Wine Terroirs

Pyrenees-Orientales is France’s fifteenth largest wine region. Its dry and sweet wines draw on skills and an array of styles rarely seen elsewhere and they are the means by which Roussillon aims to conquer high-value markets outside the EU, whilst also remaining focused on trends.

Over the past few years, Bordeaux has had to contend with numerous challenges, ranging from ‘Bordeaux bashing’ in France to climate change, Brexit, the political crisis in Hong Kong, Trump taxes and the global pandemic. More than any other wine region, Bordeaux is France’s vinous showcase around the world, so how are markets performing in 2021 and what solutions have been devised to cope with these issues? To find out the real consequences of this string of crises, we interviewed a number of industry players. Here’s what they told us.

Preserving biodiversity, saving water resources, prioritising agro-forestry, choosing un-cloned vines and resistant varieties are all avenues being explored for countering weather hazards and safeguarding the environment. Winegrowers in Languedoc are experimenting with them all.

Jura is one of only a handful of French wine regions where virtually all the grape varieties are native, except for Pinot noir and Chardonnay from its prestigious neighbour Burgundy. This perfect match between vineyard sites and grape varieties is the region’s trump card for consumers looking for quality, naturalness and subtle authenticity…

The wine regions of Provence, Corsica, the Rhone Valley and Languedoc have never had it so good in terms of reputation, but the real news is that the South of France is increasingly diversifying its wine styles. And in this particular battle, rosé is gaining even more traction.

World renowned grape varieties, fruit grown over a mosaic of vineyard sites and particularly high standards are some of the defining features of Crémant de Bourgogne, recognised as an appellation since 1975. They have helped establish a reputation for the Burgundy sparkler in wine markets at home and abroad. We dissect the reasons for the wines’ success.