Vin Doux Naturel

Rivesaltes, a vine-growing town in the Pyrénées Orientales, was among the first to gain AOC status for its sweet wines, Vins Doux Naturels, in 1936. There are two AOC for Vin Doux Naturels in Rivesaltes: Rivesaltes and Muscat de Rivesaltes.

The Rivesaltes Appellation concerns 90 villages in the Pyrénées Orientales and 9 in Aude, the same ones that also produce Fitou. There are several different wines made under the Rivesaltes name: Ambré made essentially from the Maccabeu grape and Tuilé, Rouge and Hors d’Age (aged for several years in oak barrels or demi-johns) made mainly from the Grenache grape.

Muscat de Rivesaltes is produced in 86 of the same villages, including the 9 villages in Aude. This sweet white wine is made exclusively from the Muscat grape (d’Alexandrie and petit grain).

History

As early as 1872, the Arago law identified this specific wine production in the Roussillon area and the Pams law in 1898 the Vin Doux Naturel denomination is given. In 1914, the Brousse law specifies the grape varieties that can be used.

This part of the south of France has long since been a place for trade through its long coastal stretch and the ancient route leading from Rome to Spain, the Via Domitia. This factor explains that large diversity of grape varieties that can be found around the French Mediterranean. There are the traditional local varieties, as well as ones from Spain, Italy and Greece. Despite the vast array of varieties available, only four of them make up the ingredients for Vins Doux Naturels: Maccabeu, Muscat, Grenache and Malvoisie.

The grapes used to make these fortified wines have a high sugar content and therefore thrive in the dry and windy Mediterranean climate which helps concentrate the sugar in the grapes.

These sweet but strong wines have been appreciated since ancient times. The wines of Rivesaltes have been renowned since the Middle Ages and are the oldest known fortified wines in the world.

The vinification method for Vins Doux Naturels was discovered in the 13th century by Arnaud de Villeneuve, the personal doctor of the Kings of Aragon, France and the Pope, and perfected by the Knights Templars. Indeed before then, wines were naturally sweet. The process consisted in adding 5% to 10% of pure alcohol to stop the fermentation. The alcohol used is 96% neutral alcohol distilled from grape skins. The aim is to make a wine with a high average alcohol content of 15% to 18%, while preserving the natural sweetness from the grapes.

Apart from the Muscat, which is bottled as soon as possible after the fermentation is stopped, most Vins Doux are slowly matured in old oak barrels and sometimes exposed to the sun in demi-johns.