the only professional club from Quebec so it is a benchmark and an inspiration for us all The partnership with CFMTL is a major competitive asset in the further development of our club who will benefit from CF Montréal sporting insight on our fields Technical support will also be provided to our coaches and educators who will benefit from conferences and supervised workshops,” said CS Roussillon president CF Montréal now has nine CIP partner clubs: FC Laval As CF Montréal has sought to establish a more sustained collaboration plan with its partners the Scouting and Development program was revised in 2021 This new consultative partnership formula allows participating clubs like CS Roussillon to take full advantage of the Club’s resources both at the technical and administrative levels Partner clubs also have exclusive access to CF Montréal activities and initiatives such as tournaments the Scouting and Development Centre is a high-performance development and identification program developed by the Club’s Academy and its educators The initiative includes visits with partner clubs and is part of a broader desire to share the Academy's knowledge and methodologies in order to strengthen ties with the Quebec soccer community Something like this seems to be said by the man who stood up from his chess game in the above illustration Don't know but it looked a little humorous The head illustration can be found in Chroniques et conquestes de Charlemaine and illustrated by Jean le Tavernier - a great artist I think A history of Charlemagne with many elements taken from previous tradition written in the really unique manuscripts KBR Mss 9066-68 The image depicts the moment when the Saxon lord-king Guitelin hears about the Charlemagne's arrival while being in his palace in Tresmoigne [Dortmund] A scene from the Saxon Wars of the late 8th century as taken from tradition Guitelin [or Guiteclin] has been identified as the known pagan King Widukind [or Wittekind] main leader of the Saxons against the Charlemagne's invasion during 777-785 AD but read that he followed the traditional story of La chanson des Saxons [or des Saisnes] The earliest manuscripts I've tracked are since late 13th century The poem's describing that Guiteclin heard about the upcoming invasion while being at his palace and playing chess against an other Saxon King According to the poem's story Guiteclin in the end was killed by Charlemagne while the war was continued by his sons Also a love affair is mentioned between Sebile that affected somehow the outcome of the war Sebile in the end was baptized as a christian give a story where Saxon Witichindus was the main Charlemagne's rival during these wars while Saxons seem to resist even after 785 for a while but to a lesser degree History texts give sometimes a color of uprisings rather than wars As Charlemagne came to Saxony more than once Renaud de Montauban or Les quatre fils d' Aymon But there's one more chess scene illustrated by le Tavernier in the manuscript.. This is from the story of Renaut de Montauban from a chanson de geste since late 12th c And seeing the number of mss and of the versions According to the main early corpus of the story Aymon de Dordone brought his four sons [Renaud was the one] in front of Charlemagne to be presented during a Pentecostal feast Unfortunately Renaud quarrels with Bertolais The four brothers fled [in many versions on the back of their magical horse Bayard who could carry all of them - noted by some authors as a Templar's story loan] And a struggle between them and Charlemagne began A peace was agreed afterwards with the condition that Renaud would join the Crusades.. and Bertolais annoyed and under this pressure attacked at Renaud verbally but also hitting him hard with the chessboard [or a chess piece] Renaud complained for this to Charlemagne but with no actual result and returning killed Bertolais with his sword Flamberge that was given by his uncle sorcerer Maugis I've tracked three more illustrations of the scene in mss However the original form of the story seems to be a little different According to earlier versions in the Chansons de geste it was Renaud hitting Bertolais with the chessboard and killing him with it Scene that seems to be illustrated this way after Gutenberg's contributions.. But this version of the story was probably remembered since the years of Alexander Neckam in 1190 ca A similar scene of the same era is described in the Chevalerie Ogier le Danois that is describing the life and deeds of Ogier - a character first appearing in the Chanson de Roland of the 11th c but also with some historical background and generally possible earlier roots his son Baudouin was killed by Charlemagne's son Charlot with a chessboard Ogier asked for revenge and a seven year war started between him and Charlemagne that in the end was lost and a reconciliation followed with Ogier fighting in the end for Charlemagne against the Saracens.. a Frankish nobleman who in 771 escorted Carlomann's widow with her minor children to her father Desiderius he fought against Charlemagne in 773..." And some more have been suggested The point that concerned me more was the dating of these two poems, Renaud's and Ogier's. So to track where this similar chess scene appeared for first time. Both stories seem to be written in 1200 ca with some earlier roots. Can't know for sure which was the first. Castets [1909, p. 118] possibly considers the Ogier's poem earlier Probably based on the opinion that Ogier's was of the 12th c Of all manuscipts I've tracked of both poems the earliest for both cases are since 13th c However maybe Renaud has the lead as his story seems to be remembered since late 12th c The two aforementioned cases are surely examples of a negative aspect of chess as in France of 12th - 13th centuries chess was surely demonized This made me look and in others Chansons de geste - restricting my search only in the Carolingian cycle Chess appears there many times as a noble activity or even among the merits of a person when would be presented and described to others - something like "he knows to play chess and tables" chess could be presented again in some cases with a negative background Raoul de Cambrai seems to be a not so popular chanson de geste It can be found only in one manuscript of the early 13th c being nephew of king Louis [that has been identified by some authors as king Louis IV of France or d'Outremer] The land that would inherit was given to another lord But gave instead the promise that Raoul would take the land of any lord would die next Raoul took the land of Herbert de Vermandois and then some Bernier's adventures are described.. I've tracked two scenes where he can be found playing The first is while he was waiting for Louis' answer His uncle Guerri asked from king Louis the land on behalf of Raoul And when the king refused and Guerri looked for Raoul to talk he found him playing chess - something that irritated him a lot [v657] and Raoul burnt the local church and monastery of Origny There Bernier's mother was staying as a nun and was killed Raoul returning from this war action and just before an intense dialogue with Bernier asks for chessmen and plays a game of chess.. Raoul plays chess while major events occur regarding his life in the 1st episode Then plays chess after he had triggered somehow his death Garin de Monglane is a fictional character said to be active in the years of Charlemagne Though not of the first main heros of these chansons has given his name to a sub-cycle as the ancestor of many other heros [the same sub-cycle is named also as of Guillaume d'Orange] All seem to agree that the first version of the poem of Garin was written during the 2nd half of 13th c. while the earliest manuscripts I've tracked is specifically of the last quarter According to this legend Garin was advised by an angel to abandon his heritage of Aquitaine to his brothers and claim Monglane So comes at Charlemagne's court where the emperor's wife really liked Garin Charlemagne suggests a game of chess with Garin's head at stake.. Garin won but instead asked for the realm of Monglane Garin's adventures are following around Monglane and a love affair with Mabile.. As no translations were found and some summaries I've tracked maybe were inaccurate on this what really concerned me were the bet's terms I've found them exactly as described above So here's the text with a translation try by me of v.409-416 probably not so accurate [couldn't find all the words and forms from old French!?!] [//clear text from Die Chanson Garin de Monglene I, by Erich Schuppe, 1914, p. 54 // besides these the text gives many highlights of the game but my old French is really bad I've only managed to catch phrases like "he took the rook" etc For anyone interested in trying to reconstruct a possible game Murray writes that the game's description is fragmentary] The text was written during the 2nd half of 13th century a territory maybe under question but mostly of the Kingdom of France during these years Don't know but this text was somehow telling me why the king of France hated chess the aforementioned story reminds the version of Huon de Bordeaux Actually in this scene Huon asks Yvorin's daughter if she wants to play the game with or without dice 4] writes: "The match of chess between Huon and Yvorin's daughter was a favourite subject for the decoration of ivory mirror cases There are two examples in the South Kensington Museum." I've searched in South Kensington Museum online collections [now Victoria and Albert] and found some ivory mirror cases of the 14th c presenting a chess game played by a couple It's obvious that there's a connection between these two stories Huon's poem is dated of mid 13th c., possibly after the oldest ms in Tours' Library. A widely acceptable dating of the poem is more specifically of the 1260s, suggested by Marguerite Rossi [in Huon de Bordeaux, 1975, p. 30] However there's also some suspicion for a little later Meyer in 1884 gave a translation of the poem in French where I've found a really interesting scene During a battle between Charles and Girard Among many others said: "He's at the same time, the Queen, the Rook and the King" [=Il est à la fois la reine, le roc et le roi, ~ 1884, p. 162, § 321] a chess Queen is chosen as a metaphor in 13th c.!? A chess metaphor maybe should be considered expected But wouldn't be selected just the strongest pieces for this and as far as we know in medieval chess of 13th c. Queen [fers] surely isn't the strongest piece Generally Meyer wrote for his preferences in his translation underlining that combined the writings of the mss So let's start from the one that contains possibly the earliest tradition according to Meyer and others A manuscript that Meyer wrote it was his last choice of the four to be based on I think that is translated into "He's the King and the Queen The term chasing lions I think that goes to King and Queen Maybe here the choice of King and Queen is based on the fact that King is the most important piece on the chessboard and Queen was really attached to the King But continuing, Meyer used Oxford Bodl. Ms Canon. Misc. 63 of the 2nd quarter of 13th c Unfortunately I couldn't find an online copy of it but I was lucky enough to find a clear transcription of the 19th c I think that it's translated: "He's the Queen on rooks as at chess" The term adescaz I think it's constituted by ad + escas Couldn't find anything more close or relevant The term el is constituted by en + le = on the why to use the chess Queen as the main metaphorical attribute without the King If the poet wanted to use just the rooks for the one who knew medieval chess Don't know but this version gave to me the impression that the writer had in mind a strong chess Queen that could attack For this passage Meyer gives an interesting footnote [1884, p. 158 fn 7]: "These and the following verses were missing originally in the Oxford Ms meaning that the transcriber of this manuscript omitted them that is that he hasn't found them in the lesson that he copied it seems." [=Cette laisse et la suivante manquaient originairement dans Oxf. soit qu’il ne les ait pas trouvées dans la leçon qu’il transcrivait Plus tard elles ont été ajoutées sur deux feuillets qu’on a insérés après le feuillet 86.. L’écriture de ces deux feuillets est italienne mais d’une époque beaucoup plus récente in the earlier Occitan version of the 13th c And in the possibly a little later tradition of the Oxford ms of the 13th c This Oxford ms has also a South French - North Italian origin And we come to the last ms, then in Meyer's private collection called as Passy, that now is Nancy Ms 10 of 13th c Unfortunately I couldn't find a copy of any kind - only descriptions This ms is really fragmentary and small but seems to contain the crucial part According to Meyer and regarding this part: "It is the tradition of this fragment that I prefer for these verses This tradition is closely related to that of Oxford These verses are about 115 lines and can't know what exactly Meyer used in his translation But it should be either same as in Oxford [=Queen on rooks Rooks and King [as "more correct" that Meyer used for his translation] According to these more probable seems to me that the mighty warrior fights like Queen on Rooks towards the end of 14th century in Southern France and Northern Italy but I really wish I could find exact copies of these mss..               A country road at dusk. A tall, gaunt man and a boy walk side by side. The man is Samuel Beckett, future Nobel laureate. The boy is Aimé Bonnelly, the 11-year-old son of French peasants. His father Albert is in a German prison camp. His mother Berthe has set up the vineyard that she and her husband talked about before the war. The writer is frail from hunger and the trials of his and Suzanne’s flight from the Gestapo. Berthe Bonnelly has hired him to help with the vineyard. He shares Berthe and Aimé’s humble meal at noon, and for his labour receives a few francs and a chicken every Sunday. At the beginning of the second act of Waiting for Godot, Vladimir and Estragon discuss whether or not they were in Roussillon, the beautiful hilltop village perched above pine trees and red sandstone cliffs in the Vaucluse region of Provence. Estragon transforms "Vaucluse" into "Merdecluse", and says he's spent his whole life in it. But they did the wine harvest there together! Vladimir reminds him, "chez someone called Bonnelly, in Roussillon". The village of 1,300 will commemorate Beckett's 1942-1944 stay in Roussillon with its 19th annual Beckett Festival from July 30th until August 1st. The actor Jacques Frantz will read from The Unnamable, the third book in Beckett's trilogy. The festival will close with a performance by Denis Lavant of Worstword Ho. Giselle Bonnelly (62) is a retired estate agent, the mayor of Roussillon and the daughter of the boy who walked with Beckett every evening until the tall, taciturn man sent the boy home. Aimé Bonnelly is now 87. He’s deaf and lives in a nursing home, but his daughter says he has powerful memories of Beckett. “The farm is on the edge of the road and the Germans drove by every night. It was a terrible time for my father, because he didn’t know if his own father would ever return,” Giselle Bonnelly says. “Every morning Monsieur Beckett came to help . . . He was from a different world, but over two years they had exchanges, about worries, about the war, that created a bond . . . My little village was intrigued by this man in the long, black coat.” Giselle Bonnelly knows the passage in Godot about her parents' vineyard by heart. She tells me she had the good fortune to find a question on Beckett on her baccalaureate examination. "I got a high mark," she says laughing. Beckett no longer fascinates the peasants of Roussillon. They know little about his oeuvre, and resent Paris intellectuals blowing in and imposing their taste. As the late Anthony Cronin recounted in his magnificent biography of Beckett, Roussillon was divided during the war, between conservatives who thought the Germans weren’t so bad, and the communist-led Resistance, in which Beckett took part. Today, the village is divided in a different way. “Some are gung-ho for the festival,” says Frantz, the actor and festival director. “Others say, ‘Get the hell out of here, Parisians. This is our place’.” Theatre is Frantz’s first love. “Godot was the founding act of the ‘theatre of the absurd’, of avant-garde theatre, not just French,” he says. “If it weren’t for Beckett, a lot of authors would not have written. He is like a lighthouse, a pillar, a sort of ultimate reference. He had an enormous influence on French culture, literature and theatre.” Beckett and Suzanne were cold and hungry in Roussillon during the war. The experience taught him the bitterness of manual labour and waiting. It strengthened his determination to write mainly in French. In Roussillon, Beckett developed the style filled with doubts and uncertainty that would become his hallmark. The couple socialised with other refugees. Beckett liked to drink with Noelle Beamish, an ageing Irish lesbian writer who lived in Roussillon with a young companion and who was a cousin of Winston Churchill. Cronin recounted how amused the villagers were to see Miss Beamish’s mannish underwear on the clothesline alongside her lover’s frilly smalls. The villagers did not know of Beckett’s previous role in the Resistance network called Gloria. Southeastern France was a stronghold of rebellion against the Nazis, and Beckett became involved again, although the group in Roussillon do not appear to have done much with the guns and grenades they hid after perilous treks to parachute drops at night. At the end of the war, Beckett and fellow members of the Resistance planned to ambush the retreating Germans. But the Germans didn’t come near Roussillon. “It’s a very Beckettian story,” Frantz laughs. “You might call it, ‘Waiting for the Germans’.” Beckett would later dismiss his role in the Resistance as “boy scout stuff.” The French government awarded him the Croix de Guerre for his work with the Gloria network. The citation mentioned the “hard and clandestine life” he endured in Roussillon. Facebook pageTwitter feed© 2025 The Irish Times DAC sparkling rosé and more feature in these new reviews of impressive wines from France's Languedoc-Roussillon With a wide swath of vineyards, southern France remains the source of some of the tastiest wine values on the planet Leading the way here is Languedoc-Roussillon which encompasses more than 740,000 acres of planted vines stretching from areas like Costières de Nîmes and Pic St.-Loup to the Spanish border in the southwest Because land is relatively inexpensive and winemaking regulations are less strict than in the Languedoc is home to many young and creative producers who have the freedom to craft wines from a vast array of grapes in a range of styles But these diverse wines do tend to share one characteristic: affordability a juicy and stylish blend of the Grenache Blanc This lineup includes the top scorer, Gérard Bertrand's La Clape White Château L'Hospitalet 2022, a dense wine with juicy peach and candied lemon peel notes. Read on and get our score and full tasting note for this Southern French wine and nine others! Tasting Highlights' wine reviews are fresh out of the tasting room, offering a sneak peek of our editors' most recent ratings—including scores and full tasting notes—to WineSpectator.com members. Full access to our database of more than 425,000 wine ratings Early access to reviews on our editors' favorite just-rated wines New reviews of well-priced Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, sparkling wine and more from … From Alsace to the Alps and beyond, explore these new reviews of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling … With outstanding wines priced as low as $30, these new reviews from California show why … New reviews of well-priced Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and more from … New Zealand's Marlborough region stars in these new reviews of refreshing white wines that … Spain’s signature wine region is thriving, offering both traditional and dynamic modern … In the August 2020 issue of Decanter, Andy Howard MW delves deep into the appellation and wines of IGP Pays d’Oc stating “Pays d’Oc is actually a treasure-trove of fascinating wines and dynamic producers… Freedom of expression is the mantra adopted by both producers and regulatory bodies with 58 different grape varieties approved for use within today’s IGP.” To add to Howard’s wine recommendations in Decanter magazine below we highlight a selection of DWWA 2019 award-winning white red and rosé wines that provide both great quality and value from IGP Pays d’Oc all receiving 90+ points from our expert judges at the Decanter World Wine Awards Domaine de Castelnau’s 2016 L’Etendoir des Fées received 97 points and a Platinum medal – one of the award’s highest accolades as well as many beautiful villages and towns in which to base themselves tourists are spoiled for choice when it comes to taking a wine holiday in the Languedoc There are companies that arrange wine tours across the region which can work well if you don’t have access to a car or if you’re keen to be accompanied by a knowledgeable guide can leave you free to explore wineries at your own pace and driving through the back roads is a great way to really get to know a region and its surroundings Always call or email the winery in advance to make an appointment or to double check that someone will be there when you turn up Lunchtime is sacrosanct – avoid visiting wineries between 12pm and 2pm Some wineries charge a small fee for a visit and a tasting which is sometimes waived if you purchase wine at the end of the tour Château Castigno’s wine cellar and tasting space On the road between St-Chinian and Minerve – two villages well worth exploring – is the Village & Château Castigno Set up by Belgian entrepreneur Marc Verstraete the property has 32ha of vines as well as a hotel The unusual and rather conspicuous building that houses the cellar and tasting room brought into being by Belgian designer Lionel Jadot takes the form of a giant wine bottle laid on its side The overall design aesthetic is somewhat…eclectic: the hotel restaurants and generally anything related to Castigno are all painted in vibrant shades of pink purple and red (supposedly representing the many shades of red wine) the colour scheme may not be to everyone’s taste Yet it can’t be denied that the overall experience is of very high quality and many of the greatest pleasures come in the smallest details The winemaking – previously overseen by Rhône-based winemaking consultants Michel Tardieu and Philippe Cambie – and general management of the estate has relatively recently (2021) been taken over by Alsatian-born Clément Mengus Mengus insisted on converting to biodynamics and he has brought a refreshing lightness of touch to the range It’s worth visiting Château de Jonquières for historical interest alone Two imposing cylindrical turrets encase the west wing of the château while the east wing backs onto a wide courtyard leads from the apartments into the courtyard and is one of the château’s most magnificent architectural masterpieces the family history of the estate is equally impressive claiming to have been passed down through 32 generations over 900 years After François de Cabissole and his wife Isabelle – the 31st generation – restarted vinification at the château in 1992 it is now their daughter Charlotte and her husband Clément who carry the estate’s legacy forward having taken over the 8ha of vines and production in 2014 and converted the estate to organic and there are also four guest bedrooms inside the château itself the southernmost peak of the Larzac plateau some 15km to the north of Jonquières which is home to some mighty players in the development of the appellation as well as fresh new faces such as Domaine Flo Busch featuring a photography exhibition by Emmanuel Perrin an appellation which hugs the first foothills of the Cévennes mountains and is the wettest in the Languedoc ‘La garrigue n’est jamais très loin,’ says Jean-Benoît Cavalier of Château de Lascaux: the garrigue is never far away The lumpy relief of the surrounding area traps cool air flowing down from the north creating significant day and night temperature differences – a noticeable continental influence Yet the Mediterranean sunshine is still impactful – we’re in the Languedoc Sisters Marie and Maguelone joined their parents Jean-Benoît and Isabelle in the running of the estate in 2019 and 2020 respectively and they now work together as a family unit Syrah is in the limelight here; the wines are striking contrasts with the ancient priory across the street which houses the oenothèque (collection of previous vintages) and the tasting room art exhibitions and events make this a vibrant spot to visit An important estate in the heart of the huge within the only (official) Corbières cru of Boutenac The domaine is well set up for receiving visitors The vines of Château Rouquette sur Mer in La Clape which overlook the Mediterranean sea One of the most striking aspects about this family-run estate is just how close it is to the sea; the château itself is less than 1km as the crow flies from the blue waters of the Mediterranean The vineyards stretch back from the château up onto the limestone chunk that is the La Clape massif it’s not hard to imagine why the wines have a distinct saline tang especially the incredibly good value white Cuvée Arpège This appellation is part of a highly protected natural area meaning it has maintained its wildness despite its proximity to the tourist-laden beaches that line its eastern flank are the ruins of the ancient Château Rouquette Guided visits of the château and the vineyards are offered as well as tastings and a well-stocked shop Brigitte Chevalier among her old Carignan vines in Faugères In fact it was one of her prerequisites when searching for vineyards at the start of her winemaking journey: schist; altitude; north facing slopes But there was something about the Languedoc: ‘a land of discoverers The Faugères appellation extends southwest from her domaine a landscape truly dominated by this metamorphic rock which both sits on top of and is partly buried in a small hill you can see southwards: vineyards interspersed with scrubby garrigue She has continued to refine over the years moving away from small oak barrels and towards ceramic eggs and terracotta jars ‘Schist terroirs produce quite sensitive wines,’ she says ‘barrels don’t really justify themselves.’ The wines are structured with satin tannins by themselves The tasting room overlooks the cellar at Domaine de la Dourbie Domaine de la Dourbie is situated between the river Herault and the smaller Dourbie tributary manage to be both beautifully sleek and modern The team has developed an interactive wine tour of the grounds – which have been classified as a Jardin Remarquable (‘remarkable garden’) by the French state – following each step of the vine growing and winemaking process The domaine was bought in 2003 by Emmanuel Serin and his father the domaine has gradually found its purpose I sense that the domaine has found its groove This is a winery that is not afraid to push boundaries adapting its practices and moulding each wine each year to the style it is looking for Organic viticulture; no overt oak; long ageing in a variety of vessels such as clay eggs and a selection of barrels (some of which are made from both oak and acacia) something that you don’t usually see in Languedoc,’ says Graell forward-thinking outfit that still has its feet firmly in the Languedoc: ‘We only use Mediterranean varieties The restaurant at Domaine Sarrat de Goundy is well worth a visit you’ll be rewarded with magnificent sunset views over the vines convivial wooden table rubbing shoulders with the clay jarres in which some of the domaine’s wines are peacefully ageing cycling and pique-nique-ing in the vines are also part of what’s on offer you are sure to get a good impression of the La Clape appellation and the resulting wines the village of Minerve is probably on your list of places to see Perched above the gorge of the Cesse river the village is the site of some rather fraught history during the time of the Albigensian Crusade when the Cathars were violently massacred across Occitanie Not far from Minerve is the village of La Caunette yet there’s a considerable 45ha farmed biodynamically across many small plots which have differing soil types: limestone with the Pic St Loup on the left and the Montagne de l’Hortus on the right sleek tasting room is a welcome respite from the summer heat the wines are compelling; firm in their youth but refined One dramatic plot sits right at the foot of the Montagne de l’Hortus Here a huge boulder sits in the middle of the vineyard and the legend goes that it broke off from the Hortus mountain tumbled down and crushed a shepherdess and her flock – hence the name of this plot you feel cradled between Hortus and the Pic St Loup itself I usually write in general terms about wine topics but having just finished one of my most challenging harvests I thought I would write a personal account of our harvest here at Domaine Treloar in the Roussillon we created the estate in 2006 after spending three years in New Zealand learning the craft We had bought an old but functioning winery along with nine hectares of vines comprising most of the Roussillon grape varieties Since then we have added and removed a few vineyards renovated the cellar and bought new equipment to make better wine more easily We bottle our whole production and sell most of it in export markets focusing on small independent merchants and specialist importers On average we produce about 25,000 to 30,000 bottles per year The rainfall over winter was less than 50% of what it normally is That meant that some of our vineyards never really grew much in spring it was the old vines on the hillside plots that suffered the most Our old vine Grenache and Mourvèdre entered summer with shoots that were only about 20cm long Shoots that short are not capable of ripening a proper bunch of grapes because the leaves can’t photosynthesise enough to feed them we don’t have any irrigation in place nor any equipment to water the vines even if we are permitted by the authorities my Syrah vineyards grew as normal due to their location on stony soils lower down and therefore closer to the water table I also had one vineyard of Grenache which recovered from a slow start after we got some rain towards the end of summer Read more: Winemakers in France face new problems each year due to climate change which are known as récoltants are not allowed to buy fruit or wine from other growers or producers this year the local Maison des Vignerons issued a special permission allowing us to buy in grapes so long as our total harvest remained under 80% of the average of the last five years that meant I was allowed to buy about three tonnes of grapes to add to the 16 tonnes that I thought my vines would produce (compared to the usual 25 tonnes) who is a member of the local cave coopérative if he would sell me some grapes offering him about three times what he would receive from the cooperative Then I heard of another coopérateur who was trying to sell his vineyards We looked over the plots together and agreed a price for the grapes from two of them Two days before we were due to start picking he phoned me up to say that his cave coopérative had written to him demanding that he should not sell those grapes as they were earmarked for a ‘special cuvée’ Knowing that we only had a reduced harvest I only hired a small team of eight pickers Two of them had picked for me before and introduced two of their friends I check the ripeness of the grapes every day Taking a representative sample to measure the sugar and acidity as well as tasting the skins to try to predict the perfect picking date Fortunately we had had decent rainfall the week before and the older Syrah vines were looking in perfect condition to start picking on September 4 We all met in the winery courtyard at 07:00 on the 4th to start at first light so we could finish around lunchtime when it becomes too hot for both the pickers and the grapes They gave the excuse of having to take their kids to school for the rentrée Another picker that had worked for me the year before didn’t turn up either and never answered any of my calls or messages over the next three days I always expect a few no-shows over harvest but to be three people down on day one was annoying It meant we had to work into the afternoon to pick just 10 rows of vines Read more: ‘My candid experiences of hiring grape pickers in France’ both of whom told me they would not be available until Friday So now it would take at least three days to pick a vineyard that we should have done in two I put a post on our village Facebook group asking for more pickers but it was too short notice to get people for the two Syrah vineyards that we needed to harvest Over the weekend I met six prospective pickers to bolster the team four of them only wanted to work ‘on the black’ for cash and I don’t do that because there is no benefit to me and I’d risk a prison sentence if reported we had harvested the bulk of the grapes and the remaining vineyards were all ones with reduced yields because of the drought We picked the white grapes on September 11 and I told the pickers to take the rest of the week off as the other red grapes were not yet ripe Some light rain was forecast during the week to help them along on Tuesday evening the light rain suddenly turned to a massive tempest of hailstones the size of golf-balls smashing down all over the village for about an hour Our first emergency was dealing with the water pouring through the skylights flooding under doors and overflowing the gutters hail will split them open and knock bunches to the ground and strip all the leaves All the remaining vineyards had been heavily hit Not a single vine had undamaged grapes and the vineyards with the short shoots due to drought had no bunches left worth picking I called the pickers to ask them to come in the next day so we could salvage what was left Any damaged bunches left on the vine in the heat and humidity will turn rotten in a couple of days So September 14 turned out to be our last day of harvest Read more: The wine industry is in constant evolution in France and beyond We picked two vineyards of Grenache and Carignan but because they weren’t ripe enough to make red wine I put the grapes straight in the press to make some rosé I was forced to leave the rest for the birds and rabbits three barrels of white wine and a tank of rosé That’s compared to five tanks of red and four barrels of white in a normal year all the wines we are making look very promising Running a wine estate means taking the rough with the smooth There are events and situations that you simply cannot predict How to choose French wines to match classic British Christmas food Career change: ‘What I learned at 54 working in a French vineyard’ Five things they don’t tell you… about wine in France The ecologically-friendly innovation drastically reduces the CO2 associated with wine sales Innovative machines offer convenient wine access while adhering to alcohol laws Why are French wines labelled as Bordeaux or Burgundies Languedoc-Roussillon would generally be considered the underdog when set alongside Southern Rhône in a blind tasting like this one which took place on Monday 3 February 2020.