Roussillon
France's Most Exciting Wine Region
We could have chosen to make wine anywhere in the world but we chose the Roussillon in Southern France. Why? Because it had all the features we were looking for:
- Old, high quality vines
- A perfect viticultural climate with low disease-pressure
- Other pioneering vignerons and a rapidly increasing level of quality
- Freedom to make wines in our style
We are determined to be a significant part of this region's wine revival.
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!Our vineyards 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 then 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 the article.
The Surrounding Area
The Roussillon has a huge selection of interesting things to do. Here are just a handful:-
- The perfectly preserved mediaeval village and chateau of Castelnou
- The fishing villages of the Cote Vermeille - Collioure, Banyuls and Port
Vendres
- The Romanesque abbeys of St Michel de Cuxa, Serabone and St Martin de
Canigou
- Weekly markets in the historic towns of Thuir, Elne and Ceret (to name
a few)
- Mount Canigou, the sacred mountain of the Catalans
- The thriving Catalan city of Perpignan
- The excellent beaches of St Cyprien and Canet
- Great skiing at Les Angles and Font-Romeu
Getting Here
The Roussillon is serviced by several airports and numerous airlines.
Our nearest airports are:
Perpignan - 15 mins
Girona (Spain) - 1 hour
Carcassonne - 1.5 hours
Beziers - 1.5 hours
Montpellier - 2 hours
Toulouse - 2.5 hours
We recommend using SkyScanner to plan flights.
Frogbus offers low-cost transfers from Girona airport to Perpignan centre 5 times daily.
Sun Transfers offer airport-to-door bespoke transfers from both Girona and Perpignan airports.
Local Information Websites
Anglophone Direct - English-language guide to the Pyrenees-Orientales including a helpful and informative forum.
The Languedoc Page - Informative English-language website and forum for the Languedoc region
The Languedoc in the South of France:- weather, holidays, beaches, property, tourism and travel, Cathar castles, history, sports, food and wine, and everyday living.
French Entree Languedoc - Informative website for property, life and holidays in the region.Idées-Go - What's on in the Languedoc Roussillon. Tourism website with a great event search facility.
Anglo-Info Languedoc - English-speaking business directory and forum