Domaine de la Camarette to champion French wine at Shanghai fair

Domaine de la Camarette will be showcasing its exclusive Rhône Valley wines — including Côtes du Ventoux and Vins de pays de Vaucluse AOC — at the Food & Hotel China trade show in Shanghai, from 30 November to 2 December. The company's participation in this trade show, among others, is part of an export drive aimed at finding local importers and distributors.

[ClickPress, Wed Sep 06 2006] Domaine de la Camarette will be showcasing its exclusive Rhône Valley wines — including Côtes du Ventoux and Vins de pays de Vaucluse AOC — at the Food & Hotel China trade show in Shanghai, from 30 November to 2 December. The company's participation in this trade show, among others, is part of an export drive aimed at finding local importers and distributors.

The family-run domain is able to offer a wide range of vintages, since production capacity is of 2,000 hectolitres per year with three areas of land under cultivation, which lie at varying altitudes and contain different types of soil, along with a winegrowing nursery featuring 42 different grape varieties and clones.
The grape varieties authorised by the stringent Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (or AOC) regulations are planted on deep clayey-calcareous soil, which bestows on these wines their unique characteristics — the Grenache variety affords volume and fruity aromas; Carignan gives strength; Mourvedre gives colour, aromas and spices; and Cinsault provides fruity aromas and freshness. Finally, Syrah ensures structure and laying-down potential.
The Domaine produces Côtes du Ventoux AOC wines (with a production capacity of 1,200hl), which are available in two ranges — one red and one rosé; Armonia, a range of very fruity, light wines that are ready to drink and typical of the appellation; and Terroir vieilles vignes, which are red only and got a mention in the Hachette Wine Guide 2005. These more structured wines, with undergrowth and leather aromas, are laying-down wines, which improve with age.
There is also a Côtes du Ventoux AOC white wine: the estate’s white Armonia Côtes du Ventoux AOC carries aromas of white flowers and dried fruit; it is a refreshing wine that is easy to drink. It comes from four main grape varieties of the appellation — Clairette, White Grenache, Bourboulenc and Roussanne.
Alongside its Côtes du Ventoux AOC range, the Domaine de la Camarette offers a large selection of wines from red and white grape varieties in the Vins de Pays (or ‘country wines’) category, which are marketed as Vins de Pays de Vaucluse (production capacity: 800hl).
As for the red wines in the Vins de Pays range, there are two main options: they can either be 100% merlot — very expressive wines with harmonious, mellow and round tannins carrying aromas of red peppers and dark chocolate — or 100% tempranillo. The latter, made from a grape variety originally from Spain, feature light tannins and aromas of stewed red berries, defining a summertime red wine that is best enjoyed slightly chilled.
The white wines in the Vins de Pays range come in four different options. First, the 100% Viognier wines feature aromas of apricot and fresh fruit; they are perfect as an aperitif. Second, the 100% Chardonnay wines hint of bananas and exotic fruit; they are ideal to accompany fish and fresh cheeses. Third, the 100% White Grenache range (awarded the French wine-making industry’s Bronze Medal 2006) carries flowery hints; these wines are crisp and very drinkable. Finally, the 100% Muscat Petit Grain wines produced by the Domaine are dry whites: as such, they are perfect as an aperitif, as their characteristics conjure up the impression of biting into a grape.
All these grape varieties are cultivated on stony, sun-baked soils (La Figuière estate), or on clayey and silty ones, at an altitude of 350 metres (Sainte-Blaise property). These plots of land have been acquired by the domain to broaden further the scope of its production.
The Domaine de la Camarette’s products represent excellent value for money. The owners of the estate, however, have not sacrificed time-honoured quality and tradition in the process. They adhere to strict winegrowing ethics, emphasising the role of the grape in the production process by ensuring that the best grape variety/stock ratio is achieved. The Domaine’s best-practice production methods also take into account the modern consumer’s needs and requirements, such as making an extremely moderate use of sulphites, banning additives from the production process, and guaranteeing the fact that the whole output is bottled at the property.
Eager to strengthen its export position, the Domaine’s family-run business has formed an economic-interest group with two other domains that also produce wines from the Rhone Valley and that complement its own production — the Domaine des Pasquiers and the Domaine Saint-Laurent.
About the Domaine de la Camarette
The Domaine is centred on a 17th century farmstead that belonged to a local nobleman, the Marquis de Camaret, in the village of Pernes les Fontaines, which is famous for its 42 restored and working fountains. The estate was bought by the Gontier family in the 1960s. It lies at the foot of Mont Ventoux, at the gates of the former capital of the then papal State known as the Comtat Venaissin (in South-Eastern France) — a region of great scenic beauty, which attracts many tourists.
The property was initially devoted to breeding silkworms (in the 19th century), then became a clonal vine multiplication centre for the winegrowing nursery set up under the management of Pierre Gontier, who also built the winery in 1993.
The estate is currently managed by SCEA LA CAMARETTE, the company set up by its owners. The Domaine de la Camarette will be taking part in the Food & Hotel China trade fair in Shanghai (China), between 30 November and 2 December 2006. The company will also attend the Food & Hotel Vietnam trade show in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) from 27 to 29 September 2006; Prodexpo in Moscow (Russia) in February 2007; and Vinexpo Asia in Hong Kong (China) in May 2007.
For more information, go to: www.domaine-camarette.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Kate AMBLER – Press Officer
French Technology Press Bureau (FTPB)
21, Grosvenor Place
London, SW1X 7TB (United Kingdom)
Telephone: 020-7235-5330
Email: contact.ftpb@ubifrance.fr
Web site: www.infotechfrance.com/london/

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