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| Saint-Péray and Provence goat cheese |
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| Thursday, 17 April 2008 | |
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The most southerly of the northern Rhône vineyards, Saint-Péray lies on the west side of the river in the Ardèche (07). It is a tiny appellation, scarcely 50 hectares, yielding still and sparkling white wines. Soils are a mixture of granite, extending from neighbouring Cornas, to chalky limestone so beloved of white grapes. Only two grapes are allowed, the marsanne and roussanne. Saint-Péray AC has a small, but growing, export market. There is no saint called Péray: the name is a corruption in the local patois of Saint-Pierre-de-Ay. The village was built to provide labour and services to the Château de Beauregard, residence of the bailiff of Crussol, Claude de Lamotte. Built in 1640 it replaced his original home destroyed during the religious wars. Nearly two centuries later, in 1824, a new caviste fromthe Champagne region was employed by the château. He introduced sparkling wine made in the style developed by Dom Pérignon of Hautvillers. Since then generations of local vignerons have made sparkling wines in the ‘traditional’ method. Some 20 vintners and one co-operative make Saint-Péray wines, many of them also making AC red wine on parcels of vines in neighbouring Cornas.  Roussanne: Because it is low yielding and can be ‘irregular’ in its growth, this temperamental vine with its late bud burst, late ripening and sensitivity to oïdium and grey rot, is now playing second fiddle to the marsanne. It can give some excellent wines with flowery and honey-like aromas but with low acidity. Marsanne: A high yielding grape, but also susceptible to diseases, and low in acidity. It does not have the same depth of either aroma or taste, but modern wine technology improves the quality of its wines and it is now more widely planted than the roussanne. Saint-Péray – sparkling wines Low acidity tends to make a rather full and fat sparkling wine. The mousse is lasting in the glass and maintains its depth in the mouth. A good accompaniment to sponge cakes at teatime but not to dishes using citrus fruits. With aromas of white flowers, mainly acacia and hawthorn, the wines are fairly full-bodied, with a medium length of finish. Prices around E10. Saint-Péray – still winesWith similar aromas, fairly rounded and full, the best accompaniment is fish such as salmon and sander, but not shellfish. Prices from E7.50 to E20 a bottle. Three independent Saint-Péray producers of note: Domaine Charbaud, where Stéphane Charbaud, the sixth generation, makes excellent Saint-Péray, Cornas and Saint-Joseph (04 75 40 31 63). Cave Thiers, EARL Biguet: Jean-Louis and Françoise Thiers gained entry in 2007 into the famed ‘Guide Hachette’' for both still and sparkling Saint-Péray (04 75 40 49 44). Domaine Alain Voge: Alberic Mazoyer in Cornas, although best known for his AC Cornas red wines, produces sparkling and still Saint-Péray, and in 2008 will release for the first time a pétillant version that is 100% marsanne (04 75 40 32 04). All three producers welcome visitors but please give them a call in advance. Farmer’s goat cheese from Provence  Many small fermier fromagers only produce enough to attend one or two local markets, selling the rest at the farm gate or to local hotels and restaurants. At the market in Lorgues, I discovered a real gem. In a 17th-century farmhouse in the hills above Taradeau near Draguignan (Var), Florence and Philippe Bertin produce goat’s and cow’s milk cheeses and honey from bees which feed on pollen from local lavender and other Provençal flowers. The cows are pastured in fields near the farm but most of the 75 goats are free to roam and forage over several hundred hectares of scrubland. “Getting them in for milking can be a problem, but on arrival there is always a treat in store for the ‘boss lady goat’,” said Florence. “We make a variety of cheeses, pure goat’s milk, half goat’s and half cow’s and a little cow’s milk cheese in the summer.” Setting up in 1977, the Bertins have learned over the years to make what their customers fancy: traditional hard tomme, soft fresh goat cheeses with herbs on the inside and outside, a cindered cheese – even goat’s milk camembert and reblochon. “We have a number of British residents and visitors locally and in summer our cheeses are often totally sold out,” said Florence. The farm shop is open in the mornings only, but Florence sets her stand up in the markets of Lorgues on Tuesday, Draguignan on Saturday and Taradeau on Sunday. Florence and Philippe Bertin, Ferme de Belveset, 83460 Taradeau. 04 94 73 67 52 |
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