There are several interesting producer in Vacqueyras in the southern Rhône Valley. One of them is Domaine des Amouriers. Patrick Gras and Igor Chudzikiewicz work on 25 ha of vineyards. 10 ha is in the Vacqueyras appelation, one ha is Côtes du Rhône and the rest is Vin de Pays (or now IGP). But even the humble vin de pays is ambitious, they keep the yields down to a very reasonable 50 to 55 hl/ha.
“Our 25 ha are spread out over 34 different plots, which gives us more work but also more complexity in the wines”, explains Igor. They cultivate the vineyards more or less according to organic principles, “we use almost exclusively copper and sulphur”, says Patrick. Harvest is manual and they do very little to the must in the cellar.
The result is some very well made, fruity wines with a good acidity, a personal style and frequently a touch of ‘garrigue’ (the wild herbs growing in the region). Our favourites are Vacqueyras Signature and Vacqueyras Genestes.
