Roussillon: Vignerons Catalans

Purists might well be purposefully tutting, while wondering why I’ve included possibly the largest producer in the Roussillon - it’s between them and the Rivesaltes/Salses cum Arnaud de Villeneuve wine factory, I think. Well, their huge winery certainly isn’t pretty to visit, sitting as it does on an industrial estate on the way into Perpignan; but their wines, and the people behind them, do merit a mention on a populist level. In addition to various bottles bought in local supermarkets and restaurants over the years, my first contact with ‘the people’ was when I tried a number of wines from their broad portfolio over dinner at the Villa Duflot restaurant in Perpignan back in 2006, where the Catalans' then export manager François Trouquet talked about their hopes and dreams.
The funky Fruité Catalan trio, launched in summer 2005 (read on for more info), has apparently sold over 1 million bottles to Sept. 06 and they'd like to exceed 10 million by 2010. Ambitious indeed: François described it as "a mission for the Roussillon" in true Blues Brothers style, even if it wasn't dark and he wasn't wearing sunglasses... To get there, they've ploughed in €4 million in the first year with at least another €5 mill to come.
FC is a "regional project" (forgive the marketing speak) to "help growers here in the Roussillon." There are 60 estates and 4 co-ops involved, who submit samples of the specified wines and then obviously bulk wine for the final blends if selected. As for the wines themselves, I found the 2005s better than the 2004s launched originally: the rosé is nice enough, fresh and crisp with light raspberry fruit; the white has benefited from more Muscat in it and red tastes a bit gutsier. VC are talking to UK supermarket buyers with a view to getting wide distribution at £4.99 or £3.99 on promotion. So we'll see. Click here to read a more detailed business article ("Roussillon's Identity Parade") published in 2007 including an interview with their Marketing Director, Christophe Palmowski.
Those cunning Catalans also since introduced (autumn 2006) two flowery butterfly, 2006 Primeur wines into French supermarkets (€2.95): see below and under "wines of the moment" (on WineWriting blog) too for other reviews from the stable.


And this is what I said originally about Fruité Catalan (posted 14/6/05): "In contrast, is this the new face of French wine? I stumbled across these wines in a supermarket outside Montpellier - couldn't miss them really, piled high with distinctive yet simple butterfly motif packaging and bright pinky purple capsules and plastic corks. The 'brand' sells here for €2.99, and the producer (Vignerons Catalans near Perpignan) is obviously doing some serious promotion, offering '3 for 2' backed up by billboard advertising. Perhaps this is the way to attract younger people to wine drinking (moderately, of course, given the increasingly draconian laws in France) - uncomplicated presentation and easy wine styles. I think they should make them a bit more interesting - the wines are perfectly OK, just lack a bit of substance..." Notes on the debut launch vintages:
2004 Fruité Catalan red Côtes du Roussillon (12.5%) - Easy drinking soft fruity, Beaujolais-esque style, straightforward summer BBQ red with broad appeal. 80
2004 Fruité Catalan rosé Côtes du Roussillon (12.5%) - Quite weighty restrained strawberry and raspberry fruit, juicy mouthful with dry-ish finish. Probably the best of the three, try with Roquefort risotto. 83
2004 Fruité Catalan white Vin de Pays Catalan (12.5%) - Fresh and zingy, quaffing citrus style, needs a bit more flavour but it's OK as a simple apéro. 80


Here's my pick of the ones we tasted on 4/9/06 in the restaurant mentioned earlier in addition to Fruité Catalan:
1995 Rivesaltes Ambré (16%) - strange choice to start with perhaps (strong and sweet), but this was good with the foie gras (right-off but irresistible)! Toffee and walnut flavours with smoky complex aromas and finish.
2003 Château Cuchous Côtes du Roussillon Villages (13.5%) - mint and spice notes mix with black cherry and earthy liquorice, soft yet powerful palate with rounded fruit and tannins; drinking now. 87+
2001 Caramany Haute Coutume 'Gneiss des Capitelles,' Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah Carignan Grenache  13%) - smoky mint with light red pepper tones, 'cheesy' and intricate; soft and mature yet still has nice dry grip too, making it good with the lamb dish.
2000 Caramany 'Schistes de Trémoine'  Côtes du Roussillon Villages - a little richer and more rustic than above, more developed with soft shorter finish. 87


The 'brand extension' (to use the marketing babble) continues - tasted summer 2007:
2006 Terroir Catalan rosé Côtes du Roussillon (Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre  13%) - nice lively red fruits with light grip even, quite full and satisfying. Good but dear at €4.99. 85
2005 Caramany Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah Carignan Grenache, 13%) - deep purple ("smoke on the water...") black colour, very fruity with white pepper and earthy notes, very light oak backdrop; fairly rich and ripe black & red fruits, firm tight & elegant finish. 87+
2006 Primeur Catalan Syrah-Merlot, vin de pays d'Oc (13%) - pleasant enough, Beaujolais nouveau type - but with more oomph - fruity quaffer; not really my taste, I prefer the white below. 75-80
2006 Primeur Catalan Muscat-Viognier, vin de pays d'Oc (13%) - the latest funkily packaged release from those cunning Vignerons Catalans is very floral and zingy with nice grapey apricot notes, crisp and refreshing; drink it cold "juste comme ça," as the French might say... 83-85


And an April 2008 "wine of the moment":
2007 Rasiguères Côtes du Roussillon Villages (14%) - full-on chunky black fruit and tannins, lively and fruity modern-styled red with liquorice edges, quite serious backbone and dry grip even so. €3.95 87



UPDATE November 2011
Taken from this post on new M&S southern French reds:
2008 Cuvée Extrême Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah, Grenache, Carignan; 14.5%): spicy vs maturing nose, quite rich and big with a touch of 'old wood' grain, powerful and grippy vs sweet / spicy fruit finishing with meaty edges too. That 14.5 alc. is a little hot but this has plenty of flavour to counter it! £9.99 150 stores.


1870 avenue Julien Panchot, BP 29000, 66962 Perpignan Cedex 9. Tel: 04 68 85 04 51, www.vigneronscatalans.com

Languedoc: Domaine de Martinolles, Limoux

UPDATED May 2012 - see link below.

Domaine de Martinolles

Located roughly between Limoux and Carcassonne outside the village of Saint-Hilaire (the abbey here is said to be where the Blanquette traditional method sparkling style was first conceived), you'll eventually find the Vergnes family's cellar, tasting room and holiday gite at the end of a twisty track off the 'main' road (you'll see a kind of embossed stone obelisk marking the entrance). Once you've passed through vineyards and olive trees, all you have to do is manoeuvre your car around a couple of snoozing dogs blocking the drive, after they've checked you out and given an approving 'woof'. Guardians of a fairly classic range, if you like, especially their Crémant (the Vergnes' obviously, although perhaps one of the hounds is a part-time winemaker).

I digress: these wines were tasted in April 2008 at the estate:

2006 Limoux blanc 'vieilles vignes' (Chardonnay 13.5%) - quite big, fat and toasty yet also has fairly rich rounded fruit and refreshing finish. €7.70 87

2005 Limoux rouge (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Syrah) - perfumed 'garrigue' tones with spicy plum and black cherry fruit, moves on to a bitter chocolate v liquorice palate with fresh but rounded tannins. €5.40 87

2006 Blanquette de Limoux (mostly Mauzac 12.5%) - shows a nice mix of fresh and crisp v biscuity and more exotic fruit; finishing with elegant dry length. €6.20 87

2005 Crémant de Limoux (Chardonnay Chenin blanc Pinot Noir 12.5%) - more generous and classier displaying fine oily toasty fruit v crisp, stylish and long finish. €8 90+

LATEST MARTINOLLES VINTAGES REVIEWED HERE (Limoux fizz report 2012).

11250 Saint-Hilaire. Tel: 04 68 69 41 93, www.martinolles.com.

Languedoc: Château Guilhem, Malepère

Château Guilhem

Son Bertrand Gourdou-Guilhem (pictured) has now taken over at the winemaking helm at this well-known property found on the southern side of the Malepère appellation, on the edge of the quiet village of Malviès (southwest of Carcassonne, northwest of Limoux). The old family château, built in Revolutionary times, is charming and timeless although a little flaking perhaps. Future renovation plans - the recent focus has been on upgrading vineyards and cellar - could include converting it into up-market 'chambres d’hôte' offering rooms and meals. The Malepère region itself isn't very well known and a bit of a final frontier ("to boldly go" etc...) for wine in the Languedoc, stretching out on its western side towards Castelnaudary almost. Growers were crowned with full AOC status in 2007, if that really makes any difference, and like Cabardès they've decided to base their wines on a mixture of Med/Southwest/Bordeaux varieties, although leaning more towards the latter as Merlot is central to their red wines. Guilhem is making some good reds crafted from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec; a lively dry rosé as well as decent Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. As part of a charity event, every year one parcel is left unharvested until October, after the other 30-odd hectares have been gleaned, to celebrate the Fete des Vendanges when customers and friends are invited to pick the remaining grapes, taste fermenting musts, play games, stick a couple of Toulouse sausages on the Barbie and contribute to local good causes, of course. I sampled these wines at Vinisud Montpellier, February 2008, and/or in situ when I visited in April 2008:

2007 Cuvée Tradition rosé, Malepère (Cabernet Franc Merlot 13%) - lovely zingy red fruits and roses style, crisp intense and elegant in a Provence kinda way. 87

2006 Cuvée Tradition rouge, Malepère (Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon) - nice mix of sweet and sour fruit with lightly rustic edges, creamy cooked cassis v tart tangy plum with lingering spicy black cherry on the finish. 85-87

2007 Cuvée Tradition rouge, Malepère (Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon) - more fragrant and spicier than the 06, showing good depth of black cherry and plum with tarter edges and grip on the finish. UK retail approx £7.99. 87+

2006 Cuvée Prestige, Malepère (Merlot Cabernets Malbec) - richer nose and palate, not too toasty on the coconut oak front; good depth of fruit and textured tannins, interesting mixed style towards Bordeaux but with more power and/or sunshine. 87-89

2006 Clos du Blason (Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon) - one selected parcel fermented in barrel: showing quite a lot of new oak at the moment but it has rich fruit as well; not sure, will have to taste it again later down the line.

2006 Grande Cuvée (Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon) - chunky fruit and tannins again with those spicy coconut flavours and texture but not too much; rounded, richer and more powerful yet has nice bite and a touch of elegance in the end. 89-91

2007 Sauvignon Blanc, vin de pays d'Oc - attractive fresh citrus tones, crisp yet soft mouth-feel with elegant zesty finish. 85

2007 Chardonnay, vin de pays d'Oc - juicy pear and white peach style, light yeast lees notes and a touch of cream adding extra dimension, then fresh and zippy. 87

Guilhem's UK importer/agent is Stevens Garnier, Oxford.

Le Château, 11300 Malviès. Tel: 04 68 31 14 41,contact@chateauguilhem.com or bgourdou@chateauguilhem.com; www.chateauguilhem.com.

Languedoc: Domaine Escourrou / La Régalona, Cabardès

Domaine Escourrou

Guy and Arnaud Escourrou work as a father and son, men-of-nature team and are certainly doing their bit to put Cabardès on the serious red wine map. Semi-retired Guy works (and occasionally talks to according to their website) the vines and soil, while Arnaud, international winemaker, concentrates on his 'baby' (part French/part South American: read on), their excellent flagship wine called ‘La Régalona’, which I gather is produced lovingly but also rather ruthlessly, in terms of the fussy selection, pruning, fruit thinning etc. that I'm told is involved. This Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and occasionally Merlot blend shows great depth of fruit, structure and ageing potential. Apparently the wine has created quite a stir in the region and further afield in Bordeaux, where a leading critic praised it very highly (allegedly thinking it was Pomerol!) and Jean-Luc Thunevin is a bit of a fan too. Arnaud has also launched a Régalona project in Chile using the same quality philosophy and varieties. So if you want to taste the wines at their place, an appointment is advisable as he spends several months away from their unassuming home in the sleepy village of Ventenac, although dad is an equally enthusiastic host. I was lucky enough to try several vintages in situ when I visited in April 2008.

2004 Régalona - light hint of coconut oak layered with dark cherry/cassis, lovely depth of fruit showing 'sweet' v bitter twist; powerful with grippy tannins balanced by nice vibrant spicy fruit, needs 2-3 years to round out a little. 90+
2003 Régalona - richer riper and more open with a touch of coconut, again has that lush black cherry fruit with wild herbs too filled out with lots of liquorice; solid texture v concentrated fruit, 'sweet' v savoury development, forceful finish but actually well-balanced in its own way. 92+
2002 Régalona - complex and savoury with liquorice maturity and light cedary touches, very grippy and chunky smoothed out by developing sweet and savoury fruit. 89+
2005 Régalona (about to be bottled) - the oak's more obvious but it has lots of juicy berry and raisin flavours, chewy tannins and lush concentrated attractive fruit core, finishing quite elegantly actually. 90+
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (from barrique, destined to part of the blend) - lovely dark cassis with tobacco and light spicy oak, rich texture v grainy tannins, tart cassis fruit v generous mouth-feel. Promising. 92
2006 Syrah / Merlot (ditto) - closed up to start with, moving on to dark cherry and plum pudding with soy sauce tones; very concentrated showing depth, style, well-handled oak and nice fine-grained tannins. Should add a pretty special dimension to the blend. 94
2007 (random cask) - a touch of malolactic fermentation notes but this shows lots of chunky black cherry and berry fruit, fine fresh tannins, balance of power v elegance and pure concentration too. Very promising.


Latest on Cabardès here (report June 2012).

6 Avenue de la Viale, 11610 Ventenac-Cabardès. Tel: 04 68 24 92 30 / mobile06 17 40 54 31, arnaud.cabardes@wanadoo.fr or contact@laregalona.fr, www.regalona.fr.

Languedoc: Domaine Bégude, Limoux

English couple James and Catherine Kinglake put their money into a dream in 2003 and bought this charming property, which lies up above (at 400m altitude) the village of Cépie to the north of Limoux (south of Carcassonne) and offers spectacular views in all directions. Describing his philosophy as "turbocharged lutte raisonnée" meaning as environmentally friendly as possible without being full-blown organic, James and his winemaker are making some handsome Chardonnays – oaked-aged, full-bodied AOC Limoux styles and lively unoaked Vins de Pays – surprising Chenin Blanc and an attractive rosé from the small amount of Pinot Noir they have planted (see 2008 update below). They can accommodate up to 30 people for a vineyard tour, tasting and lunch in their converted barn function room, if booked in advance. Bégude's wines are available in the US and UK as well as elsewhere in northern Europe and the Far East. Email them for details (at the bottom).

The following 2005s were unfinished wines tasted from vat in the cellar December 2005:
2005 Sauvignon Blanc - attractive citrus v mineral style, soft ripe gooseberry fruit then leaner crisp finish.
2005 Chardonnay (will be blended with barrel fermented Chardonnay) - nice clean white peach fruit and balance of weight v elegance, again finishing with crisp length.
2005 Chardonnay (will be vin de pays) - more mineral and yeast leesy style, tighter longer finish.
2005 Chardonnay - livelier and richer although a touch bitter on the finish at the moment.
2005 Chenin Blanc (will blend 85-15 with Chardy) - lovely melon v buttery fruit, intense and fresh v fat yet fine.
2005 Pinot Noir rosé - elegant rose petal aromas build to creamy weightier mouthful.
2004 Chardonnay vin de pays - creamy raisin fruit showing juicy fatness v greener crisper edges; very attractive at €5.
2004 Chardonnay-Chenin Blanc - again creamy to start followed by leaner fresher finish. £5.99 in the UK.
2004 Chardonnay Limoux - shows light toasty oak and juicy fat fruit then a more elegant finish, well balanced.

Bégude update April 2008: A long-overdue return visit revealed that, with the successful 2006 vintage the Kinglakes have launched an experimental red batch made from late-picked Pinot Noir called L’Esprit - they left one row of the most promising Pinot until the end of September - and a limited barrel-selection Chardonnay called L’Etoile ("about one third as much as the classic," James told me, after several critical tastings of all the Chardy in barrel). He's also toying with the idea of making a sparkling Limoux: watch this space. I tasted these including a few potentially exciting 2007s from tank and cask:
2007 Sauvignon Blanc - lovely piercing citrus and pea notes with zingy grapefruit, pure and zesty palate with crisp yet relatively soft finish. €6 at the winery, and also available in Loch Fyne restaurants across the UK. 87
2007 Bel Ange (Chardy + touch of Chenin Blanc) - nice peachy v citrus style, rounded mouth-feel with weight v freshness; very drinkable now actually. £6.49 Majestic. 87+
2007 (different batch) - a bit fatter, oilier and honeyed with again crisp graceful finish; less structured perhaps. 87
2007 Pinot Noir rosé - zesty nose with light red fruits, elegant and fresh with subtle depth of fruit. €6 87
2006 Limoux blanc 'classic' - judicious toasty oak adds texture as do the lightly creamy yeast-lees characters, shows nice fruit v acid balance. €8 89
2007 Chardy from a new demi-muid (600 litre barrel) - lively fruit v subtle oak coating, very promising.
2007 Chardy from a barrique - more yeast-lees presence with lovely fruit, texture and crisp length; stylish.
2006 L’Etoile de Bégude, Limoux (selected Chardy, 13.5%) - closed nose showing delicate toasted coconut oak, creamy oily and peachy mouth-feel with nice yeast-lees depth, weight then crisp balanced length, tight structure and purity too. Opened up over the next day or so. €15 90-92
2006 L’Esprit de Bégude, Vin de pays d'Oc (Pinot Noir 14.5%) - unusual sort of New Zealand meets Sonoma PN style: a layer of oak adds a bitter chocolate texture to its smoky savoury characters edged with attractive cherry fruit; pretty big and bold yet there's freshness too. Should open up with a few months in bottle, it's a bit awkward at the moment. 89-90?

Saint-Martin-de-Villereglan, 11300 Cépie. Tel: 06 86 05 73 74 (mobile), fax: 04 68 69 20 41; james@domainebegude.com, http://www.domainebegude.com/.

Languedoc: Domaine de Fourn / Robert, Limoux

UPDATED 2012 - see link at bottom.

This 40-hectare estate, owned by the Robert family and set adrift in the hills not far from the village of Pieusse, is efficiently signposted; otherwise you really would be on a "magical mystery tour" to find it (maybe that's the idea, hush hush and all that). Ardent defenders of the region's distinctive fizz, like Domaine Martinolles below, this is a good place to see how sparkling Limoux is made in the different styles; particularly as the Roberts still use traditional racks to slowly invert the bottles to remove the sediment. This process is mostly automated nowadays, as it is in Champagne and understandably as it's very labour-intensive, where the wines are stored in 'giro-palettes' which jolt every now and then while gradually tilting the bottles. Blanquette is made mainly from the Mauzac variety (90+%) with some Chardonnay and Chenin blanc, depending on producer preference, and can be Brut (quite dry with about 8-10 grams per litre residual sugar (RS) v towards high acidity) or Demi-Sec (actually quite sweet). Crémant is always dry (similar Brut spec. to above) and often based on Chardy and Chenin with some Pinot Noir. Both styles undergo second fermentation in bottle and must be aged on the fine yeast-lees for at least nine months before being disgorged: the best, and certainly the most interesting wines are aged for much longer. The Méthode Ancestrale style is a bit of a local curiosity ("for local people" perhaps) and can be quite attractive: 100% Mauzac, sweet (50+ g/l RS) and refreshingly light in alcohol (around 7%) making them nice with fruit desserts, for example.

I tasted these Robert wines in situ in April 2008:

2004 Blanquette de Limoux Brut Carte Noire (90% Mauzac + Chardy Chenin,12% alc.) - quite fine and appley with light biscuity development and ageing character; crisp elegant and quite dry v subtle chocolate flavours too. 85-87

2001 Crémant de Limoux Brut (60% Mauzac + Chardy Chenin, 12.5%) - richer nuttier aromas, more cakey flavours v quite dry & elegant acidity; nice length and style showing age v finesse. 89

2004 Crémant de Limoux Brut (50% Chardy 30% Chenin Pinot Mauzac, 12%) - tighter and fresher with delicate toasted biscuit flavours, again attractively fine & crisp length. 88-90

2006 Blanquette Ancestrale Doux (100% Mauzac, 7%) - pleasant, buoyant and sweet balanced by nice acidity; try with light desserts. 85

LATEST VINTAGES REVIEWED HERE (Sparkling Limoux report May 2012).

11300 Pieusse. Tel: 04 68 31 15 03, www.robert-blanquette.com.

Roussillon: Present and Future, a mini-thesis: appendices p2

Click here for the whole dissertation and bibliography (goes to 'more wine words').

Appendices part 2: production & sales data, questionnaires, list of participating estates

SECTION 3: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

(A) PRODUCTION AND SALES TABLES

(i) Production 2005-2006

2006 harvest: VDN (*1)

Wine	Surface ha	Total vol hl	Co-ops hl
Banyuls white	113	2836	2542
Banyuls red	864	21240	16944
Banyuls GC*	159	3605	3570
Muscat Rives*	4871	105440	78276
Grand Rouss*	296	7190	3384
Maury white	38	971	782
Maury red	232	5404	3226
Rives red*	2204	49996	43754
Rives amb*	2667	58801	50401
Total VDN	11444	255483	202879

2005 harvest: VDN (*1)

Wine	Surface ha	Total vol hl	Co-ops hl
Banyuls white	95	2652	2285
Banyuls red	877	18365	13826
Banyuls GC*	222	4170	4112
Muscat Rives*	5123	106408	75731
Grand Rouss*	1697	43920	37407
Maury white	70	1389	1199
Maury red	491	10666	7850
Rives red*	891	19204	13651
Rives amb*	2562	54844	43181
Total VDN	12028	261618	199242

*Banyuls Grand Cru; Muscat de Rivesaltes; Grand Roussillon red, white and rosé combined; Rivesaltes red includes Tuilé and Grenat styles; Rivesaltes ambré. Volume figures are in hectolitres of finished wine i.e. include fortifying alcohol.

2006: Côtes du Roussillon and Villages (*1)

Wine	Surface ha	Total vol hl	Co-ops hl
CDR white	142	4345	2556
CDR red	3022	111119	81047
CDR rosé	2419	94983	81135
CDR Villages	1493	43871	25495
CDRV Cara*	150	5349	5349
CDRV Latour*	99	3719	3434
CDRV Lesqu*	22	840	833
CDRV Taut*	316	11108	7818
CDR Aspres	32	1085	359
Collioure wh	76	2556	1967
Collioure red	401	13096	11075
Collioure rosé	119	3874	2922
Total CDR/V	8291	295945	223990

2005: Côtes du Roussillon and Villages (*1)

Wine	Surface ha	Total vol hl	Co-ops hl
CDR white	183	5156	2836
CDR red	2837	100365	70980
CDR rosé	2949	114360	92773
CDR Villages	1637	47446	28619
CDRV Cara*	171	5620	5396
CDRV Latour*	167	4974	2971
CDRV Lesqu*	28	823	680
CDRV Taut*	289	11270	8179
CDR Aspres	59	1404	621
Collioure wh	75	2476	1969
Collioure red	389	12230	9547
Collioure rosé	116	3941	2318
Total CDR/V	8900	310065	226889

*Côtes du Roussillon Villages + four named village subzones = Caramany, Latour-de-France, Lesquerde and Tautavel.

2006: Vins de pays, vins de table & other (*1)

Wine	Surface ha	Volume hl	Co-ops hl	Surplus* hl
VDP white*	1598	77944	60838	40914
VDP red*	5112	249625	179968	13170
VDP rosé*	1642	84074	63795	12466
Total VDP*	8352	411643	304601	66550
VDT white	142	6640	3496	2572
VDT red	638	38708	23627	3216
VDT rosé	120	7917	4709	16
Total VDT	900	53265	31832	5804
Mistelle/liqu*	49	5613	5613
Must/juice*		12345	10480
Vines no prod*	451
Total 2006	29,487 ha	1,034,294 hl	779,395 hl	72,354 hl

2005: Vins de pays, vins de table & other (*1)

Wine	Surface ha	Volume hl	Co-ops hl	Surplus* hl
VDP white*	1756	87879	68307	40684
VDP red*	6298	303175	214855	9845
VDP rosé*	1908	104060	81685	15258
Total VDP*	9962	495114	364847	65787
VDT white	190	7219	3834	6590
VDT red	989	55556	30052	6610
VDT rosé	162	8452	4902	4188
Total VDT	1341	71227	38788	17388
Mistelle/liqu*	3	3672	3656
Must/juice*		15841	12174
Vines no prod*	772
Total 2005	33,006 ha	1,157,537 hl	845,596 hl	83,175 hl

*VDP = sum of vin de pays Côtes Catalanes, d’Oc, des PO and Côte Vermeille (in descending order). *Surplus excludes 38,500 hl of wine lees included in 05-06 CIVR figures for accounting purposes. *Mistelles / vins de liqueurs = other fortified or sweet wines. *Grapes, must, juice and concentrate. *Young vines not in production.

(ii) Vine plantings/removal by variety in 2005 (*12)

Variety	ha	04 v 05 %	Diff remove v plant -/+ ha 04/05	Diff remove v plant -/+ last 22 yrs
Grenache noir	7305	-1	-61	-567
Carignan	5978	-7	-373	-12877
Syrah	4819	6	+333	+4309
Mourvèdre	931	3	+53	+850
Merlot	749	1	+28	+665
Cabernet sauvignon	541	5	+47*	+654*
Lledoner pelut	289	-3
Cinsaut	113	-11
Cabernet franc	102	15	*	*
Chenanson	69	-3
Total red	20898	-1	-62*	-7970*
Muscat petits grains	3232	-2	-25	+1101
Macabeu	3118	-8	-207	-3287
Muscat d’Alexandrie	2671	-4	-72	+222
Grenache blanc	1920	-10	-241*	-6343*
Grenache gris	1408	-7	*	*
Chardonnay	553	-1	+4	+520
Vermentino	101	-1
Sauvignon	94	-4
Viognier	92	2
Tourbat (Malvoisie)	29	-12
Marsanne	27	4
Roussanne	33	27
Total white	13278	-6	-541*	-7731*
TOTAL	34175	-3	-603	-15701
Miscellaneous*	233	-7	*	*

*Plantings quoted as ‘Cabernet’ = Sauvignon/Franc combined. *Red varieties: include Alicante & Aramon (virtually all ripped up), 1 ha Tempranillo planted 04/05 and 9 ha Cinsaut removed. *White varieties: Grenache blanc/gris plant/remove figs amalgamated, 7 ha Roussanne planted. *Miscellaneous includes 83 ha of Carignan blanc, 10 ha pulled up.

(iii) Production v shipments 2001-2006 (*1)

VDN

*	Muscat Rive	Banyuls	Rive/GR/Maur
2001 volume hl	160,600	22623	176391
shipments hl	-137,040	-24622	-212372
surplus/deficit	23,560	-1999	-35981
2002 volume	157,079	24978	174649
shipments	-140,964	-24300	-205902
sur/def	16,115	678	-31253
2003 volume	138,342	25965	153069
shipments	-129,642	-23872	-194878
sur/def	8,700	2093	-41809
2004 volume	111,555	23668	134799
shipments	-125,491	-22675	-188435
sur/def	-13,936	993	-53636
2005 volume	106,408	25193	130024
shipments	-120,027	-15683	-163119
sur/def	-13,619	9510	-33095
2006 volume	108,798	27680	122241
shipments	-115,719	-21849	-167499
sur/def	-6,921	5831	-45258

*Muscat de Rivesaltes; Banyuls and Grand Cru; all other Rivesaltes styles, Grand Roussillon and Maury together. Figures are for the PO only (the Rivesaltes and GR AOCs extend into the Aude département).

Dry AOC wines

*	CDR W/R/R	CDR Village	Collioure
2001 volume hl	280658	100091	15129
shipments hl	-187279	-75288	-14804
surplus/deficit	93379	24803	325
2002 volume	200498	84206	16468
shipments	-196282	-80608	-14143
sur/def	4216	3598	2325
2003 volume	194864	79455	16505
shipments	-195625	-86989	-14911
sur/def	-761	-7534	1594
2004 volume	233144	72255	18804
shipments	-227006	-58476	-14715
sur/def	6138	13779	4089
2005 volume	221496	70103	18646
shipments	-205410	-56506	-8101
sur/def	16086	13597	10545
2006 volume	209346	65665	20352
shipments	-210685	-54351	-16144
sur/def	-1339	11314	4208

*Côtes du Roussillon white, red (incl. Aspres) and rosé together; all Côtes du Roussillon Villages red; Collioure white, red and rosé.

(iv) Shipments by channel France & export (*1)

AOC dry wines

Channel %	2001/02	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06
Private customers	23	18	18	20	17
Convenience stores	3	2	3	2	2
Wine merchants	2	2	2	3	2
Restau/hotels	3	3	2	2	2
Discounters	28	25	30	33	36
Multiple grocers	10	9	8	11	14
Exports	31	41	37	29	27
Shipments hl	283548	315932	302439	276467	257110

AOC VDN

Channel %	2001/02	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06
Private customers	10	10	10	10	10
Convenience stores	3	4	4	4	4
Wine merchants	2	2	2	2	2
Restau/hotels	1	1	1	1	1
Discounters	25	25	24	24	25
Multiple grocers	57	56	57	58	56
Exports	2	2	2	2	2
Shipments hl	395853	370777	359635	322806	329194

(v) Sales in France 2006 (Hyper/supermarkets & discounters *1)

VDN

Wine/region*	Value €	% change 05	Average price
Muscat Roussillon	70,409,214	-0.8	5.81
Muscat Rivesaltes	36,266,218	+0.3	5.35
VDN excl. Muscat	40,991,048	-4	3.47
Grand Roussillon	20,391,199	-0.7	2.61
Other Rivesaltes	16,433,395	-7.6	4.83
Maury	628,530	-8.7	8.16
Banyuls	3,420,850	-3.7	6.50
Muscat Frontignan	7,776,429	-2.6	7.90
Muscat B de V	4,524,152	-4.7	12.33
Muscat Samos	15,903,027	-1.2	5.12
Muscat St. J de M	506,085	+3.7	8.98

Dry wines: Languedoc-Roussillon v other

Wine/region*	Value €	% change 05	Average price
AOC Lang-Rouss	131,660,848	-2.5	3.16
VDP d’Oc	201,172,560	+9.6	2.43
Bordeaux	877,373,696	+0.7	5.31
Rhone	306,568,608	-2	3.61
AOC L-R white	8,809,860	-1.5	4.29
AOC Rouss white	353,513	-1.1	6.18
L-R rosé	16,840,716	+2.9	3.31
Roussillon rosé	3,222,145	+38	3.27
L-R red	106,010,272	-3.3	3.07
Roussillon red	9,787,703	+5.2	4.05
VDP PO	2,022,476	-19	2.01

*Total Languedoc-Roussillon all AOCs and colours; Vin de Pays d’Oc all styles; AOC Languedoc-Roussillon white, rosé and red compared to same colours all Roussillon AOCs; VDP PO = other vin de pays from Roussillon, all colours.

(vi) Exports

French wine exports 2006 by value (*13)

Region/type	‘000 €	% change
Total AOC wine:	2,927,963	+13.5
Alsace	103,541	+8.4
Bordeaux	1,271,962	+23.2
Burgundy	577,732	+8.1
Beaujolais	157,939	-4.1
Cotes du Rhone	255,670	+17.4
Languedoc-Roussillon	134,385	-2.6
Loire valley	204,041	+2.7
Vins de pays*	600,508	+1.4
Vins de table	348,236	-0.2
Total inc sparkling	6,159,837	+11.6

Exports 2006 by market and value (*13)

Country	‘000 €	% change
United Kingdom	1,304,588	+9.7
USA	1,020,904	+17.9
Germany	581,707	-0.7
Belgium	539,639	+2.5
Japan	396,536	+10.8
Netherlands	326,478	+3.2
Switzerland	264,958	+9.5
Canada	254,739	+20.8
Italy	277,594	+10.9
Singapore	155,593	+70

QUESTIONNAIRES

Q1 Roussillon winemaker survey

NB. My analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) of the Roussillon wine industry will be based on “current challenges and reasons why, positive developments and future directions.”

Domaine and location:

Owner’s or manager’s name:

Production and sales

Surface area and varieties:

How many hectares at present?

Would you prefer more or less vineyard to be more profitable?

Are you planting / have you planted or removing / have removed a certain variety or varieties in favour of another, and why?

Generally, yields are low in the Roussillon: advantage or disadvantage?

Production costs, real estate prices:

Vineyard land is less expensive in the Roussillon? Price per ha?

And property prices compared to 5-10 years ago?

If you set up your domaine within the last five years, how long do you expect it to take for a return on investment?

Wine styles as a percentage and price of each (approx retail in €/£/$):

VDN of which Muscat or ambré or red styles

Red white rosé

Do you make a Muscat sec or plan to?

AOC / vin de pays

Bottles / BIB / bulk

Trends 2001-2006?

Channels as a percentage of turnover:

Direct

Multiple grocers / specialists

Independent merchants/wholesalers

On-trade

Export, and which markets?

Other

Trends 2001-2006?

Identity

Does the Roussillon have a distinct image for wine (and quality) among consumers?

And compared to the Languedoc or 'South of France' or Catalonia even?

In France (and still especially for VDNs?)             Abroad

(Also see below)

AOC

Generally speaking, do you think it’s still valid or are the rules too inflexible in terms of today’s market?

What about Côtes du Roussillon as a banner for the region?

Would it be better for the Roussillon to be part of ‘InterSud’ / South of France? Please comment further if you wish.

Do you believe it’s a good idea to develop 'cru' AOCs in the Roussillon – in terms of terroir, philosophy and economics – e.g. create more CDR Villages + village name such as Tautavel?

Or does this make it more complicated for the consumer?

(The Aspres: was the appellation properly thought out in your opinion? Image and price: is the wine enthusiast prepared to pay more for a CDR Les Aspres?)

Tourism

Could you estimate the percentage of your turnover, as a share of your direct sales, due to tourism?

Do you offer any wine tourism events, organised walks, winemaker dinners etc?

Are you a member of an organisation such as 'Tourisme de Terroir en Pyrenées Orientales’ or ‘Gîtes de France’? If so, does it bring in significant income?

If not, are you planning to invest in wine tourism, e.g. build a better reception/tasting area or shop, restore a farm building to offer accommodation?

Organic

Apart from the environmental and marketing advantages, is it really one of the Roussillon’s assets in particular?                   Is organic winegrowing easier here?

I understand that oidium is the most widespread disease – are small quantities of sulphur usually enough to treat it, or is it a very serious problem?

Q1b: the thirty estates

See list below with contact details.

Q2 Roussillon trade questionnaire

My analysis of "the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the Roussillon wine industry" will focus on "current challenges, positive developments and future directions." 

Identity - does the Roussillon have a distinct image for wine (and quality) for your customers and the American wine drinker in general? And compared to the Languedoc or south of France or Catalonia even?

Customers - who's buying these wines: specialist wine shops, restaurants, internet sales? What's the average price, retail and in a restaurant, or would be ideally if you imported any Roussillon wines?

What do you think their reds offer in terms of wine styles, quality, value and/or innovation? And theirrosés: does the US market represent a good opportunity?

Do you think the Cotes du Roussillon or CDR Villages appellation is important as a banner for the region? Or better to focus on, e.g. super-vins de pays varietals made from Grenache, Carignan, Syrah?

Is there a market for Vins Doux Naturels in the States? Given the amount of Muscat variety planted, is there any potential for Dry Muscat white wines?

Q3 Roussillon wine writers questionnaire

Identity - does the Roussillon have a distinct image for wine (and quality)? And compared to the Languedoc or south of France or Catalonia even? Please sum up what you consider to be the Roussillon's main strengths and weaknesses.

What do you think their reds offer in terms of wine styles, quality, value and/or innovation? And theirrosés: does the UK market represent a good opportunity for them?

Visibility - do you see more or less of these wines in wine shops or restaurants? Would you buy a bottle and how much would you be prepared to pay?

Do you think the Cotes du Roussillon or CDR Villages appellation is important as a banner for the region? Or is it better to focus on, e.g. super-vins de pays varietals based on Grenache, Carignan, Syrah?

Is there any following for Vins Doux Naturels sweet wines? Given the amount of the Muscat variety planted in the Roussillon, is there any potential for Dry Muscat? Does the style suit British tastes and is Muscat beginning to register interest as a varietal wine?

Q1b The 30 Estates Owner/manager Location Email Phone Website
Mas Alart BELMAS Frédéric Saleilles frederic.belmas@wanadoo.fr 04 68 50 51 89 www.mas-alart.fr
Domaine Calvet-Thunevin CALVET Jean-Roger and THUNEVIN Jean Luc Maury calvet.marie@wanadoo.fr 04 68 59 20 73 / 06 16 66 93 75 www.thunevin.com
Chateau La Casenove MONTÈS Etienne Trouillas chateau.la.casenove@wanadoo.fr 04 68 21 66 33 rhone.vignobles.free.fr/pagesgb/montes.htm
Domaine Cazes CAZES Emmanuel and LAVAIL Lionel Rivesaltes lionel.lavail@cazes.com 04 68 64 08 26 www.cazes-rivesaltes.com
Clot de l'Oum MONNÉ Eric & Lèia OBARA Bélesta emonne@web.de 06 60 57 69 62 www.clotdeloum.com
Mas dels Clots PIQUEMAL Michel Salses-Le-Chateau michel.piquemal@masdesclots.com 04 68 64 20 13 / 06.61.20.99.40 www.masdesclots.com
Domaine Coume del Mas GARD Philippe Banyuls sur Mer coumedelmas@tiscali.fr 04 68 88 37 03 / 06 86 81 71 32
Domaine Coume Majou CHARLIER Luc Corneilla de la Riviere charlier.luc@wanadoo.fr 04 68 51 84 83
Mas Crémat JEANNIN Catherine Espira de l'Agly mascremat@mascremat.com 04.68.38.92.06 www.mascremat.com
Domaine Depeyre DEPEYRE Serge & Brigitte BILE Cases-de-Pene brigitte.bile@orange.fr 04 68 28 32 19
Clos des Fées BIZEUL Hervé Vingrau info@closdesfees.com 04 68 29 40 00 www.closdesfees.com
Domaine Força Réal HENRIQUÈS Cyril et Jean-Paul Millas cyril@forcareal.com 04 68 85 06 07 www.forcareal.com
Domaine Gardiès GARDIÈS Jean Espira de l'Agly gardies.jean@wanadoo.fr 04.68.64.61.16
Domaine Gauby GAUBY Gérard and Lionel Calce domaine.gauby@wanadoo.fr,info@domainegauby.fr 04 68 64 35 19 www.domainegauby.fr
Chateau de Jau DAURÉ Simon and Estelle Cases-de-Pene daure@wanadoo.fr 04.68.38.90.10
Vignobles Bernard Magrez RAYNAL Jean-Marc / Bernard MAGREZ Montner raynalsud@free.fr 06 80 30 72 24 / 04 68 80 24 81 www.bernard-magrez.com
Domaine Marcevol PREDAL Guy Vinca marcevolpredal@wanadoo.fr 04 68 05 74 34
Domaine Matassa LUBBE Tom & HARROP Sam Calce matassa@wanadoo.fr 04 68 64 10 13
Clos de Paulilles DAURÉ Simon / PAGES Frédéric Port Vendres daure@wanadoo.fr 04 68 98 07 58
Domaine Pechpeyrou DE GUITAUT Bertrand Banyuls sur Mer bertrand.evelyne@wanadoo.fr 04 68 82 57 24 / 06 70 76 22 76
Domaine Pithon PITHON Olivier Calce pithon.olivier@wanadoo.fr 06.16.79.82.19 www.domaineolivierpithon.com
Préceptoire de Centernach LEGRAND Vincent Saint Arnac (Maury) legrandvin@wanadoo.fr 04 68 81 02 94 www.la-rectorie.com
Domaine Rancy Brigitte & Jean-HubertVERDAGUER Latour-de-France info@domaine-rancy.com 04 68 29 03 47 / 06 87 11 15 18 www.domaine-rancy.com
Domaine La Rectorie PARCÉ Marc, Pierre, Thierry Banyuls sur Mer larectorie@wanadoo.fr,vignesorientales@orange.fr 04.68.88.13.45 / 04 68 81 02 94 / 06 82 67 04 10 / 06 80 01 75 76 www.la-rectorie.com
Domaine Singla DE BESOMBES-SINGLA Laurent Rivesaltes/Camélas laurent.debesombes@free.fr 04 68 28 30 68 / 06 11 77 07 11; www.domainesingla.com
Domaine Le Soula Richards Walford UK & Gérard Gauby St Martin de Fenouillet Roy@r-w.co.uk See www.domainegauby.fr
Domaine Treloar HESFORD Jonathan & Rachel Trouillas hesfordj@hotmail.com,info@domainetreloar.com 04 68 95 02 29 / 06 50 88 21 70 www.domainetreloar.com
Domaine Trois Orris GRALER Joep Tarerach joep.graler@wanadoo.fr,troisorris@wanadoo.fr 04 68 05 29 19 / 06 75 02 51 00 www.troisorris.org
Chateau Valmy CARBONNELL Bernard and Martine Argelès-sur-Mer chateau.valmy@tiscali.fr,contact@chateau-valmy.com 04 68 81 25 70 www.chateau-valmy.com
Domaine des Vents PELEGRY Arnaud / C. CARRELAS Saint Paul de Fenouillet domainedesvents@wanadoo.fr 06 10 32 14 84 / 04 68 59 22 63
Domaine Vinci Emmanuelle VINCI / Olivier VARICHON Estagel Vinciemmanuelle@aol.com 04.68.52.04.99 06.18.49.11.21 www.domainevinci.com

MANY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR TIME, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!