Forty localities situated in the Lozère part of the Cevennes mountains have been incorporated into IGP Cévennes. Their high-elevation sites and amazing grape varieties open up whole new perspectives.
Contents:
- Historical legitimacy
- A win-win situation
- A wide array of grape varieties
- Heirloom cultivars
- Trellises and terraces
- Environment and communications
Historical legitimacy
The ministerial order came into effect for the 2024 grape harvest: IGP Cévennes has extended its production footprint to include villages located in the Lozère part of the Cevennes. “When production specifications were drafted in 2008, the IGP was limited to villages in Gard whereas according to written documents dating back to Louis XIV, the Cevennes formed a specific entity which went as far as the slopes of the namesake mountain range”, recounts Jérôme Villaret, the project manager for IGP Cévennes. The extension, promoted primarily by the former chairman of the producers’ organisation, Christian Vigne, “rectifies an omission which was heresy”, claims his successor, Christel Guiraud. Admittedly, compared with its significantly larger Gard sibling – where 80 wineries produce an average 70,000 to 80,000 hectolitres annually – up-and-coming Lozère is still a minnow region with a dozen or so producers… for now. Combining the two areas, however, benefits both.
A win-win situation
Some will be able to take advantage of the IGP’s marketing clout and enhanced visibility for their wines by leveraging awareness of the Cevennes name, coupled with a national park that epitomises unspoilt natural surroundings and welcomes two million visitors a year*. For others, the high-elevation vineyard sites that can cope with climate change and boast great potential are a real bonus. “Some winegrowers are even starting to plant vines at 700 metres above sea level on schist and granite soils that in some ways can be likened to those of Faugères and the upper Terrasses du Larzac area”, stresses Villaret. “They are also very motivated by issues like heritage grape varieties”, adds Guiraud.
A wide array of grape varieties
Production specifications permit 97 grape varieties and already offer winegrowers the opportunity to plant classic varietals that thrive on cool soils, like Syrah, Pinot and Chardonnay, resistant grapes such as Soreli and Floréal and also heirloom grape varieties like Counoise, Terret blanc and Morrastel. These once late-ripening varieties now ripen effortlessly. “In the 1960s, the Lozère part of the Cévennes was also home to 30% of banned grape varieties – these hybrids were imported from North America to combat phylloxera and then prohibited in 1934. They survived thanks to the rebelllious personnality of the Lozère people, a lack of understanding of the rules in remote areas and because they were naturally resistant to disease and spring frosts”, explains Villaret.
Heirloom cultivars
Once maligned, the varieties are now recognised as being less tannic, lighter and more aromatic than most wines made from Vitis Vinifera vines. Their style may well act as a magnet for a new generation of consumers. “First of all, we need to gain a better understanding of them and their needs in terms of good vineyard and winemaking practices to ensure they make worthwhile wines. This is the purpose of the observatory launched in 2023 to identify the vines. A small-batch winemaking trial for single varietals will lead to an initial tasting in February 2025. If their potential is confirmed, we will continue our fight to secure permission for these varieties to be included in the national varietal catalogue”. The initiative also involves old, forgotten varieties like Négret de la Canourgue, an endemic Vitis Vinifera grape. One winegrower in Aujac, Gard, has even discovered a variety that Montpellier ampelographers are unfamiliar with – he has named it Aujaguais.
Trellises and terraces
“At a time when six grape varieties account for 70% of global production, and faced with global warming, Cevennes winegrowers have fantastic potential which will also create a point of difference for the wines by telling a story”, stresses Villaret. In Lozère, in 1960, myriad small farms grew a variety of crops and farmed nearly 1,000 hectares of vines for family wine consumption or for miners in the Alès region. “The vines were planted on terraces or bancels**, on chestnut wood trellises with vegetables beneath them to save land. Hence the decision by some winegrowers to resurrect banned grape varieties because they are suited to this type of farming. This also explains the decision to conduct a programme of experiments with the Upper Cevennes Valley organisation to assess the best type of farming on these terraces”.
Environment and communications
This is not the only focus of attention for the producers’ organisation. “Starting in 2027, 100% of IGP Cévennes wines will have to be either organic or certified HVE – 90% of properties already subscribe to this approach”, announces Guiraud. Winegrowers have also signed up to a GIEE, or economic and environmental interest group which charts the course for agro-environmental good practice, from grass cover in the vineyards to planting hedgerows.
IGP Cévennes is also aiming to secure awareness and recognition outside the region, or even beyond national borders, with its new communications programme. The drive features a more modern website, the support of renowned influencers and patrons and publication of a gourmet food booklet. So if you haven’t heard of the endorsement yet, you soon will!
Florence Jaroniak. ©IGP Cévennes
*Source: Atout France, 2018.
**Relatively narrow terraces supported by dry-stone walls.
To find out more, visit www.vinsdescevennes.com