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Saint-Paul cherishes its living memory of fields formerly swathed in beautiful wines. Trade exchanges between the Greeks established in Antibes and the Ligurians settled in Saint-Paul go some way to explaining why wines were planted in Saint-Paul as early as the 6th century before our era. The Romans furthered the development of wineyards in the 5th century and in the 9th century Christianity proved to be a cultural motor. Medicine played no small role in the expansion of the wineyards, attributing curative properties to wine By the end of the Middle Ages, a substantial part of local land was covered in wines. Winegrowers had all they needed to produce wine: a vat, a press, barrels and utensils. Grape treading was pretty much the same then as it is today. In the 16th century, a prosperous period, celebrations were held to mark the feast of Saint Vincent, patron saint of winegrowers. In 1538 and 1700, François 1er and Vauban respectively visited Saint-Paul and sampled the delicate local wines served at table.
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In the 18th century, production really took off and vineyards sprawled across more than 600 acres of land. They fuelled a flourishing trade that even involved expeditions to Nice and Antibes. In 1990, the municipality awarded a lease on land in the commune reserved for winegrowing to an association. Responsible for running the vineyards, the association planted Mourvèdre, Braquet and Clairette grape varieties. By 1998, a good twenty producers had gained reputations for the quality of their wine and their care of the land, vines and harvest, not to mention the wine making and ageing processes and the upkeep of their barrels.
Grape varieties for white wine:
Grape varieties for red wine:
The most recent varieties :
Non-classified varieties:
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Mr Giraudo |
La petite Cave de Saint-Paul |
saint paul on the french riviera in south france-wine wineyard
