Bottled sunshine
Imagine a region where viticulture dates back to the 7th-century BC and which currently yields fruity, spicy wines that are both easy drinking and real value for money.
That region is Roussillon in south-west France.
This is Catalan country.
Perpignan is the principal city, with the Pyrenees only a few miles to the south, which creates the border with Spain.
To date, there are few brands with the advantage that there is not a perceived supermarket price.
Rousillon is different and offers the chance to display a diverse selection and reap good profits.
Roussillon wines emerged in the Middle Ages.
Recognition under the "appellation" regulations came in 1936 with three districts designated: Banyuls, Maury and Rivesaltes.
These are termed Vins Doux Naturels, which means that spirit is added during fermentation.
The result is a deliciously sweet wine, which locally is enjoyed chilled as an aperitif.
It could accompany melon (replacing the traditional ruby Port in place of the pips) or pâté.
Try it also with blue cheese and desserts like crème brulee.
As it is fortified, a bottle promptly uncorked will last for some weeks if you can resist that long!
Yet, it is the light wines that command attention.
Some 70% of the area has achieved "appellation" status (formerly designated in many cases as VDQS) and yields have been cut to 40 hectolitres/hectare (which means 32.39 dozen bottles/acre) by comparison with the French average of 60hl/ha.
The red appellation wines are blends from at least three grape varieties.
The best are made from Syrah and Mourvedre for spice and richness with some Cinsault and Grenache.
Avoid Carignan, which gives a farmy character to wine, unless it is quite old, such as Chateau Mosse whose Carignan vines at St Colombe are over a century old, yielding a complex stylish wine that is ideal with lamb.
In the whites, try a dry Muscat as a fresh aperitif and, for main style, Marsanne and Roussanne.
These bottles accompany mackerel and other oily fish dishes.
One marketing aim of Roussillon is to show how its wines match well with food.
It could be a good idea to try a combined price for a glass of Roussillon with a particular dish, such as white Cotes du Roussillon with shellfish or Collioure a stylish red from the coast close to Spain with beef.
"The art of bottling sunshine" is the apt phrase coined by Vignerons Catalans, which is the marketing arm for 26 co-operatives.
It compared popular brands of New World wines, particularly Australian reds, and concluded that there was a high residual sugar, which presumably consumers enjoy, along with a high alcoholic content.
To fight back, they have produced several wines with funky labels suggesting an orange glow beyond the main label is the sun.
Their red Cotes du Roussillon is launched this month and shows the benefit of 10% barrel maturation in American oak.
If Roussillon is to succeed, it needs a cohesive symbol to bring recognition and some cohesion to the wines of so many individual growers.
In neighbouring Languedoc, a stylish cross is used on neck labels and capsules and is increasingly recognised in bars.
It also needs to put pressure on the French authorities to state the grape names on the main label, as with Bordeaux Blanc that can state Sauvignon, and relax the insistence on a minimum three grapes for an appellation red.
With these caveats, the region has real potential.
Buy while the wines are cheap.
As a tip, look for those that have secured the Bacchus award recognition from an international jury that the wine is the most distinguished commercially available in its appellation.
