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Red grape
Nom au pluriel
Red grapes

Syrah

With such an attractive name, this grape was for a long time believed to have originated in Persia, Syria, or perhaps Syracuse. However, recent analyses have shown its roots to be in Savoy and the Ardèche. A low-yielding variety, rare and highly prized, Syrah is grown exclusively on soils suited to its cultivation. A Southern girl, it is spicy in character with delicious hints of violet, well expressed in the Rhone wines its produces, which are both stylish and complex. Encounter…

Red Muscat

General characteristics

This Muscat variety with its small black berries was first grown in the vineyards of Greece. It is also referred to as Moscatello Nero or Black Frontignan. It reaches maturity in the “second period” (i.e. 12 days after the Chasselas Doré grape, which is taken as the “baseline” in the Pulliat system of classification). The averagely vigorous vine is easily recognised by the bronze colour and cobweb-like appearance of the young leaves.

Red Grenache

Grenache, the most widely grown grape variety in the Rhone Valley, is a charmer, offering both warmth and roundness of character. Famous for its upright habit and vigorous growth, it is a versatile grape that can adapt to a range of soils and growing conditions (terroirs). One thing is certain: in blends of different grapes, it embodies all the joie de vivre and generosity of Rhone wines… Irresistible!

Red Picpoul

General characteristics

Wines made with this grape have a bouquet rich in floral and fruity notes, and a stylish, elegant structure, low in tannins. Picpoul Noir is grown in the Gard and sometimes in the Gigondas area.

Muscardin

General characteristics

Muscardin is a red grape variety from the Vaucluse area. Its clusters are cylindrical, compact and of average size. The egg-shaped berries are bluish black in colour. This grape is not normally vinified on its own, but combined with other varieties, such as syrah, mourvèdre and grenache.

Carignan

General characteristics

A vigorous variety that yields well year by year. It flowers between 8 and 15 June and the grapes come to maturity fairly late, between 25 September and 25 October, depending on the growing area. The Carignan vine requires plenty of warmth and is not sensitive to drought or strong winds. Hot, dry hillsides are ideal.

Vaccarèse

General characteristics

The Vaccarèse grape variety is also referred to as Camarèse or Brun Argenté (“silvery brown”). Its clusters are of medium size, cylindrical in shape and compact. The berries, too, are of medium size, perfectly round and blackish blue in colour.

Red Terret

General characteristics

The flattened-cone shaped clusters of this variety tend to be medium to large in size. They consist of oblong berries of medium size, forming a compact, winged mass.

Wine-making potential

This grape lends plum and gooseberry flavours to the wines in which it is used.

Marselan

General characteristics

Used in the composition of the AOC Côtes du Rhône appellation (10% maximum), the Marselan grape gives a complex, deep-red wine with an abundance of supple, harmonious tannins. It makes a good basis for blends of different varieties on account of its polyphenolic, anthocyanic and tannic properties..

Grey Grenache

General characteristics

The flattened-cone shaped clusters of the Grenache Gris grape tend to be middling to large in size, winged and compact. When the grape reaches maturity, the stalks become woody. Grenache Gris is a vigorous variety, with an upright growth habit, extremely resistant to both strong winds and drought. It is especially productive when grown on dry, stony hillsides. It generally reaches maturity in the “third period” of the Pulliat classification system, roughly ten days ahead of the Carignan grape.

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