CAZES INVESTS IN COLLIOURE

One of Roussillon's leading wine producers, Maison Cazes, has acquired its first vineyard in Collioure. The tiny, one-hectare plot is planted with Genache Noir and Grenache Gris and is situated beneath the Dugommier fort, which overlooks this historic coastal town.

Cazes has had a very close association with the Collioure appellation since 2009, when it was the driving force behind the setting up of a heritage association, ‘Nôtre Dame des Anges, Terroir et Patrimoine’, named after Collioure's most important landmark (see photo). This association raises funds for the restoration of 'casots' (tiny winegrowers' shelters, of which there are some 1,200 dotted around the Collioure appellation) and the 6,000km of stone walls or feixes, which cover the terraced vineyards.

Funds for this restoration programme come from the sale of a limited-edition cuvée, Nôtre Dame des Anges, made according to Maison Cazes’s specifications by association members (The Dominicains Cooperative and individual producers). Cazes also ages the wine in its own cellars and looks after the sales and marketing of the 13,500 bottles produced annually.

The grapes from Cazes's new Collioure vineyard will be vinified by the Dominicains Cooperative before going into the 2012 vintage of Nôtre Dame des Anges. The 2009 vintage can currently be bought from Bordeaux Index (www.bordeauxindex.com) at £13.75 per bottle/£165 per case, plus VAT and delivery.

THREE WINE MEN TO VISIT EDINBURGH

The Three Wine Men, Oz Clarke, Tim Atkin MW and Olly Smith are to hold one of their popular shows in Edinburgh's Signet Library on 23rd and 24th June to 'show you how much fun wine can be'. 200 Early Bird tickets - saving 37.5% - are now available by calling See Tickets on 0844 858 6759 or online at www.seetickets.com/Tour/THREE-WINE-MEN - enter the discount code 3WINE32759. The minimum order is for two tickets.
For more information, visit: www.threewinemen.co.uk.

ROUSSILLON....BEGINNING TO THAW...

We arrived in Roussillon just over a week ago and have not felt warm since, while, ironically, Edinburgh is basking in temperatures that we can only dream of. Although much of the snow that fell over the weekend of 4th/5th February has thawed, patches linger stubbornly in shady corners of our garden, along with some lethal sheets of ice. More importantly though, our reservoir has managed to empty itself completely after a frozen valve burst, orange and lemon trees - in full fruit - look otherwise desperate, along with many other plants, trees and shrubs. The vines nearby, however - mostly now pruned - seem unperturbed by the general brouhaha that this weather - the worst since 1985 - has caused. The sun has been shining almost without a break since we arrived but to little effect, until today, when the mercury crept above zero and I was able to remove just one layer of clothing. Things may be looking up.

As I write, I am drinking a glass of Domaine de Caledroy, Rosée des Vignes, 2010 in honour of St Valentine's Day, while my other half prepares dinner. The wines of Caledroy - just along the road from us - have improved enormously in the past five or so years. This rosé, principally from Grenache Noir, is delicate but still packed with lively, fresh fruit flavours. The back label says "ce pur rosé fera l'agrément idéal de vos fêtes et en toute saison..." but I somehow don't think they had in mind weather such as this.