AOC Rivesaltes wines awarded at the Gilbert & Gaillard International Challenge

A.O.C./A.O.P.

AC Roussillon is located in the Roussillon basin and straddles two departments: Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales. Soil types are therefore extremely varied, ranging from limestone and calcareous clay to loam though also primary soils: Silurian shale, gneiss and granite. The climate is Mediterranean, hot and dry. High temperatures are in fact a prerequisite if the grapes are to achieve sufficient sugar concentration to be transformed into dessert wine. Like Banyuls, the red blends are fermented on the skins in an oxidised atmosphere, and the wines can age for no more than a year. There is no skin contact for the whites which are made using the direct to press method.

Grape varieties: VDN : grenache noir, grenache gris, grenache blanc, tourbat, muscat d'Alexandrie, muscat à petits grains, carignan, cinsault, syrah

The wines of this appellation

the Rivesaltes appellation is used for red, rosé and white dessert wines, drawn from Grenache noir, gris and blanc, Maccabeu, Muscat and Malvoisie, a varietal range which differentiates them from wines under the Muscat de Rivesaltes appellation. The reds display an attractive, extremely bright red hue which develops brick-red tints as they age. They are tannic, powerful, well-balanced wines with a long finish, boasting complex aromas (blackberry, raspberry, blackcurrant and cherry, leading into notes of cocoa, gingerbread, orange peel and crystallised fruit after spending time in oak). Try with strongly-flavoured food: game or duck. The white wines are blessed with a pale yellow hue which turns amber down the years. On the palate, they are round and supple, with hints of fennel and mint, leading into honeyed tones with dried fruit, vanilla, resin and cocoa. As they mature, they often develop slightly oxidised tones. Serve with fish marinated in ginger, lemon or mint. Mature Rivesaltes, both red and white, pair extremely well with desserts and a selection of cheeses.