Wines and spirits Camargue

The vine grows on the sand! Sand wines have been known and appreciated since the 14th century. This terroir produces an original wine with a subtle aroma in which the image of the sandy coast on which it was made is reflected, a barrier coastline that runs along the Gulf of Lion between Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and Cap d'Agde. The siliceous sands and limestone that make up the soil and the marine micro-climate constitute a natural environment, unique in France.

Jarras is a sandy vineyard steeped in history. This estate produces a unique wine, made from vines planted in the sands of the Camargue. It offers you soft grey wines, pale coloured wines which reveal all their finesse... It is one of the most beautiful wine estates and is home to an incredible flora and fauna. You will discover this magnificent estate during a visit on board a small train. This guided tour continues with a visit to the historic cellars and ends with a tasting of the estate's wines.

When you walk through the door, you are welcomed by the smile of Jean-Michel Guérin, a man who is passionate about his job as a wine merchant. He transports us into his world of wines and spirits, shares his knowledge with simplicity and elegance and gives us the desire to taste a good wine. Each bottle is like a poem that he describes to us with an enchanting vocabulary. We really have the feeling to travel through the vineyards of France! He will know how to find THE wine that will accompany your meal or simply sublimate your aperitif.

This estate now covers 200 hectares (a third of the surface area dedicated to grape growing in Arles!). Red, rosé and white wines, the grape varieties are diverse to say the least (chardonnay, sauvignon, merlot...). Everything to sprinkle a delicious meal. The work of the vineyards is done in the respect of the tradition, without chemical weedkiller. And the result is the height. Nice plus: a "Wine and old cars" day takes place every year on Pentecost Sunday.

Domaine du Petit-Chaumont covers 120 hectares in the Aire des Sables area, facing Lac du Ponant. In a spirit of respect for nature, Brigitte and Nathalie have opted for organic farming, obtaining the AB label in 2011. Their know-how, both in growing the vines and handling the grapes, enables them to produce wines bursting with sugar and sunshine, quality and prestige beverages, with the Nef Saint-Louis range, the Flamants series and the Prestige cuvées.

A true island of Camargue nature spread over 39 hectares, the Grand Corbière estate recently changed its name to Domaine Terres de Sable. But it is still a major sand wine production site. This mythical estate was taken over in 2019 by the Leygue family, passionate about the subject, who dreamed of owning their own estate. It is thanks to a very fertile soil, made of siliceous sands, limestone and thanks to a marine micro-climate, that the grapes can ripen in this unique natural environment in France.

Le Caveau is at the heart of the "Vin des Sables" appellation. Here, you can taste the wines of the sands, and in particular the famous gris de gris produced by the winegrowers of the Sabledoc winery (an entity born of the merger of the Sablons, Saint-Louis and du Môle wineries). The cellar also offers the chance to discover other products of the Camargue terroir: fleur de sel, rice, olive oil, Cartagène and bull sausage. A veritable temple for those wishing to learn more about Vins des Sables and, more generally, the Camargue identity!

This estate combines vineyards, wine tourism and art. This is a historic estate - there are traces of vines dating back to the 12th^century (L'Ermitage used to offer wine to pilgrims on their way to Compostela). The first winery dates back to the ^18th century. Today, the fourth generation of the Castillon family is at the helm of the estate, dedicated to producing an excellent Costières de Nîmes in three colors, biodynamic and organic, cultivated with aromatherapy. Here, love and respect for nature meet the very best in wine production.

In the land of pebbles mixed with yellow sand and red clay, the Clément estate has been producing and vinifying beautifully expressed red and rosé wines in the Costières de Nîmes appellation for four generations. Benoîte Guigon Boucoiran, who runs the family estate, has improved the quality of the wines produced by creating vintages in the manner of an expert in oenology. Each wine has more than ever a real typicity, which is not only a variation in range of a first wine. Enjoy your visit and good tasting!

Le Clos des Américains has come a long way: after being devastated by phylloxera in the ^19th century, the majority of winegrowing estates were saved by introducing more resistant American rootstocks. Le Clos des Américains takes its name from this event. Today, the wines of Bruno François and Pierre Villebrun are finely composed of syrah, grenache and cinsault. Quietude and southern charm in the midst of the vines will punctuate your visit between Nîmes, Arles and Montpellier, between the Cévennes and the Mediterranean, in the sunshine under the song of the cicadas.

The Molinier-Château Roubaud vineyards are located in the Costières de Nîmes area in Vauvert. Traditional vinification combined with the most modern techniques of oenology guarantee the wines produced on the estate a typicity and a character that make their international reputation. The domain, a family property (five generations since 1900), produces wines that are almost permanently awarded in various competitions. Come and discover the typical wines of the country to make you travel through the flavors of the South.

The Domaine du Vistre is the property of the Dupret family, winegrowers for six generations. Little by little, the family has oriented its vineyards towards qualitative grape varieties in order to create high quality wines in the heart of the Costières de Nîmes appellation. Moreover, the estate is very committed to the environment and has even been ISO 14001 certified for several years. In addition to respecting the environment, the winemakers make it a point of honour to be transparent and to make their methods and work known.

The two wineries merged in 2010 to form a single entity with 70 cooperative members. However, each of the two cellars has retained its own identity: the Vauvert cellar, which has been in existence since 1939, produces top-quality Costières, while the Gallargues cellar, which has been in existence since 1929, is more focused on Vin de Pays d'Oc. Tasting and direct sales of vins de pays, AOC Costières de Nîmes, cartagène and cocktails.

In the pretty wooden racks of this cellar, you will find a range of wines from well-known local estates, but also nectars from all over France and champagnes. Also on the premises, local products: Provencal specialities, products from the South-West and Iberian charcuterie... Note that on Friday evening, from 5:30 pm, and on Saturday morning, from 10 am, the Cave des saveurs organizes a wine tasting to highlight a domain, an appellation or even a wine region. We love it and we recommend it!

Domaine de Beaujeu is a 300-hectare winery on the banks of the Rhône. Since 1974, it has practiced organic farming and is committed to preserving the future of the region. The estate offers a perfect compromise between nature and man's work, with its vineyards, meadows and dense woods. Open all year round, the estate offers tastings and sales of wines, rice, fruit juices and local produce.

It all started with a man who was passionate about rice growing and wanted to promote the I.G.P. Camargue rice. The idea was born: why not replace the barley for beer with rice, as was already practiced for a long time in the East? For 9 years, the company Plus beau le riz has been marketing three beers (blonde, red and brown) for the three colors of rice, in nearly 300 points of sale. These beers are light, low in alcohol and thirst-quenching with specific tastes: honey for the blonde, caramel for the red and licorice for the brown.

Not far from the arena of Arles, one finds the still of the distillery of Provence. A magnificent machinery with which Thomas Bigourdan, the master of the place, produces a gin of great quality. This top-of-the-range alcohol is made from thirteen meticulously selected plants. In the composition, whose proportions are obviously kept secret, we find juniper berries, lavender, but we will not tell you more. You will have to taste it to find out.