Roussillon suffers from being the second half of “Languedoc-Roussillon”, and when most UK wine drinkers think of the region they almost invariably mean Languedoc, or D’oc.  This is a shame, because Roussillon is a fascinating region in its own right and is producing some wines of real character and finesse.

If you are cynical about the French notion of “terroir”, then I challenge you to discover wines from Roussillon.  A geological amphitheatre nestled in the Pyrenées, the soils vary from limestone to black schist, red schist, brown schist, white schist and granite.  Fields right next to each other can have completely different soil compositions, and producers have learned to exploit the qualities of each soil best suited to the different grapes. 

For example, black schist gives power to a wine, and is well-suited to Syrah.  Limestone gives finesse and freshness, and is often home to Grenache noir and Muscat.  At Domaine des Schists they are growing the same combination of grape varieties on different parcels of land, and using identical vinification methods to make the “same” wines from different terroirs.  This was the clearest evidence I’ve seen yet of the effect of terroir.  You could taste it in the glass.

But for me the real discovery was the range of vins doux naturels.  We tend to think of Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, from the Rhone valley, when we think of vins doux naturel, but Roussillon produces 80% of all French vins doux naturels.  In addition to Banyuls and Muscat de Rivesaltes, the best-known in the UK, I discovered Rivesaltes Ambré and Tuilé, white and red sweet wines respectively made by a process of oxidation.  Some of the examples we tasted were very old, but not expensive, and I lost my heart, or is that palate, to Ambré.  There’s toffee, hazelnuts, orange peel and spice in there, but usually my notes just say, “Beautiful!”

Dessert wines are a minefield for many people, as it is important to match both the sweetness and the qualities of the wine to the dessert.  The range of the vins doux naturels means that most puddings, from light, fruit-based summer desserts ideal with a Muscat de Rivesaltes to a Crème Catalane, perfectly set off by a Rivesaltes Ambré, can be accommodated.  Banyuls and chocolate is a classic combination, but be wary of pairing chocolate with anything other than a strong cup of coffee; if it is too sweet it will make even the finest sweet wine taste dry and vinegary.  The real beauty of the vins doux naturels is their affinity with many savoury tastes.  With some cheeses a sweet wine is far more suitable than a dry red; and many highly spiced or Asiatic dishes go much better with sweet wine than dry.

Good sweet wine needs a balance between sweetness and acidity or tannins; this is what prevents the “sickly sweet” sensation and renders a wine “sumptuous” and opulent.  Many of the wines we tasted were not super-sweet, but contained a complex matrix of flavours and sensations that lingered in the mouth long after the wine was gone; and this complexity gives them their versatility with so many different kinds of food.  I took a trip to Roussillon and wound up on a voyage of discovery.  My wine drinking will never be the same again.