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About the Rasteau AOC

Rasteau wines are the fruit of a rich and colorful terroir with many facets.
Diversity and multiplicity of identities are the strength of these wines, above all reflections of the winemakers who shape them.
Land of wines, Rasteau has pearls, fruits of nature and a recognized know-how.
Red wines and sweet wines are the name of the appellation.

A wine of history, a winemaker village

Rasteau is much more than a village of vine growers, it is a "village-winemaker".
Everything here, breathes the vine, since the discovery of the first sweet wines of Rasteau, 70 after JC, while passing by the medieval heart of the village, the thirteenth century where Rasteau was the main supplier of wine of the region, or by the chapel Our Lady of Winegrowers erected in the eighteenth century, until today, where, thanks to generations of passionate and passionate winemakers, the wines have preserved their typicity and quality.

Currently, 59 private cellars, 3 cooperative cellars and 24 trading houses make up the Rasteau appellation, which is available under two AOCs:
• Rasteau AOC (100% red): 916 hectares for 30,000 hectoliters of average annual production. The Rasteau AOC in its own name was obtained in 2010
• AOC Rasteau Natural Sweet Wine, obtained in 1944 (53% Rosé, 44% red, 3% white): 44 hectares for 996 hectoliters of average annual production.

The words of the terroir

The terroir of Rasteau is best described through some elements that give it all its originality:
• The Mistral: Legendary Mediterranean wind, it purifies and protects the vine from its natural enemies.
• The Amphitheater: The vineyard, naturally arranged in an amphitheater, is protected from the Mistral sometimes unleashed.
• Spurs: In the North, a landscape of gentle hills widens to form spurs similar to the teeth of a rake that give its name to Rasteau.
• Colors: Red, yellow, blue, ... the clays that make up the Rasteau terroir make it a rich and colorful terroir.
• The Light: In Rasteau, the mild and sunny winters rock the vineyards of one of the most beautiful lights and offer a landscape with shimmering colors: a gift for the eyes and for the heart ...
• The Mosaic: 3 levels of soils make up the Rasteau terroir. Clays, stony soils, pebbles, safre and sandy loam. The terroir of Rasteau is one of the most original and most beautiful of the region.
• 320m: The highest altitude of the Rastellain terroir.

When Rasteau inspires our artisan-cheese makers ...

Undoubtedly, these values also inspire the work of our best artisan-cheese makers.
Among them...
The Fromagerie des Vennes in Liège and Edgar Kaasbar in Ghent lent their time to an event with Belgian wine experts (Marc Vanhellemont in Liège and Kristel Balcaen in Ghent) for a tasting session to match their cheeses to different wines of the two AOC (red and sweet wine) of Rasteau.

For Marc Vanhellemont, for a successful marriage between Rasteau wines and cheeses "It takes acidity, without too much, to cross the lactic barrier, then the material to be able to exchange with the cheese.
And if the wine has a hint of beautiful bitterness, the agreement will only be better because it will combine more with the mineral cheese.
According to Marc, there is a nice variety of fruity Rasteau with velvety tannins, elegant or slightly powerful, with a hint of minerality. It would be a shame to sulk his pleasure.
"As for the Natural Sweet Wine, for amateurs, it's a bit of a panacea. The unctuousness of the cheese and the sweetness of the wine come together with a grace mingled with power.
And what a pleasure it is to finish a festive meal with a pretty tray covered with cheeses with floral or washed crusts, soft or hard pasta or marbled, well accompanied by a Rasteau Grenat or Tuilé ".

Sébastien de la Fromagerie des Vennes knows it, during evenings between friends, the moment to choose his wine to accompany the cheese platter, is often crucial: "After the beautiful reds on the main course, a trap to avoid is to continue the outbidding by rising in power and tannins. Choose a Rasteau on the fruit, greedy, see one of those who leave a sensation of velvet.
The wines are very tannic or very woody will have difficulty to express themselves beside the cheeses ".
However, according to Sébastien, natural sweet wines are not left behind and can also brighten the palate at the end of the meal: "If you want to innovate or surprise, try the experience of opening a bottle of Rasteau Vin Doux Naturel on powerful cheeses with a strong scent!
Of all the wine-cheese pairings, the one between a good blue (Stilton style) and a Rasteau Vin Doux Naturel garnet is undoubtedly my favorite.
This same wine goes so well with a Herve style cheese.
After all, this agreement is not far from the one already well known between Herve and Liège syrup! "

Marc Vanhellemont et Sébastien Luthers (La Fromagerie des Vennes)

About the Rasteau AOC