Tavel

Vines have been cultivated in this area since the 5th century BC, planted by the Greeks and developed by the Romans. Tavel had an enviable location on a major route between the Roman settlements at Roquemaure and Nîmes, the perfect place to grow and develop. A variety of artefacts dating back to this period have been found, including amphora fragments depicting bunches of grapes. Meanwhile, the name Villa Tavellis, from which Tavel derives, first appeared in written documentation in the 13th century.

In the mid-14th century, Pope Innocent VI was particularly fond of wines from the Rhône’s right bank, and served the wines of Prieuré de Montézargues at the Papal court; the priory’s wine estate still exists today, lying at the heart of the Tavel AOC area. When the Papacy returned to Rome, and right up until the French revolution, the region’s wines were exported to Italy. In 1902, Tavel formed a union to represent their owner-winegrowers; and in 1927, at the suggestion of Baron Pierre Le Roy de Boiseaumarié, Aimé Roudil, union president, led 40 Tavel producers in petitioning the Gard authorities to officially define the production area. Tavel was awarded AOC status in 1936, and has since become France’s leading rosé wine.