2021 has been harsh to most wine regions in France, which have been blighted by frost and unfavourable weather conditions bringing mildew, oidïum, botrytis and black rot to the vineyards. On August 6th, the Ministère de l’Agriculture announced that this year’s French wine production would be even smaller than 1991... Read More
With the exception of the small south-east corner by the Mediterranean Sea and the Spanish border, where Collioure and Banyuls can be found, IGP Côtes Catalanes is present throughout the Eastern Pyrenees department where it covers 3,772 hectares of vines planted in 118 communes. The IGP Côtes Catalanes certification is... Read More
A little quirk about Côtes Catalanes’ geology is that one of its winegrowing area, the high terraces above the river Têt around Canet-en-Roussillon, is made up of a variety of rounded pebbles resulting from the erosion of the Pyrenees. These flat terraces are highly exposed and some of their wind-flattened... Read More
The Wines of Roussillon trade and press tasting and two Roussillon masterclasses took place in London on 30th June. The wines of 12 producers seeking distribution in the UK were presented to trade and press visitors in London last week. Visitors enjoyed being re-acquainted with Roussillon’s still dry and fortified... Read More
This year, AOP Collioure rouge is celebrating its 50th birthday. It was the first Roussillon dry wine to be recognised through this European designation and has aged rather well, now also available in white and rosé. AOP Collioure’s vineyards overlook the Mediterranean sea from a balcony of grey schist dating... Read More
The competition, now in its ninth year, was launched back in April and the judging panel, made up of leading industry experts, had the difficult task of narrowing down 459 wines from some 130 producers. Roussillon did well in the competition, winning Best Rosé and Best Dessert Wine awards. A... Read More
AOP Rivesaltes produces wonderful Vins Doux Naturels (fortified sweet wines) in 4 main colours: Grenat (garnet), Ambré (amber), Tuilé (Tawny) and Rosé. You might think of them simply as dessert wines but they will surprise you when paired with spicy food or as an ingredient for a cocktail (see link... Read More
Rosemary George spent nine years in the wine trade before becoming the first woman to qualify as a Master of Wine in 1979. She became a freelance wine writer in 1981 and has since written 12 books. Rosemary is President of the Circle of Wine Writers and a contributor to... Read More