1.) Few winegrowing regions require “heroic viticulture” of their stewards, but the intimidating terroir of Roussillon qualifies the region as one. Near the French border with Spain and abutting the Mediterranean, Roussillon is surrounded by three mountain ranges, including the Pyrenees to the west. From sandy, alluvial sites near the sea to slopeside vineyards on granite and schist reaching as high as 2,300 feet, Roussillon’s topography challenges Grenache growers as few other regions can. Despite working in the hottest, driest region in France, some farmers don’t—or simply can’t—use irrigation. Steep, terraced bush vines, some more than a century old, require harvest by hand in some areas.

No surprise, then, that Roussillon provides some of the lowest yields in France—and some of the most concentrated, richest expressions of Grenache in the world.

 2.)  In recent decades, Garnacha/Grenache growers have recognized the potential for crafting some of the most unique, terroir-driven red wines in the world under such conditions. Wines from the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) are marked by distinctive geography and yield a unique style of wine.

3.)  The old-school dessert wines of Roussillon made the region famous and still provide a unique drinking experience. Roussillon’s historic PDOs and PGIs of Maury, Banyuls, Banyuls Grand Cru and Rivesaltes are reserved for vins doux naturels (VDNs), dessert wines created when fermentation is halted by the addition of a neutral grape spirit, resulting in a high-alcohol wine with residual sugar, not unlike Port. White, gray and red Grenache, often grown on steep schist slopes, all contribute to these wines. They may be bold fortified reds with black-fruit flavors, like the Grenat of Maury, or white, amber, tawny and rosé versions.