Saint Chinian

As Saint Chinian seems to be in the news just now I thought I would mention one or two producers I know there.

Saint Chinian is one of the Languedoc appellations extending over beautiful mountainous terrain around the town of the same name.

This is the sort of place where with just one look at the landscape, you realise that vines will grow well. 

In picturesque countryside teeming with wildlife, the vines stand in small plots surrounded by hedgerow and woodland, in amphitheatre-like topography to ensure great concentration of heat.  Prevailing winds will bring just enough rain, but will also dry the vineyards, reducing the risk of the fungal diseases of the grapevine. 

The wines of Château Bousquette, run by Isabelle and Eric Perret, are great representatives of southern France and the St Chinian appellation in particular.

They are regular prize winners. At Millésime Bio 2010 their 2006 St Chinian Tradition won a gold medal, for example. 

Their subtle use of blends of the typical grape varieties (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cinsault) allow them to offer a range of wines each with a distinctive character. 

My favourite is Mas des Huppes (but then I cannot resist a nice bird!).

Needless to say the viticulture here is organic and winemaking light in touch.

Great value for money as well. 

Another  producer well worth a look is Borie La Vitarèle. 

Jean-François and Cathy Izarn are in charge here and have been farming organically and biodynamically since 1998.

Their wines are particularly striking because they very accurately reflect the different soils and growing conditions in their vineyards.

Tasted side by side you can really taste the differences, all else being equal. Extremely moreish.


This is an appellation that is well worth getting to know, with many good producers. Good wines, good value, great people.

Wine, that health giving drink...

As the debate about minimum alcohol pricing rears its ugly head once again let us look back nostalgically to 1930's France.

A junior minister of Public Works and Tourism of the time (none other than Gaston Gérard, an epicurean mayor of Dijon to whom we owe an eponymous recipe involving chicken) could write the following words:

"We can never show enough gratitude to wine. Frenchmen owe to it their great moral qualities, their wit, gaiety, sang-froid, courage....Wine drinking sustains the body with vitamins, calories, nutrients and can protect it against certain microbial viruses (sic - he did not seem to know the difference between a microbe and a virus). Wine drinking averts alcoholism. Wine drinking prolongs life. Wine drinking prepares a future generation: intelligent, healthy and vigorous. Let us say it now and repeat it ceaselessly: wine cures ill-health, nourishes and fortifies."
(freely translated from Le Désir du Vin by Jean-Robert Pitte Fayard 2009 p279)

It is not reported how much wine mayor Gérard had drunk when he wrote this, but who would wager today that in 5 years time someone making a similar statement would not be locked up for the new crime of 'incitation to alcoholism' ?

You read it here first.

Roussillon - the other France

I recently attended a tasting at the Maison du Languedoc Roussillon showcasing a number of producers from the Roussillon area of France.

The region lies in the very southernmost corner of France, surrounding Perpignan, and is home to a variety of more or less well-known appellations ranging from Collioure to Tautavel.

It is especially celebrated for its fortified wines of Maury, Banyuls, Rivesaltes and Muscat de Rivesaltes. These are some of the great wines of the world, but are generally eclipsed by other similar drinks from Portugal and elsewhere. I had the opportunity to taste a Banyuls (by Vignerons en Terres romanes) from 1985 which was still golden in colour and powerfully youthful but with great depth.

I was most struck by red and white wines (and also a delicious Rivesaltes) from Domaine Vaquer, ably made by Frédérique Vaquer who is a vigneronne originally from Burgundy.

In an area better known for traditional southern type (=rustic) wines made from the usual suspects of Grenache, Carignan and Syrah,  Frédérique's creations stood out by virtue of their more nuanced elegance. Having struggled to agree on a definition of their character we agreed on the term intuition réfléchie or 'reasoned intuition' to describe the way they were vinified. A fellow taster suggested they were Burgundian in style, an impression given by the nose of forest floor and mushrooms on certain reds and which would certainly tally with the origins of the winemaker.

An IGP Côtes Catalanes of 1985 surprised by how it still tasted fresh with notes of garrigue (mediterranean scrubland) honey.

I will certainly be on the lookout for these wines if and when they should turn up here in the UK. And wines from the Roussillon region in general can pleasantly surprise if you choose carefully.

Domaine Vaquer
1 rue des Écoles
66300 Tresserre
France
+33 (0)4 68 38 89 53

I am told their website will be available in the new year. I will post or Tweet when it is.