Frédérique Vaquer
Domaine Vaquer
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Region :
"You have to be a bon vivant to be a good winemaker". Frédérique reveals herself to you through her wines, which you need to know how to "listen to". She knows her estate like the back of her hand, and is passionate about her grapes as the wind and climate change. Her favorite cuvée: "Expression", guaranteed 100% Carignan! This straightforward, long wine with fine tannins reveals notes of stone fruit and undergrowth...
Anecdotes about the domain
Being a winegrower is a job of passion. The work never stops and it is better to practice all the trades because every detail counts. Where does my love for the wines of Roussillon come from? Here's the secret: During a New Year's Eve party at my in-laws' house in the Pyrenees-Orientales, I fell in love with old amber Rivesaltes wines, the region and the winemaking profession. To be a winemaker is to pass on to those who will open our wines, a little of our terroir, and the happiness of sharing this wine with friends. Wine is so dependent on the vintage, on the winemaker, that nothing is ever certain: one must always question oneself in order not to become numb... I recognize myself in the "Expression" 100% Carignan vintage. This wine is straightforward, long and with fine tannins, on the stone fruit or the evolution of undergrowth depending on the vintage. During my apprenticeship, I made a very nice human encounter in the person of André Brugirard. Rector of the oenologists, he was the one who accompanied my father-in-law during all his vinifications. He taught me the "positive tasting": to speak about a wine according to its qualities, its "pluses" and never its lacks... it is more difficult but so much more enriching (as for human relationships by the way!)
The domain's short story
After having wanted to launch a career as a sports teacher in Dijon, fate finally pushed me to enroll in a science degree. There I met my future husband, Bernard, who wanted to take over his father's estate in Tresserre in the Roussillon region. I then started 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). As early as 1968, Fernand's grandfather became a pioneer in the Roussillon region by being one of the first winegrowers to bottle his wine; in this region, wine was sold by the tanker.The love of wine and my husband led me to take over the Domaine. It was very exciting to work as a couple, each one bringing his brick to the common construction: Bernard in the vineyard, me in the commercial department and we both met in the cellar. After Bernard's death in 2001, we had to get up and continue the chapter we had started. My wish was to bottle the Roussanne we had just planted, it became "Esquisse". In order to differentiate us, 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. As a little anecdote, during ploughing, we found pieces of cannon balls and even bayonets! The panoramic view on the hills of Aspres is magnificent. Between garrigues and small ravines, I feel like at home.
The winemaker's pride
Domaine Vaquer is a family estate since 4 generations. It is located in the heart of the Aspres. Its clayey and stony soil gives a beautiful freshness and a great elegance to the wines. It is composed of 17 hectares of vines located at 200 meters of altitude. 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 Le Boulou.my favorite parcel is the one I grafted onto the vine; the Muscat Petit Grains located on the mamelon which has a 360° panoramic view. But it is there that I take those who want to let their heart beat to the rhythm of my terroir.we practice regular surface ploughing which allows us to bury the annual grasses and give organic matter to the soil. The culture that we practice is reasoned and I like to add reasonable and responsible, respectful of this soil which was transmitted to us by our ancestors and which will be transmitted to our children. We, the winegrowers, are the transmitters of life. In our plots, fauna and flora enjoy a preserved environment, what a pleasure to find butterflies, ladybugs, rabbits and wild boars, although the latter take a malicious pleasure in nibbling the grapes before the harvest.
Pictures of the domain
