Domaine Rouge-Bleu Grape Heaven in Provence

Their eyes connected on a train headed towards the Champagne region. Before the weekend filled with bubbles supplied by the cellars of Krug and Dom Pérignon was over, Caroline Jones a proud Australian, and French native Thomas Bertrand had uncorked a little sparkle. Their long-distance romance bloomed and the now-married couple lives between the vines at Domaine Rouge-Bleu a vineyard in the heart of Provence.

Nutmeg was more than a little curious why a couple might purchase a vineyard? Was it a coup de foudre (translates into ‘struck by lighting’ or less literally ‘love at first sight’) or was it plain folly? After all one of the bottles from the winery is called Lunatique – Caroline cleared up Nutmeg’s confusion.

It has little to do with being slightly mad, but rather a wine label with a sense of humour as the name refers to the process of monitoring the growth, harvesting the grapes and making wine from 100-year old Grenache vines following bio-dynamic principals and lunar cycles. The wine is pure, natural and just as delicious as some of its near-by competition in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Originally published on Ginger and Nutmeg

Changes In the Vines

Domaine Rouge-Bleu is a fully biodynamic vineyard. This agricultural methodology is good for the environment but requires careful oversight by the winemaker – Caroline Jones. As the vintner, she sets vigorous vineyard management standards and rejects the use of chemicals on the vines. The results of their hard work and investment in equipment (a pneumatic press, contemporary tanks, an alternate cooling system, a new pump, and barrel racks) are beginning to manifest in higher grape yields each year. Read more.