Gerard Bertrand Rivesaltes 2002
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Gerard Bertrand was born and raised in the South of France. Making wine with his father, Georges, since the age of 10, Gerard Bertrand offers the full range and diversity of wines from the region – red, white, rose, varietal, appellation, estate, still, sparkling, and dessert.
Every wine evokes the image and emotions from the South of France; "Art de Vivre" – the "art of life." Committed to producing quality wines of great value, Gerard is hands on in every facet which bears his name… and has been fortunate to receive great accolades from World Wide press reinforcing his dedication.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
Famous for the production of fortified vins doux naturels wines, the region of Rivesaltes covers the eastern third of the Pyrénées-Orientales (overlapping with the Fitou and Minervois zones) and is France’s largest sweet wine producing area.
Rivesaltes wines cover a range of all imaginable styles defined by the varieties (mainly from the Grenache family) and the aging processes used to make them. The term, grenat, indicates the wine must be made from at least 75% Grenache Noir and aged without the presence of oxygen. Tuilé, on the other hand, means aged oxidatively and must contain a minimum of 50% Grenache Noir. Ambré wines, comprised mostly of Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Macabeo and Tourbat, with a smaller amount of Muscat, are also subject to oxidative ageing. They are deep golden-yellow and as they age, their hue deepens to orange or amber. A final, fifth category, hors d'age, is applied only to ambré and tuilé wines aged for at least five years before release.
Rivesaltes may be also vinified en blanc, that is, without any skin contact, or may be macerated for weeks to obtain maximum color, tannin and flavor. Some producers actually deliberately expose wine maturing in glass demijohns to the harsh Mediterranean sun and heat for an effect called rancio, similar to the effect of maderizing, or giving an overripe (but appealing) character.