Our wines

The fusion of ancestral and natural practices

Heritage and expertise

Roussillon’s passion and dedication to winemaking goes back centuries. Modern winemaking practices, alongside the preservation of ancestral know-how, allow Roussillon to produce quality wines bursting with character and individuality.

It proudly perpetuates the Mediterranean tradition of Vins Doux Naturels (fortified sweet wines) production, which dates back to the Middle Ages. The region supplies 80% of France’s VDNs with AOP-certified Maury Doux, Banyuls, Banyuls Grand Cru, Muscat de Rivesaltes and Rivesaltes. The UK is the top importer of Roussillon’s AOP Vins Doux Naturels by volume. 

Varietals

Roussillon producers cultivate no less than 24 grape varieties, many originating from the region. Indigenous grape varieties are prevalent in Roussillon and responsible for the originality and  diversity of its wines. Roussillon is one of the places in the world with the largest stock of old vines.

Among the main red varietals are black Grenache, Lledoner Pelut, black Carignan, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. Key white varietals include white and grey Grenache, Maccabeu, white Carignan, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, Vermentino,  Muscat à petits grains and Muscat d’Alexandrie. 

Working with Nature

Roussillon is a viticultural paradise and its winemakers know it. Vines enjoy near perfect growing conditions which eliminate the need for intervention in the vineyard. Roussillon’s producers are committed to preserving the environment and caring for the land in the most natural way.

It is no coincidence that Roussillon is one of France’s most committed region in terms of organic viticulture and biodynamic practices. As part of a continuous upward trend, 25% of all Roussillon vineyards are now already certified organic.

Varied micro-terroirs

Varied geological structures and micro-climates are distinctive Roussillon characteristics, which means there is terrain to suit and maximize the characters of every grape varietal. While soils are predominantly clay/limestone, shist and «gravelly», some specific terroirs were recognized a distinctive AOP certification, i.e. Côtes du Roussillon Villages Caramany from gneiss and granite terrain, Côtes du Roussillon Villages Latour de France from terrain containing a dominance of grey schist, Côtes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde from sands of gneiss and granite and Côtes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel from a limestone-dominant terrain. The Crus from Côtes du Roussillon les Aspres are from gravel or small pebble soils with yellow clay as a liant. The Crus of Collioure and Banyuls are born from vines planted on very narrow terraces, often directly on to the parent Cambrian grey schist rock and on to poor, acid soils. The Maury terroir sits mainly on Aptian, non-metamorphic black schist at the heart of the Agly Valley.

pastilleRed soils on compact limestone
pastilleLimestone soil on the edge of the Corbières and Thuir
pastilleBlack Soils, schistous marls from the Cretaceous Period
pastilleSoils seated on schistous colluvial deposits
pastilleSoils originating from granite and gneiss
pastilleVery stony soils on high terraces
pastilleVery stony soils on low terraces
pastilleClay and slit soils of Les Aspres
pastilleStony clay soils Les Aspres
pastilleStony soils of the Thuir terrace
pastilleSandy, stony soils of the Albères foothills
pastilleThe whole range of stony, sand and slit, clay and silt, and sandy sols of the coast
pastilleThe hydromorphic soils of the basins
pastilleLimit of the permanent saltmarsh