Côtes Catalanes

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The Côtes Catalanes vineyard extends across a vast amphitheatre open to the east toward the Mediterranean, bounded by the Canigou massif to the west, the Albères to the south, and the Corbières to the north.
• All geological eras are represented, giving rise to varied soils derived from parent-rock formations, transported material, or lacustrine and marine deposits — thin, very dry, and stony.
• The Côtes Catalanes vineyard, bounded to the west by the 300-metre contour line or the 13 °C isotherm, benefits from more than 2,500 hours of sunshine per year and rainfall of between 500 and 650 millimetres, often stormy and concentrated mainly in spring and autumn.
• The moderating effect of the sea tempers the intensity of summer sun and maintains a slight nocturnal freshness, complementing the strictly Mediterranean climate of the zone.
• The climate of Roussillon is above all defined by the frequency — one day in three — and the violence of the Tramontane, a very cold north-westerly wind in winter after its passage over the snow-covered peaks of the Pyrenees.
• The Côtes Catalanes vineyard is crossed from west to east by three short-course rivers and additional streams that are often dry, which have over the ages transported material from the mountains, forming numerous terraces.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Dénominations géographiques complémentaires

• Côtes catalanes Pyrénées Orientales PGI

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 14 mai 2020 publié au JORF du 16 mai 2020, JORF 16 mai 2020
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — Confédération des Vins IGP de France