The wine-growing region The vineyard is crossed by 3 rivers -the Agly, Têt and Tech- which have moulded a landscape of terraces and hills. There are many different soils: granite-prevalent terraces or natural theatres in the Albères; clay and silt in the foothills of the Corbières or Aspres; shale in the Agly valley. Covering 10,821 hectares in 86 communes in the Pyrénées-Orientales and 9 in the Aude, Rivesaltes is the leading natural sweet wine appellation in terms of volume produced.
Muscat d’Alexandrie grapes.

Vine varieties Grenache (noir, gris or blanc) and Macabeu dominate. There may also be some Tourbat, also known as Malvoisie du Roussillon. Grenache blanc or gris, Macabeu, Malvoisie and Muscats are used for amber-coloured Rivesaltes. Muscat de Rivesaltes is made using two varieties of vine: Muscat d'Alexandrie and Muscat à petits grains.

A brief history... This appellation dates back to ancient times, having inherited its name from the town of Rivesaltes. Up to the XIIIth century, the sweet wines were obtained by allowing the grapes to become over-ripe. Since then, a procedure known as mutage is applied. The operation consists of adding wine alcohol (96°) to the grape juice. The action of the yeasts is stopped before they transform all the sugar into alcohol. The natural sweet wines (Vins Doux Naturels) thus retain some of the natural sweetness of the fruit. Rivesaltes wines obtained AOC status in 1936, and Muscats de Rivesaltes in 1956.

Vineyard in the Agly valley

		A wine waiter's tips... Red Rivesaltes, bottled young, are a deep ruby red and give off aromas of small red berries such as cherries, blackcurrants, raspberries and blackberries. Brick-coloured Rivesaltes (Rivesaltes tuilés) are red wines matured in large containers for at least 2 years. Contact with the air develops their colour, which takes on brown and orange tints. They also develop aromas of coffee, cocoa, tobacco and candied fruits (fig, prune, strawberry, quince). Amber-coloured Rivesaltes (Rivesaltes ambrés) are a beautiful dark gold or amber colour, and are set apart by their aromas of nut, almond, walnut husks, candied citrus fruits and torrefaction. The colour and taste of Muscat de Rivesaltes varies according to the wine-making method and their age. They are usually bottled early to retain the aroma of fresh fruit. These Muscats are a beautiful pale golden colour with green or pink tints. Their aromas conjure up pictures of peaches, lemons, mangoes and mint.

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