Wines of the region, Gruissan, French Mediterranean

The wine-growing area of Languedoc-Roussillon is the largest vineyard in the world. Starting with the Greeks, and then the Romans, wine production in the region has evolved considerably over the years. The sunny climate and rugged landscape are a combination unique in France. A short history of the wine in the region

The AOC appellation
The best wines have a label "Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée"(AOC = the origin of this wine is subject to controls) which guarantees the respect of certain rules of production such as the use of "cépages" typical of that particular region.

It assures also a limited production per hectare in order to concentrate the flavour in the grape and therefore in the wine.

A wine is a product of a combination of the "terroir" (the land where it comes from) and the "cépage" (variety of grape).

The sweet natural wines are a speciality of the region, produced from different varieties of grape. The muscats, the white grenache, the maccabeo, the malvoisie of the Roussillon are the white cépages.

The sweet natural muscat wines are drunk young and offer hints of fresh grapes, of citrus fruits, of mint and of honey. The grapes are in fact harvested over-ripe, after a natural drying process on the vine to obtain a stronger concentration of sugar in the fruit. The harvesting of the grapes is done manually in order to collect the grapes intacts and avoid oxydation. The process needs a dry sunny climate ; the natural sweet wines are therefore all produced around the Mediterranean.

Worth tasting :
White muscat :
- The Rivesaltes and the muscat de Rivesaltes, in the Roussillon,
- Le muscat de Saint-Jean-de-Minervois : 100 ha of vineyards at 300 m altitude give one of the bests natural seet wine in the world, in the Haut-Minervois,
- The muscat of Frontignan, of Lunel, of Mireval, in the eastern Languedoc. wines gruissan
Dark grenache noir produces, Banyuls, Rivesaltes rouge and Maury, in the Roussillon

Apart from the famous natural sweet wines, Gruissan produces red wines, white wines and rosés under the name "Appellation Coteaux du Languedoc".

The Clape mountain
The majority of the wines of Gruissan are produced on the Clape. This little mountain, situated between Narbonne and Gruissan was an isle at the time of prehistoric man. The Clape, gets its name from the Occitan word « Clapas » meaning a pile of stones, and reaches a height of 214 m.

The pine trees cover the slopes of the Clape. The garrigue covers the plateaux and the thyme, the rosemary and the lavender that invite you to promenade are what give the wines their character.

The area is "listed" for its diversity of vegetation (a site a special natural interest). The exceptional sunny climate and low rainfall make it ideal for the cultivation of vines. These assets and the care in the production allow the wine producers to offer a range of quality wines.

The white of whites (a wine produced from white cépages) the most well-known comes from the Bourboulenc, also called Malvoisie. Typical of the Clape, this cépage is elegant, subtle. Its freshness and its floral aroma accompany perfectly the local fish dishes.

The red wines of the Clape are produced from the cépages Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan.

Full, solid, well balanced, they are excellent wines for keeping in stock. Their rich and complex aromas exhalent the paths of spices and of the garrigue that awaken the senses.

The rosé comes from the "grains"/pips of the grapes macerated only several hours as opposed to several days for a red wine. Its pretty colour and fruity aroma are symbolic of summer and invite you to the pleasures of the table to eat and drink to the accompaniment of the song of the cicadas in the shade of the parasol pines.