Roussillon: Domaine Bila-Haut (Chapoutier), Bruno Andreu, VICA.

Domaine Bila-Haut (Chapoutier)

Chapoutier made a move on the Roussillon more than 20 years ago establishing a vineyard and winery base in Latour de France in the north (first vintage 2001). Further projects and wines followed from nearby Lesquerde to Collioure and Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Côte d'Azur coast, some from owned vineyard blocks and some in partnership with other growers.

Languedoc: Famille Fabre

Now run by Clémence Fabre and husband Louis-Jacques, this centuries-old wine family owns five vineyards in the Minervois and Corbières in the Languedoc. Recent departures from traditional winegrowing include estate-grown barley and hops, which are supplied to a Béziers-based brewery; and Clémence's brother André set up a cidery producing 'real' ciders two years ago. Hence, the quirky 'Pet Nat' (pétillant naturel) Vranja reviewed in this post, a "natural sparkling wine made from quince, apple and pear..."

Roussillon: Domaine Sol Payré, Château de l'Ou, Mas Bécha, Mas de Lavail.

Domaine Sol Payré

Didier and Tatiana Rodriguez farm 56 hectares of organic vineyards, which mostly lie between Elne and Ortaffa south of Perpignan heading towards the magnificently moody Albères hills on the Spanish border, as well as a few blocks in the Maury area in the north.

Roussillon part 3: Château Planères, Dom Brial, Domaine La Part des Anges.

David Loiret, La Part des Anges (see below).

Château Planères

This fourth-generation estate winery is owned and run by the Jaubert family and is found in the pretty countryside of Les Aspres zone in the central-southern Roussillon, just outside the blink-and-miss-it village of Saint-Jean Lasseille. Some of these wines are new labels.

Roussillon: Gardiès, Terres Fidèles, Jonquères d'Oriola, Madeloc.

The Roussillon wine people in Perpignan (green link goes to the local wine industry website, known as the CIVR for short) held a suitably tasty trade event in Edinburgh a few weeks ago, which showcased a dozen estate wineries and co-op cellars. The last articles I posted about the Roussillon were grouped by geographical area and wine style...

Roussillon: 'Coup de Coeur' winners 2024.

This line-up of ten Coup de Coeur (meaning personal favourite, top pick or 'wine of the moment' to coin my usual jargon) Roussillon champions were chosen by a London-based panel of wine media and educators from an extensive tasting organised by the Roussillon wine association in Perpignan.

The Wine Society: 150 years.

The Wine Society is the world's oldest cooperative wine merchant, or 'member-owned community of wine lovers' to use their own words, based in Hertfordshire UK. Here are my dozen top picks from their recent Belfast tasting in tantalisingly random order.

Languedoc: Malepère.

The casse-croûte of the cassoulet in Malepère.

Located to the northwest of Limoux and southwest of Carcassonne, Malepère is the most westerly of the Languedoc's appellations and probably one of the least known wine areas in the whole region. There's an eclectic mix of Mediterranean and Atlantic vine types, and the local wine people have cooked up an interesting story around how climatic influences from both 'sides' suit these nevertheless dissimilar grape varieties (seven authorised).

Roussillon: the south.

The final rant of 2023 about the Roussillon covers my favourites encountered earlier this year from the Côte Vermeille: mainly Collioure white wines (rosé is here), Banyuls Vin Doux Naturel (VDN) sweet fortified wines (including some old vintages), and neighbouring Côtes du Roussillon (white and red) that miss the Collioure appellation (of little importance apart from the price they can charge!).

Roussillon: the north continued.

Overlooking a vineyard, Cases-de-Pène Agly Valley.

Continuing this year's series of tasting and touring articles on the Roussillon, this time we're heading back north to the Agly Valley to supplement a previous piece on the Maury area, as well as one focused on winemakers in central Roussillon (Les Aspres and either side) and one celebrating the region's rosé wines (compared to Languedoc). Meaning there'll be one more report picking favourites from the south (Collioure, Banyuls and neighbouring Côtes du Roussillon and Côtes Catalanes wines).

Roussillon: Les Aspres, the centre and beyond.

Vineyard near Terrats in Les Aspres, central Roussillon.

Côtes du Roussillon Villages and Les Aspres, Côtes du Roussillon, Côtes Catalanes and Rivesaltes VDNs.

Talking of the Aspres and neighbouring areas in central and eastern Roussillon, barrels full of heartfelt empathy go out to those winegrowers who had the very bad luck of being hit by a freak storm just before some remaining black grapes were due to be picked this vintage. One night of terrible wind and rain after months of drought with virtually no rainfall, which had already made things difficult and reduced the crop.

Languedoc: Saint Chinian

Vieussan from saint-chinian.com.

The Saint-Chinian region lies between Béziers and Minervois and northwards to the jagged hills at the bottom of the Massif Central. It stretches from the villages of Quarante to Vieussan south to north, and from Murviel-lès-Béziers to Ferrières-Poussarou east to west; a vast area of about 40 by 30 kilometres. So, the idea that all wines produced in this appellation represent and express one distinct namesake terroir or 'taste of place' is a stretch.

Rosé: Languedoc vs Roussillon.

Is there a big difference in rosé from the Languedoc and Roussillon? Winemakers in both regions tend to have the same red grape varieties - mainly Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault (less so in the Roussillon) and Mourvèdre - and production techniques don't vary much from one place to another. Except for the particular style of rosé intended in terms of colour (deeper redder or paler pink), flavour and 'seriousness' (richer fruitier fuller or more aromatic zestier lighter).

Roussillon: Maury focus - red and fortified wines.

Maury vineyards: Maury-aop.fr via uk.winesofroussillon.com.

There's no shortage of awesome chunky vineyard vistas like in the photo above around the town of Maury, dramatically and strategically positioned in the (west-) centre of the Agly Valley in the northern Roussillon, piled up against the Corbières hills facing north, down towards the Pyrenees to the southwest and Spain/Catalonia in the sun-kissed distance to the south.

Languedoc - Fitou: Domaines du Vent, Bertrand-Bergé, Lérys & Château de Nouvelles.

Nathalie Boyer, Domaine du Vent.

The Fitou region nudges against the Corbières hills at the southern edge of the Languedoc before you cross over into the Roussillon, and is split into two parts divided by a chunk of the Corbières appellation in what might have been the middle of it (viticultural history, village politics). In simple terms, the seaside bit lies around Fitou itself and just to the north; and the hillier rockier inland bit is centred on Mont Tauch and the villages of Paziols, Tuchan and spreading north to Villeneuve les Corbières.

Malta & Gozo: food, wine and beer.

Not surprisingly perhaps, given their history and proximity to Sicily and southern Italy, Italian cuisine is commonplace in the Maltese islands in all its forms and price ranges. We discovered the particularly good family-run restaurant ('for three decades') Il Galeone in Sliema, a short ferry-ride across the water from Valletta (35 Tigne Seafront: galeonerestaurant.com).

Roussillon: a dozen Vins Doux Naturels.

The fourth and final part of my summer Roussillon review features a (baker's) dozen Vins Doux Naturels (plural, VDN(s) for short), probably more naturally translated as (sweet) fortified wines, some of which are anchored in regional tradition while others are relatively 'modern'. Including whites - although their colour is often far from it for reasons explained below, a style called Ambré - and reds from Rivesaltes, as well as Maury and Banyuls, also white and red, of various types and ages.

Roussillon: 36 whites and rosés worthy of your fridge (but not at the same time).

Hot on the heels of two pieces showcasing 40+ stonking reds from the North and the Centre & South of the Roussillon, it's time to switch the limelight onto some of the region's flavoursome white and rosé wines. There's a blurb about the wineries mentioned here in those two previous posts: tap the links to discover more including which outlets stock their wines. So this time then, less blah blah and more wine. Photo: old vines in Les Aspres zone.

Roussillon - the south & centre: 16 reds to knock your socks off (part 2).

These plush reds represent more of my favourites from a recent Wines of Roussillon tasting in London (part 1: the north, is here). Featuring wines from 2019, 2020 and 2021 plus some more mature or rarer vintages produced by various wineries in the centre and south of the Roussillon, aka 'French Catalonia, wild wine country' as in the title of my book.

Roussillon - the north: 27 reds to knock your socks off (part 1).

This spicy variety of reds features some of my top picks from a Wines of Roussillon tasting in London (in June), and other recommendations from recent wine shopping. These include reds from the 2019, 2020 and 2021 vintages, as well as a few older, more mature and sometimes special bottlings. They were made by different-sized wine producers across the northern Roussillon - Les Pyrénées Orientales is the département name - or 'French Catalonia' as I coined in the subtitle of my book on the region.