Domaine Vaquer

Domaine Vaquer has been a family estate for 4 generations. It is located in the heart of Aspres. Its clayey and stony soil transmits a beautiful freshness and great elegance to the wines. It is composed of 17 hectares of vines located at an altitude of 200 metres. This balcony overlooking the Roussillon plain with the sea in the distance is located below the Pla del Rei, the site of the historic battle of 1794 known as the Boulou. My favorite plot is the one I grafted on the vine; the Muscat Petit Grains located on the nipple which has a 360° panoramic view. But this is where I take those who want to let their hearts beat to the rhythm of my terroir. We practice regular surface ploughing, which allows us to give organic matter to the soil by burying the annual grasses. The culture we practice is reasoned and I like to add reasonable and responsible, respectful of this terroir that was passed on to us by our ancestors and will be passed on to our children. We, the winegrowers, are life couriers. In our plots of land, fauna and flora enjoy a preserved environment, what a joy to find there: butterflies, ladybirds, rabbits and wild boars, although the latter take a wicked pleasure in eating the grapes before the harvest.

Our story

After having wanted to launch myself into a career as a sports teacher in Dijon, fate finally pushed me to enrol in the Deug de science program. I then met my future husband, Bernard, who wanted to take over his father's estate in Tresserre in Roussillon. I then began a training in oenology in Burgundy with him, where we acquired solid technical knowledge. In 1991, we took over the family estate (which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012). In 1968, grandfather Fernand became a pioneer in Roussillon by being one of the first winegrowers to bottle his wine; in this region, the sale was to the cistern. The love of wine and my husband led me to take over the estate. It was very exciting to work as a couple, each one bringing his brick to the common building: Bernard in the vineyard, me in the sales department and we both found ourselves in the cellar. After Bernard's death in 2001, it was necessary to get up and continue the chapter started. My wish was to bottle La Roussanne, which we had just planted, it became a "Sketch". In order to differentiate ourselves, the new appellation "Côtes du Roussillon Les Aspres" appeared on our labels in 2005. I learned to love the Aspres region and to tame the Tramontane For the anecdote, during ploughing, we found pieces of cannonballs and even bayonets! The panoramic view of the Aspres hills is magnificent. Between scrubland and small ravines, I feel at home.