Much more than a body of water, the Mediterranean sea is the cradle of western culture and of all the stories and legends that shape the world as we know it. A fundamental part of this identity is built upon the gastronomic traditions and crops of the Mediterranean basin. These lands of olive groves, orchards, lavender meadows and gnarly vines are at the heart of what it means to make, drink and love wine – today as 2000 years ago.
It’s this living heritage that the IGP Méditerranée embodies, with each bottle that carries its stamp as a marker of the diversity and strength of character of each of the region’s terroirs and producers.
With a total 10,500 hectares under vine, the IGP is a fascinating patchwork of soils and mesoclimates in south east France. From the Ardèche plateau to the altitude slopes of the Hautes-Alpes via the massif of Luberon, from the turquoise waters of the Var to the intricate creeks of Bouches- du-Rhône, from the dramatic slopes of Vaucluse to the evocative Drôme woods, the IGP Méditerranée is home to historical vineyards, uniquely adapted to this ancestral, uniquely diverse landscape.
With 2500 annual sunshine hours, the region’s vines yield grapes of outstanding concentration and fruit depth. Ever blowing winds, not least the famous mistral, play a central role in ensuring the preservation of acidity and the development of aromatic complexity in the berries.
Home to more than 100 different grape varieties, the IGP Méditerranée produces rosé, red and white wines (accounting, respectively, for 75, 15 and 10% of production), most of them blends of two or more varieties. Ubiquitous international grapes – Merlot, Syrah, Grenache, Chardonnay, Viognier and Muscat, among others – find a deep, idiosyncratic Mediterranean expression alongside the local Caladoc, Marselan and Chasan, serendipitous crossings that pay testament to the rich and dynamic viticultural heritage of this corner of the Mediterranean.
Each bottle of an IGP Méditerranée wine encapsulates the brightness of the sun-drenched landscape, the earthiness of the garrigue, the herb-scented breezes, the sound of waves and, above all, the living soul of the 5,000 men and women that live for and from the region’s wine. A sense of savoir-faire, spontaneity, adventure, and joie-de-vivre which are also, after all, part of the fascinating terroirs of the IGP Méditerranée.
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