Going, going, not quite gone...

However you measure rarity in terms of a grape variety, Ribeyrenc is undoubtedly among the most notable examples. If it were an animal, it would be on the critically endangered list. At the latest reckoning (and even that is no more than an educated guess), there are probably only three people growing this grape commercially in France.

Two hundred years ago, it was, with Oeillade and Picpoul, one of the staple grapes of Languedoc wine production. The devastation wrought by the phylloxera pest led to varieties like Cinsaut and Carignan being planted in huge swathes across the region and in time, Ribeyrenc was largely forgotten.

Ribeyrenc produces a gentle red wine with a bouquet of fresh red fruit and, interestingly, a definite hint of cherry. Not the fat, dark red or black cherry you might expect to associate with the aroma or flavour of a red wine but a lighter pink, perhaps like the Rainier variety.

Thierry Navarre in Roquebrun has almost single-handedly brought Ribeyrenc back to life. Spurred by family memories of this grape he scoured his land, and that of several neighbours, in search of  the elusive pieds (feet) from which he could replant. His own persistence and some technical help from INRA (France's national institute for agricultural research) now means he can produce a modest amount of this fascinating wine.

In the maddeningly complex world of grape variety nomenclature, Ribeyrenc has several synonyms, one of which - Aspiran -  is still a named variety permitted in the production of some Minervois AOP wines. Whether anyone produces wine under this name is hard to establish, but if they do, it will add no more than a trickle to this gentle stream of a reviving variety.

If you're interested in exploring this and other neglected or forgotten grape varieties in the Languedoc I offer tours for small groups (3-4 people), talking and tasting with the winemakers. Please contact me for more information.