Les Caves Richemer Wine Cooperative Celebrates its 90th Anniversary

Les Caves Richemer, located in the heart of the Hérault region, between the Mediterranean Sea, the Canal du Midi and the Thau Lagoon celebrates its 90th anniversary this month. 

One of the largest cooperatives with 200 wine growers, it is situated next to the Thau lagoon, which has Europe’s second largest population of seahorses, and covers an area of 1000 hectares, with grape varieties including Terret, Marselan and Piquepoul growing near its shores.

“The winegrowers are so keen to share their expertise and love of the region that they have created a collection of wine called ‘Votre Escale entre Terre et Mer’ (Your Stopover between Land and Sea),” said Dominic George, head of direct sales and promotion for Les Caves Richemer, based in Marseillan.

“Famous to this region is the speckled seahorse of the lagoon here which is also the logo of Caves Richemer. It’s an obvious choice, since the headquarters of the first cooperative winery were located on the shores of the Thau Lagoon. It appears on every bottle, including the Terre et Mer dry white, made from the Terret grape variety.” 

The link between land and sea is further strengthened by the gastronomic offer at Marseillan Plage, developed on the basis of the Tourisme Gourmand en Occitanie network, while Marseillan is the departure (or arrival) point for the cycle route linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. 

Vincent Capmas, director of sales France for Les Caves Richemer, explained that white wine accounts for 65% of production at the coop. Rosé and red wines are also produced under the Pays d’Oc PGI and the Côtes de Thau PGI. 

Since 2005, Stéphane Hugonnet has been the president of the cooperative. Under his leadership, Caves Richemer has undergone a remarkable transformation: with wines that regularly win awards on the national and international level.

George added that with its focus on innovation, it hired Ingévin a specialist in wine engineering and has an office in Montpellier and Toulouse, to design and build its distinctive circular winery completed in 2020.

It was created to meet the demands of the wine industry and can be expanded from 10,000 to 200,000 hectolitres and is based on the four E’s of Ecochai (Eco production footprint); which means it is economical, ergonomic, ecological and expandable.

For more information visit www.richemer.fr