Côtes du Roussillon

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• An amphitheatre open to the Mediterranean, framed by the Canigou (2,780 m), the Albères (1,450 m), and the Corbières (878 m).
• Dry, poor, stony, well-drained soils: schists or limestones in the north, clay-sandy molasse in the south, stony river terraces in the valleys.
• All geological eras are represented: soils derived from bedrock, fluvial deposits, or lacustrine and marine sediments.
• Sunshine exceeding 2,500 hours per year, rainfall of 500–650 mm concentrated in spring and autumn, with a pronounced summer drought.
• The Tramontane blows one day in three: a cold, violent north-westerly wind that is sanitary in effect but intensifies the drought. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• Vines have been cultivated in Roussillon since approximately 600 BC, introduced by the Phocaeans who founded Massilia.

• Reds: deep colour, red fruits, spice, ripe and velvety tannins; rosés: fresh red fruits, roundness, and aromatic persistence.

• Grenache and carignan on arid, lean hillsides; mourvèdre in the warmest sites; syrah trained on wires against the wind on cooler soils.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF), JORF 31 mars 2022
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — CIVL