ROUSSILLON: THE FACTS

Appellations for table wine/vin sec

Côtes du Roussillon (red, white, rosé);

Côtes du Roussillon Villages (red only) with village designations for Caramany, Latour- deFrance, Lesquerde, Tautavel and Les Aspres Collioure (red, white, rosé)

Maury Sec (red only) IGPs Côtes Catalanes (optional addition of ‘ Pyrénées- Orientales’), Côte Vermeille

Vin doux (sweet) Banyuls (blanc, ambré, rosé, rimage, traditionnel, hors d’âge, rancio)

Banyuls grand cru Maury (blanc, ambré, grenat, tuilé, hors d’âge, rancio)

Muscat de Rivesaltes Rivesaltes (ambré, rosé, tuilé, grenat, hors d’âge, rancio)

Area under vine 13,619ha (2019) Altitude From

0m- 650m, most about 200m-350m

Soil types Very varied; Maury based on schist; granite, clay and limestone

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The village and vineyards of Vingrau, near Tautavel, lie at the foot of the Corbières massif on the northern edge of the Roussillon region the hills of Corbières forming an amphitheatre around the plain of Perpignan, where fruit trees, peaches and apricots grow.

The climate is essentially Mediterranean, but with climate change that is becoming less consistent. The wind can blow hard, with the cold Tramontane coming from the north, and the warmer Marin bringing rain from the east. Winters are usually mild, but summers are hot – drought conditions are increasingly prevalent, with an inevitable impact on yields.

The soil is enormously varied; Roussillon has more soil diversity than just about any other vineyard area of France, with the exception of Alsace. Maury is based on schist; there is granite at Lesquerde, and you will find also clay and limestone, marl and sandstone. The variations are infinite.

Broad canvas

As for grape varieties, Grenache Noir is the key variety for red wine, with the added attraction