enjoy them? I am currently sipping my way through a 1985 Rivesaltes from Arnaud de Villeneuve. Waitrose is selling for about £13.50 for a 50cl bottle which makes me think that these vin doux naturel probably offer one of the highest quality to price ratios I’ve seen in a non-discounted supermarket wine. It knocks the socks off things like the 10-year-old Warre Otima which would sell for about the same price; you’d probably have to pay for a 20-year-old tawny to get a wine of equivalent quality.The main problem with these wines, though, is that it is almost impossible to buy them in the UK. Berry’s sells three: a Banyuls and two Rivesaltes. The 1985 Arnaud de Villeneuve is the only vin doux naturel I’ve seen in a UK supermarket and most wine merchants don’t stock them at all. It’s a great shame because so many are very good and enjoyable. In addition to the aged Rivesaltes which are rather like a less-sweet tawny Port, I also enjoy the occasional basic Banyuls or Maury which are similar to ruby Ports but made with Grenache Noir so have a softer, more approachable flavour.
The other big problem with the wines of Roussillon is the dizzying quantity of appellations and styles within them. It’s probably as bad a sherry, with red and white wines, some oxidised, others not. However, as most seem not to be available, it is rather academic. Though I imagine a few weeks in the region, accompanied by a Catalonian tee-total driver would be a nice way of sorting them out in your mind...
