France is renowned for the quality of its wines and famous wine regions, but do you know some vines are harvested in quite surprising terroirs? From the Mediterranean Basin to French Polynesia, here are some of the most peculiar places where vines grow.
This region is located on the Mediterranean coast, at the border of Spain. Vines are cultivated on steep terraces going down to the sea, and the local winegrowers had to face unique challenges especially violent winds and rocky soil. However, their determination gave fine results and the wines of the region gave birth to two worldwide-appreciated PDOs, Banyuls and Collioure.
The Tuamotu island group counts ten hectares of vine represented by a single estate. It is the crazy bet of Dominique Auroy who began winegrowing more than 30 years ago in Rangiroa. After he tested about fifty varietals, the Carignan, Grenache, and Muscat made their place. The specialty for Tahitian wines is there are two harvests a year, due to a tropical climate and low yields (between 20 and 40 hl/ha). You will find a nice diversity of styles with dry wine, sweet, and even pineapple wines for the most curious. The unique PDO is called « Vin de Tahiti ».
Although the region is automatically associated with apple and cider, did you know a Britain vineyard exists for several centuries? Planted in the Vth century by Christians, the vine is present in the Rance Valley near Saint-Malo. It almost completely disappeared in the XXth century, but a few rows of grapes has luckily been protected by members of the ARVB, the Association for Recognition of Britain Wines. Nowadays, global warming and the creation of new estates contribute to the revival of the Britain vineyard. To be continued!
Famous for its white sand beaches and genuine fisherman villages, it also counts a small wine community. Vines are planted on saline and sandy soils which give a unique taste to wine and high acidity. As a matter of fact, did you know the close island of Oléron was part of the Cognac appellation? It also has the PGI « Vins de Pays Charentais – Île d’Oléron » where grow the varietals Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Chardonnay for the sparkling wines!
Beer has not the exclusivity in the north! Vines are indeed planted at about thirty kilometers of Arras on the terril d’Haillicourt.
What is a terril?
It is an artificial hill resulting from mining exploitation. It is essentially composed of shales, that we find in numerous French wine regions.
Nowadays, the old miners have been replaced by two winegrowers who set up a dozen years ago. They propose a Chardonnay out in 700 bottles in 2022, with an original cuvée name: the Charbonnay (a pun on the French word charbon which means charcoal).
We find traces of the Montmartre vines in 944 within the Clos-Montmatre, in the 18th arrondissement of the capital. This small parcel of about 1500 m² is composed of 1762 vines of Gamay, Pinot Noir, and varietals from otherwhere… The harvests of this atypical parcel are greatly celebrated each year. Five days of celebration with more than forty associations and stands in the eight quarters of the arrondissement, an event not to be missed! In 2023, from October 11 to 15 you will be able to enjoy the 90th edition of this event.
France is plenty of surprising wine regions where winegrowers faced unique challenges to cultivating the vine and producing exceptional wines.
Are you looking for atypical wines? Do not hesitate to contact our Personal Wine Shopper Benoît Cornillault, benoit_cornillault@tourdargent.com, who would happily help you with your research!
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