Tasting the Liqueur Wines of the Roussillon

First published: November 26, 2024 by Dominic Rippon

The Roussillon’s ‘vin doux naturels’ are an integral part of the local culture and a favourite drink among the French.

Overlooked by the towering Pyrenees, Roussillon’s vineyards rise to an altitude of more than 700m, receiving more sunshine than anywhere else in France. Roussillon maps onto the modern Pyrénées-Orientales département, at the southern tip of the Occitanie region, but just like their brethren over the border in Spain, the Roussillonnais are proudly Catalan…

In the past two decades, Roussillon has gained a fine reputation for its light white, red and rosé wines, which represent around 2% of French production, but its vineyards are best known for their traditional vins doux naturels, making a full 80% of France’s liqueur wines. As with port, these sweet wines are made by adding grape spirit to partially-fermented grape must to halt fermentation.

Rivesaltes is by far the largest appellation for vin doux naturel, making wines from Grenache blanc, Grenache gris, Grenache noir and Macabeu grapes; or as white Muscat de Rivesaltes, Grapes can be harvested from almost all of the Pyrénées-MAGES DOP Orientales’s vineyards, as well as the small appellation of Fitou, in the south of the neighbouring Aude département…

Rivesaltes can be red, white or rosé, with deeply-coloured early-bottled reds labelled as ‘grenot’, similar to ruby port. Later-bottled, more oxidic styles of red and white are called ‘tuile’ and ‘ambre’, respectively; these wines are matured in large oak barrels for at least three years, developing complex nutty, dried fruit flavours, in a style comparable to tawny or colheita port.

In the steep brown schist hills overlooking Collioure, Roussillon’s emblematic fishing port, the Grenache noir grape makes Banyuls, France’s finest vin doux naturel. The finest Banyuls Grand Cru wines are aged in oak for at least 30 months and are only made in the best vintages. Banyuls ‘rimage’ wines are macerated
on their grape skins for weeks after the fortifying spirit is added, and then corked early, like vintage port, to develop gracefully in bottle.

By contrast, intensely oxidic ‘rancio’ wines have received less skin contact, but extended ageing, sometimes in glass demijohn bottles which are left outdoors in the heat of the Mediterranean sun. Their aromas are reminiscent of fine Oloroso Sherry. Hidden away in the upper reaches of the Agly Valley, the smaller Maury appellation makes wines in a similar style to Banyuls, with vistas that rival those of Porto for their alluring natural beauty.

DOMINIC’S CHOICE