Languedoc-Roussillon

Languedoc-Roussillon in the south of France stretches from the Rhône valley & Provence in the east to the Spanish border in the southwest.
It is dominated by 300,000 hectares of vineyards, making it France’s largest wine producing region.
Although the region has been known to release cheap table wine in the past, many producers are working very hard the last few decades to get higher quality wines.
The two regions of Languedoc-Roussillon produce distinct styles of red wine. The Languedoc is known for fruit-forward and full-bodied wines that can also be quite complex. Roussillon produces riper and juicier blends, as well as late-harvest and fortified wines like Maury.

Mas Amiel

The 170 ha of Mas Amiel vines are located in the South of France between the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees mountains.
In 1816, a bishop bet one of his plots of land at a gaming table and lost it to Raymond Etienne Amiel. At that time, the property consisted only of 10ha of vines. Destroyed by the phylloxera in 1865, the estate was replanted with American vines and a cellar was built.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Jean Dupuy produced the first natural sweet wine branded Mas Amiel. The estate continued to expand throughout the whole century. In 1999, Olivier Decelle took over Mas Amiel and developed the property into a world-renowned benchmark.

Aosta Valley

Surrounded by Piedmont in the south and east, French Alps in the west, Swiss Valais in the north, Aosta Valley is the smallest, least populous, and least densely populated region of Italy.

The region is renowned for the quality of its local salamis and meats giving rise to specialities such as carbonada, a dish composed of stewed meat wine, onions and spices. The cheeses are equally famous.

Home to Europe’s highest elevated vineyards, Valle d’Aosta is Italy’s smallest winemaking region both in terms of size and production.

Claiming an impressive list of autochthonous varieties, the region has also many grapes from France. Not surprisingly, wine labels are often written in Italian and French.

Les Crêtes

Founded in 1989 by Costantino Charrere, Les Cretes is one of only a few private wineries in the Valle D’Aosta. The winery is located in Aymavilles.
It currently manages 25 hectares of vineyards in six villages.

It is the largest private company operating in the Aosta valley region.

Les Crêtes produces its wines in a very specific context, characterized by high mountains, sandy slopes and alpine temperatures.

The vineyards are planted in both indigenous varieties (Petite Arvine, Petit Rouge, Fumin), as well as the more traditional varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Muscat). Their Chardonnay has been awarded best white in Italy by Gambero Rosso in 2009.