So this list is much much longer. And it’s actually pretty hard to find people. . . so I’m going to publish it in multiple parts. Here is the first part.
I included wineries, vineyards, negociants, grape growers, etc. Anybody who presents themselves as a producer and could presumably prove it with tax receipts or something.
Please feel free (Obliged even) to email me to add more to this list or leave a comment at the bottom of this page with a link to the facebook page you’d like to add. And while you’re doing me favors, somebody needs to tell Georges Frêche that he can’t abandon his facebook page just because he was re-elected. Obama is still emailing me like DAILY. (edit: RIP Georges Freche, you will no longer be judged for a lack of social media updates)
As some of you know already from the twitter feed, I am in Barcelona for the Alimentaria food and wine conference. I’ve gotten to stop by some of our tried and true Languedoc-Roussillon producers in the conference. I’ve also had a chance to try some excellent Catalunya wines that are especially interesting when compared to some of the products of Roussillon (Catalunya del Nor, to many).
Here’s a short video of a visit to the largest Cava producer in the region. They’re probably one of the largest producers of sparkling white in the world, and they do a good job of keeping up quality. Their very affordable, very drinkable black label is ubiquitous in the US and Germany (and Japan apparently), but their quality cuvees that stay in the country have been a real treat.
For now, check out this video where a winery representative explains how they freeze the cava to remove the sediment.
More on this visit and the rest of the conference soon.
I visit Domaine Treloar’s winery and vineyard out by Perpignan way down south in the Roussillon. We taste a rosé and a couple dry whites that show an interesting perspective on what we can do in the area. This video will also appeal to our commenters who have been asking for some of the quirkier varietals like Macabeu and Carignan Blanc.
Jonathan Hesford and I taste a dry Muscat called One Block White which is pretty wild. It smells a like Muscat, and you get a little lychee on the finish, but the wine’s got a real solid minerality throughout. La Terre Promise is also very good even though I fail miserably to talk about it in the video. The important thing to take away is that these are serious wines. And I like the idea of winemakers innovating some grapes like Muscat that are known mostly for their contributions to sweet wines.
The wines:
The Rose of Treloar 2009, Domaine Treloar, VDP Cotes Catalanes One Block White 2008, Domaine Treloar, VDP Cotes Catalanes
La Terre Promise, Domaine Treloar, VDP Cotes Catalanes
Varietals mentioned:
Macabeu
Grenache gris
Carignan blanc
Muscat
Syrah
Bruce Springsteen references made:
“La Terre Promise” is French for “The Promised Land” a classic from the Boss.
Thanks for all your patience, Anglophones. I finally edited down the video from my visit with Aime Guibert AND I subtitled it. Some of the subtitles pass by a little bit too quickly, but you can use that pause button to your heart’s content (or watch it a hundred times). I think Aimé is just a fascinating character and I hope the edited down version retains all the charm, humor and tragedy of the original unedited footage of our Daumas Gassac tasting.
You should also note that I take some liberties in the translations. “Ils n’en ont rien à foutre” is somewhere between “They don’t give a shit” and “They don’t give a fuck.” I went with my gut, and my gut was being especially lewd.
Now, our car ride with Aimé was very fun, but we also had a treat waiting for us in the winery where we did a tasting of three Mas Daumas Gassac wines. These are wines that are very hard to taste so young, but very interesting. Over all, I was impressed but I really want to see where the wines go in ten years or so. I guess that’s kind of the magic of Daumas Gassac. Aimé Guibert was one of the first pioneers with the guts to say he could make a vin de pays de l’Herault that was good enough to make people cellar it for at least a decade. Enjoy!
A note on pricing: Gassac is suprisingly affordable if you buy it ahead of time. They make amazing prices for their futures. Whereas, waiting for it to appear in stores, you’ll typically pay upwards of 80 Euros. At the futures prices, you are getting amazing bang for your buck. Another thing… I got some sticker shock from that bubbly rosé at 12€. Not unreasonably priced, but it’s a playful wine and a serious price. Surprised me a tiny bit. But the red and white at the futures prices! Those are awesome.
English | Ryan O'Connell July 16, 2010 | 
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