“A good vintage” to discover during the 31st edition of the Balade du Primeur in the Rhone Gard

Twenty-two cellars, estates and châteaux will welcome wine lovers the weekend of November 23 and 24 for the 31^e edition of the Balade du Primeur. “It is a highly anticipated event, celebrated with enthusiasm by wine loversunderlines Jean-François Assemat, president of the Côtes du Rhône right bank association which organizes the meeting. It is an ideal opportunity to discover our winegrowers, the richness and diversity of the wines of our region.” This year, the Gervasoni estate (in Tresques), the winegrowers of Saint-Gély (in Cornillon) and the Pelaquié estate (in Saint-Victor-la-Coste) joined the ride. “We are doing better than last year when 20 cellars and estates were represented”indicates Pierre Pappalardo, secretary of the Côtes du Rhône right bank association.

“The vintage looks good”

In Bagnols-sur-Cèze, the launch of the festivities is scheduled for Thursday, November 21 from 6:30 p.m. on Place Mallet. The winegrowers will present their new wines from the 2024 vintage. “It is the fruit of the work carried out all year round by our producers. The primeur is a young, fresh and fruity winespecifies the president. The vintage looks good.” “It’s a very tasty, light and easy to drink new wine. We have less strong wines than in previous years”announces Philippe Jouve, winemaker at Domaine de la Catherinette in Laval-Saint-Roman.

Smaller quantity but very good quality

At Château Marjolet in Gaujac,”the year was particularly painful” due to a hail storm in mid-July. “We had a small harvest. The volumes have decreased significantly compared to last year but the quality is there.” Same story on the Cèze Valley side. “The vintage suffered from mildew but we saved the furniture, explains Jérémie Castor, winegrower at Château de Saint-Nabor in Cornillon and president of the Provence Occitane tourist office. The primeur has a very good quality with slightly lower degrees.” Generally speaking, winegrowers lost quantity during the last harvests. The harvest decreased by “30 to 40% compared to last year” at the Tour Paradis estate in Aiguèze and “27% compared to the last five years” at the Castel Oualou estate in Roquemaure.

An event awaited by visitors

President Jean-François Assemat specifies that “attendance at the Balade du Primeur does not follow production curves”. Each cellar and estate expects between 1000 and 1200 people over the weekend. “People from outside the region come on purpose every year. This event marks the end of the harvest, we present our baby and we show visitors how we work”summarizes Jérémie Castor. The town hall of Bagnols-sur-Cèze, the Gard Rhone region and the Provence Occitane tourist office are partners in the event. “This walk, beyond tasting good wine, is a festive way to discover our region and our heritage”indicates Maxime Couston, the first deputy of the City of Bagnols. Last year 400 people were present for the launch on Place Mallet. The association hopes to do even better for this 31^e edition.