Hello,
In the far south-west of France, where the Pyrenees tumble into the Mediterranean and the Tramontane sweeps across schist hills, lies a region that stubbornly refuses to conform. Roussillon and Languedoc – this is terrain for rebels, mavericks and people who'd rather save a vineyard than a career.
What unites these vignerons: They've renounced overripeness. Whilst others chase power and alcohol, they harvest early, work biodynamically, forgo additives. The result: wines of vibrating freshness – Mediterranean soul with Nordic precision.
Matassa: The Sulphur-Free
Tom Lubbe vinified his first vintage in 2003 in his living room. Today the New Zealander with South African roots is an icon of the natural wine scene – from Noma to Parisian bistros. No sulphur since 2015. No filtration. Macerated whites.
Brutal Orange VdF 2024
Muscat, Macabeu
Roussillon · ca. 33 €
As direct as its name. Apricot kernel meets brine, beeswax meets wild thyme. The texture? Grippy as wet suede. This isn't orange wine for beginners – this is orange wine for people who know why they drink it.
Matassa Rouge VdF 2024
Grenache, Carignan
Roussillon · ca. 36 €
Whilst others in Roussillon aim for 14% alcohol, Tom stays at 10.5%. He harvests early – sometimes picking begins in early August. Wild strawberry collides with schist dust, rosemary after rain with cool cherry. The wine flows across the palate like a mountain stream.
Roc des Anges: The Meditators
Marjorie Gallet learnt from Gérard Gauby – the father of modern Roussillon. Today she and Stéphane farm 25 hectares on schist terraces around Montner, named after a white quartz rock in their vineyards. Biodynamic, 15 hectolitres yield, 100-year-old vines.
Segna de Cor IGP 2023
Grenache, Carignan, Syrah
Roussillon · ca. 18 €
'Sign of the Heart' in Catalan – the domaine's flagship. Dark olives dance with bitter chocolate, Mediterranean herbs play around ripe blackberry. A wine for life-affirming cuisine, for barbecues with friends, for slow evenings.
1903 Carignan IGP 2022
100% Carignan
Roussillon · ca. 42 €
1903 – the planting year of the vines. Own-rooted, over 120 years old. At frighteningly low yields, a monument emerges. Ink and liquorice, dried violets and graphite. The tannins are as finely ground as schist powder, the length measured in minutes.
Majas: The Rescued
'Organic saved the vines. It saved us.' Alain Carrère was on the brink of bankruptcy when Tom Lubbe discovered his 120-year-old Carignan vines. 420 metres altitude, at the foot of the Pyrenees – the highest estate in Roussillon.
Majas Rouge IGP 2024
Grenache, Carignan
Roussillon · ca. 13 €
The wine is surprisingly light – not quite 12% alcohol, no heaviness, just pure drinking pleasure. Blackberry meets lavender, cool cherry meets garrigue. For this price there's little comparable in France.
Col de Segas Vieille Vigne IGP 2022
Grenache, Carignan
Roussillon · ca. 20 €
The highest parcel, ancient vines, a wine that shows what Roussillon is capable of. Blackcurrant weaves with thyme, schist with dark chocolate. The structure is surprisingly elegant – the altitude makes the difference.
Flo Busch: The Mosel Son in the South
'I'm from the Mosel after all, and I don't like mega-fat alcohol bombs.' Florian Busch, son of Clemens Busch, left the slate valley of his childhood to write his own story in Languedoc. Mosel genes in a Mediterranean body.
Let it Flow VdF 2024
Grenache, Syrah
Languedoc · ca. 15 €
The name says it all. Redcurrant meets garrigue herbs, silky tannins meet cool minerality. The wine flows, it runs, it makes you crave the next sip. This is exactly how a natural wine should be.
Petite Nymphe AOC 2024
Grenache, Cinsault
Languedoc · ca. 12 €
A rosé that shows what the Terrasses du Larzac can do when a Mosel native is at work. Wild strawberry and peach skin, a hint of lavender, saline freshness on the finish. Not a fat Provence rosé, but a rosé with attitude.
What unites these wines: they taste of their place, not their élevage. They favour finesse over power. And they're made by people who know when to intervene – and when not to.
All Wines from Roussillon All Wines from Languedoc
Santé and warmest wishes from Berlin,
David and the team at
Living Wines
P.S.: These wines demand the right glass. The Zalto Universal brings out the vibrating freshness of these early-harvested wines to perfection.
Questions, requests, advice? Simply reply to this email. The boss reads personally.