A rural red .. or two – wine is beautiful at night

At an open-air market in Paris, a small organic wine company had a litte stall. Les Belles de Nuit (The Beautiful at Night) is a small family estate of four hectares located in the Haut Languedoc in France, on a hillside surrounded by lavender, and herbs of thyme, and rosemary.

Les Belles de Nuit is a perennial Peruvian plant, which is also known as the Marvel of Peru or the Four O'Clock Flower. The flowers open from dusk into the evening - from four o'clock to eight o'clock).

Les Belles de Nuit grows Grenache, Aramon and Carignan red grapes, as well as forgotten varieties, such as Terret Noir, Aspiran, Oeillade, and Teinturier.

It produces three yearly vintages: Vintage Songe, Vintage Grenade, and Vintage Ciste. I bought two to try – Vintage Songe and Vintage Ciste.

Vintage Songe is a fruity red wine aged for 18 months in old oak casks – with red berries and vanilla spice.

Vintage Grenade is red wine aged in a stainless steel tank – with a fruity character.

Vintage Ciste is a slightly sparkling red wine aged in a tank without added sulphites – its flavours include red berries and aromas of flowers.

MARTINA NICOLLS

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MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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