Roussillon – Introduction
Roussillon is the southern-most wine region of France, bordering Spain. Here some great sweet wines and some powerful reds wines sit alongside delicious whites.
The region is centered around the city of Perpignan which we have visited many times, but it was only on the most recent visit that we got to understand how to enjoy it. It is a sprawling city with developments creeping in to the vineyards which tightly circle the urban sprawl.
From this location you can see the looming Pyrenees mountain range which separates Spain from France, but not the Basque people on the Atlantic side or the Catalonian people on the Mediterranean side.
We have two producers in the Roussillon region. Mataburro, run by Laurent Roger and Melissa Ingrand, produce ethereal red wines from Malbec, Grenache and Mourvèdre and a beautiful white wine from local grape Macabeu.
We also have a producer with a difference in this region, namely La Guinelle, who makes vinegar using very natural processes. We were lucky enough to taste their products a few years ago and ask if we could import them to Australia.
You can read about their products on the Producer page for La Guinelle.
Roussillon also has some other drawcards. A good example is the Les 9 Caves, at 56 avenue du Général de Gaulle in Banyuls-sur -Mer which is right on the coast. Here there is a significant winery complex where, theoretically 9 different producers including the famous Bruno Duchene and the young and talented José Carvalho from La Cave des Nomades.
This venue also has a restaurant, a bottle shop where you can buy the wines of the region and 3 gites where you can stay. More information is available here.
