Deep in the far south of France, edging its southern borders into the foothills of the Pyrenees, and commanding a Mediterranean coastline to the east, lies Roussillon, the sunniest and driest region in France.  Its vineyards cover about the same acreage as those of Champagne, and it is more often than not tacked onto to its much bigger neighbour, making a region covering the whole of southern France – Languedoc-Roussillon.  Yet the wines of Roussillon have an identity and expression all their own.

Roussillon is drenched in both sunshine and history. Vine growing can be traced back thousands of years. And in a similar manner to Alsace, over the centuries Roussillon has passed back and forth between Spanish and French ownership, finally being settled in France in 1659.  In the region’s main city, Perpignan, it is the Palace of Kings of Majorca that holds the city in its gaze, now an historic and tourist monument. Catalan culture remains strong and many people are bi-lingual.

The region has a complex geology, and much that producers speak of is to do with their terroir, and which patch of dirt best suits which of the grape varieties are used in the region. 

Grenache bush vine

Red grape varieties are mainly an extension of those from the better known southern Rhône: grenache, mourvèdre, cinsault, supplemented by carignan, the best examples of which add colour, depth, acidity, and a black fruited meaty spiciness to the blend.  As with neighbouring Languedoc, syrah has been planted for the past 30 years or so, to add with the local varieties.  Whites are based on grenache blanc and increasingly roussanne, marsanne, plus muscat (Alexandria and petits grains) for sweet wines.

What’s rare in a dry, sunny climate is to find white wines with a freshness and minerality that is characteristic in Rousillon. Part of the explanation is altitude. Vineyards are found from sea level up to 550m above the sea.  With an approximate 1°C drop in temperature for every 100m increase in altitude, combined with a tortured topography, it’s possible to envisage cooler plots of land at higher altitudes and aspects away from the sun where white grapes can flourish.

The dry, sunny climatic disposition of Roussillon enables producers to make some excellent wine to organic principles. Without regular moisture, disease pressure is low, lending viticulture to minimum intervention practices.  Domaine Gauby, one of the top producers in Roussillon farms to the more rigorous biodynamic approach. Fourth generation Philippe Mercier, of Domaine Joliette which produces certified organic wines, explained: ““Organic is more a work of observation. I learn a lot by being near to the vines. You need to be near the vineyard to understand the vines and their treatment.”

One of the best open secrets of this self-contained Catalan enclave is the region’s varied fortified wines. Called vins doux naturel (VDN), these are made by adding pure grape spirit to partially fermented grape juice, to create a sweet wine.  The characteristics of the grapes are preserved by using pure spirit, rather than grape brandy.

Maury, and its more famous cousin, Banyuls are made from red grapes, notably grenache, while Rivesaltes is from white.  The wines can be made in more reductive (primary fruit) or more oxidative (nutty, dried and candied fruits) styles.  These latter, tuilé (tawny) styles of red VDN and ambré (amber) styles of white VDN, are a perfect accompaniment to traditional English winter season fare.

Vin Doux Naturels, maturing outside

Of his Maury, Robert Pouderoux, of Domaine Pouderoux said: “We try to finish on freshness, not sugar. If you have a good tannin structure, then even with 100g/l of sugar, you don’t see the sugar, also if you have a good acidity. All the work is the balance of these three – tannin, acidity and sugar.”

Muscat de Rivesaltes is always reductive, always to be drunk within a year after the harvest. Gentle, grapey, aromatic, with an elegance and lightness of touch despite the sweetness.

As concern increases about higher alcohol levels in wine, Vins doux naturels could find themselves becoming fashionable once more.  They consistently have an alcohol level of about 15% abv.  This is undoubtedly similar or even lighter than muscular Australian shirazes or Californian zinfandels. At just three-quarters the alcohol level of port, they also offer a different style of digestif.

Eric Aracil, export manager for the promotional body Vins du Roussillon has suggested ““marrying the colour of wine with the colour of dessert”, which is a new twist on the idea that the wine should be as sweet as, if not slightly sweeter than, the dessert.  Certainly across the styles of VDN, almost every colour can be catered for, from the palest lemon tart Muscat de Rivesaltes to the densest, darkest, most chocolatey Maury.

This article was inspired by a visit to the region sponsored by Wines of Roussillon (Vins du Roussillon).

One of the latest trends has become to speak about chocolate in wine terms: variety of cocoa bean, origin of bean, how it is grown, climate, soil, terroir, and quality differentials with all of these. Sara Jayne Stanes, director of the Academy of Culinary Arts, and chairman of the Academy of Chocolate said: “There are three major varieties of bean, with nearly 300 hybrids. Cocoa beans are full of tannins, fruits, spices, herbs, grassy, woody and smoky flavours.”  

For serious, fine, dark chocolate, Jo Stewart, chocolate buyer at Harrods said: “The trend is single estate chocolate, and some of the dark, bitter chocolates go well with wine. Peruvian chocolate tastes different from other parts of South America. It is bitter, but erring on the side of fruity, and it’s the fruitiness that goes with wine.”  

Savoury dishes

Bernd Flemming

Chocolate in savoury dishes is less challenging than sweet dishes, as it should not make the dish sweet. Bernd Flemming, who gained his Michelin star at the Restaurant Français in Frankfurt and now runs a food development consultancy said: “The cocoa has a special flavour. We always think chocolate is something to do with sweetness but cocoa is a spice like vanilla, or chilli. We use it as a spice, for example in the Mexican mole dish.  And like a spice, used in the quantities of a spice or condiment, chocolate balances the taste between the sweet ingredients and spicy ingredients. It doesn’t really change the texture.” 

At a recent wine and chocolate evening, Anne Tupker MW, of Bouquet Wines, paired a 2002 St Joseph with Roe deer with Diva chocolate sauce. She said: “The slight gaminess of the syrah plus the richness and acidity of the wine went well with the venison and with the richness of the sauce.” She added “the richness chocolate gives to the sauce calls for a wine that is fruity, concentrated and with some good acid bite but fairly light, smooth-textured tannin.”

Desserts and petits fours

For sweet dishes, the sweetness has to be at the same level. Tupker said: “A 1977 Graham’s port with with a dark chocolate and praline dessert went down a treat. A five or six puttonyos Tokaji, or a trockenbeerenauslese from Germany or Austria would also work.” 

Sarah-Jane Evans MW, one of the founders of the Academy of Chocolate, reiterated the superior chocolate designation for wine pairing opportunities.  She said “The tastings we do are with bars, not prepared dishes, which makes a difference.  I have found that the fortified wines can work.  If you have something rich and sweet, you need something hefty in alcohol. Young Maury with dark chocolate gives a luscious, lovely, red fruited character, with aromatic fruitiness an extra complement.”

Ripening grenache in Roussillon

Maury, along with Banyuls and Rivesaltes are the sweet, fortified red, vins doux naturels wines of Roussillon in the south of France, made from grenache. The style is either young primary fruit focused, with rasp-, black- and blueberry flavours, which works well with creamy sweet and silky-textured truffles, such as Prestat’s Dark Chocolate Marc de Champagne Truffles, or a more oxidative style, where complex aromas of coffee, chocolate, caramel, walnuts, dried figs and prunes pair well with nuttier desserts and bars of 70%+ cocoa.  

A youthful LBV (late bottled vintage) port such at Taylor’s is a good alternative, with vibrant black cherry, bramble and raspberry fruits to accompany and lift the concentration of the dark chocolate.  Flemming said “I like a chocolate terrine with port wine and figs, and I’d serve a port with it. Cook the figs in port, with a hint of chilli, melted dark chocolate, crème fraiche, eggs and butter. On a biscuit and pistachio base, add the fig and port mixture with layers of chocolate. Warm the remaining port with chocolate to thicken.”

Gearoid Devaney, head sommelier at one-Michelin star London restaurant Tom Aikens said “with [chef] Tom there are always more flavours, for example chocolate fondant with grapefruit. There are always twists in the tail to deal with. I choose wines according to the richness and texture. Tokaji, for example from Istvan Szepsy, works better than French [Sauternes]. I’m using a vins doux naturel Rasteau from Domaine Romero because it has a good bit of acidity, which plays with the sharpness of the grapefruit.” Devaney treats each dessert on its own merit, saying he loves looking at how you can play with the palate.  Italy’s passito wines might feature, or an older Malmsey Madeira from Henriques and Henriques. He said: “you have that heat from the alcohol, but chill it a little, and serve a 15 year old with petit fours.”

Conclusion

The sweet, gamey, concentrated fruit and silky tannins of dry syrah/shiraz was may complement the rich texture of a chocolate-influenced savoury dish, but it seems the fortified wines come into their own for dessert. Red fruits and spiciness are found in both dark chocolate and wine. As sweetness increases, or the chocolate is combined with other complexing flavours, better matches may move away from fortified wines to styles such as passito, Tokaji, or even trockenbeerenauslese, where sweetness, acidity and flavour are concentrated in the grape by sun-drying or very late harvesting.