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ROUSSILLON
– BRANDS –
William Jonquères d’Oriola, owner and winemaker of the namesake estate
Boasting a potential area under vine of 25,000 hectares,
18,932 of them bearing, plus 24 main grape varieties,
Roussillon’s vineyards are eighty percent located on
hillsides, set between the sea and the mountains. “These
are the sun-filled lands where Arnaud de Villeneuve
invented fortification of wines in the 13th century. The diversity
of vineyard sites here has attracted investors such as Michel
Chapoutier, the Grier family from South Africa and Napa Valley
winemaker David Swift Phinney in Maury, which can open up
new markets for us”, explains Eric Aracil, export manager at the
Roussillon wine marketing board, CIVR.
AN HISTORIC VINEYARD WITH
A CONQUERING SPIRIT
“Our reputation stems from our long history. In the Jonquères
d’Oriola family, I represent the 27 th generation”, says William
Jonquères d’Oriola, owner of the estate in Corneilla del Vercol,
near Perpignan. He is proud to have an urban winery in the village
where he owns the impressive eponymous chateau.
The Jonquères d’Oriola family is extremely prominent in equestrian
and fencing circles and has won numerous medals, including
Olympic gold. William Jonquères d’Oriola, however, feels that in
the wine world, you have to stay low key and prove yourself. “After
working for France Boissons, a major on-trade distributor, and
AUTUMN 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 41