Lirac Wines: Discoveries in the Côtes du Rhône
Nina Seffusatti
You might be familiar with the wines of the Rhone valley – in French the «Côtes du Rhône»? Such an interesting mosaic of wine areas, that covers a stretch along the river Rhone of 200 km (125 miles), between the cities of Vienne and Avignon. Wine is produced on 42,000 ha (104.000 acres), the largest wine producing region in France after Bordeaux.
You have probably heard about the wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the most famous of the wine villages in the southern Rhone valley – but you can have some incredible experiences in lesser known places, and for a lesser price, too!
A short distance from the cities Avignon or Nîmes, on the right bank of the Rhone river, the village of Lirac is a delightful village producing white, red and rosé wines in 55 private wine cellars, with 5 cooperatives, 3 millions bottles per year .. and 924 inhabitants.
On a sunny day in July I was invited to a «randonnée-dégustation» (hiking and wine tasting), which is an activity that many winemakers have started doing lately. Walking through the vineyards, talking to the winemakers. What an amazing way of enjoying the scenery, getting great information, and not at least tasting the wine!
We started off by with some explanations about the history of the wine area, the grape varieties and much more by a group of the brotherhood of the «Jaugeurs de Lirac» - the gaugers of Lirac, people who are committed to preserve and transmit the notions of quality that characterize the wines of the AOC Lirac. The members of the brotherhood are dressed in a costume from the 18th century, that has the 3 colours of the Lirac wines, and they're holding the «jauge» (the measuring instrument gauge), the symbol of their fonction and their knowledge. The function of jaugeur goes back to 1744, their fonction was calculating and controlling the capacities of the wine barrels. Today the brotherhood will only accept new jaugeurs if they are « bien buvant, bien mangeant et de joyeuse humeur» - people who are well-drinking, well-eating and of joyful mood.
Lirac jaugers with their jauges
Image | Nina Seffusatti
It's a beautiful day with a slight Mistral wind from the north, which makes the sky look even brighter, the sunlight more radiant. The contrasts of the deep blue sky, the shades of green in the vegetation, and the yellow-white limestone soil are surrounding us during our walk. Through the vineyards, olive groves, the scrubland with the smell of thyme and rosemary, and a bit further in the welcoming shade of the kermes oak trees, small valleys and low hills, we arrive at the chapel La Sainte Baume (the Holy Grotto).
Going back in time this grotto or cave has served as a safe place for the locals in time of Medieval invasions, as a shelter for hunters and for those working the land and the forest, in the 16th century a safe place for catholics hunted down by the protestant army.
And then a miracle happened, as so very often. In 1647 in the month of May, Joseph Queyranne, with four other men, found themselves in a violent thunderstorm, and they were happy to find a shelter in a grotto. They fall asleep, except Joseph who could feel an epilepsy seizure coming, and suddenly he sees a small marble statue of the Virgin and child in a small opening in the cave rock. Joseph was cured of his epilepsy and lived as a hermit in the grotto, a chapel created inside the rock, and the beginning of three-times a year pilgrimages.
But today, we are there in one of the other grottoes next door from the chapel for less spiritual reasons – we are here to discover the local wines, and the wine does have this miraculous way of lifting up your spirit !
We start with a white, then a rosé.. The red wine will be a later part of the discovery.
The white wine blows me away – the «Cuvée Blanc Roc – Mas Isabelle», the coulour, the aromas, the freshness... I ask one of the knowlegeable jaugeurs if he knows more about the grape varieties and the winemaker Isabelle Boulaire? And of course he does!
The vines are mostly from 45 years old vines of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, and a bit of 70 years old vines of Clairette Blanche and Ugni Blanc. Isabelle Boulaire started as a winemaker in 2003, her mother inherited a historical vineyard, she is the 12th generation of owners. Twelve generations! That’s lots of experience and history! Grapes are picked manually in her vineyards, and the vines are cultivated with «agriculture raisonnée », the French way of doing agriculture with a special attention to the protection of the environnement, with a minimum amount of pesticides, without going fully organic.
Lirac dégustation or wine tasting
Image | Nina Seffusatti
Our adventure continues, we are now a happy bunch of people with white and rosé in our veins. So on the walk down from the grotto to the « Caveau de Lirac » in the village, it feels like we suddenly have grown wings. A tasting of a Lirac red wine is another great experience, and as the winegrowers like to promote local businesses, we are also served a beautiful and tasty lunch plate of specialities from the local (and one and only) village restaurant « Le Bistro des Vignes». Definitely a restaurant I'll have to check out the next time !
It was just one of days that I did not know what to expect, and it turned out to be a lovely discovery of a village, a landscape, wines and people.
You’ll love Lirac and its wines, too!
Image | Nina Seffusatti
