The Roussillon

France's Most Exciting Wine Region

We could have chosen to make wine anywhere in the world but we chose the Roussillon in the South-West of France. Why? Because it had all the features we were looking for:

We are determined to be a significant part of this region's wine revival.

If you would like to take a short break to the region, staying in luxury accomodation with chauffeur-driven visits to our vineyard and a gastronomic tour of the Cote Vermeille, please see HERE. 

Snippets of History

Vines have been grown in the Roussillon since the 6th or 7th century BC. Vineyards have been worked by the Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, Cathars, Templars and Catalans. 100 generations of vignerons can't be wrong!

The vineyards of Trouillas were owned, from the 12th to 14th centuries, by the Knights Templar, based at the nearby Commanderie of Mas Deu.

The Village of Trouillas is believed to be the birthplace of fortified wine. In the 14th Century, Arno de Villanova, physician to the king of Majorca in Perpignan, discovered that adding alcohol to fermenting wine killed the yeast and preserved the natural sugar. This is the principle behind Rivesaltes, Banyuls and Maury and also Sherry, Port and Madeira.

On 22 Sept 1793, The Spanish defeated the French Revolutionary Army at the battle of Trouillas. The French Artillery batteries were positioned on the hill of Le Roubau, where our vines now grow. 

In 1949 the Trouillas village council declared the commune as World Territory without any nationality. The move to secede from France never happened. Read Article.

The Surrounding Area

The Roussillon has a huge selection of interesting things to do. Here are just a handful:-