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Vacqueyras Wines
Meet a southern Rhône cru through red and white blends—and a producer whose concrete-cellar route challenges the assumption that cru means oak.
A little acquaintance, at a glance.
- Origin
- Vacqueyras & Sarrians
- Cru recognition
- 1990
- Colours
- Red · white · rosé
- Cellar comparison
- Concrete, wood and other choices
Place before grape
Vacqueyras is a southern Rhône cru whose vineyard area includes the communes of Vacqueyras and Sarrians. It gained its own appellation in 1990 after earlier stages within the Côtes du Rhône framework. It belongs near Gigondas on a wine map, while keeping its own identity.
The appellation makes reds, whites and rosés. Its familiar red-wine conversation begins with Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. For whites, names such as Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne, Marsanne, Bourboulenc and Viognier open a different set of possibilities. Do not copy a red blend into the white-wine description.
A concrete example of a blend
Montirius identifies its Garrigues Vacqueyras red as 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. This is a clear reminder that the presence of a famous GSM tradition nearby does not mean every wine must contain all three of those grapes.
The estate’s technical sheet hosted by the Vacqueyras caveau describes complete destemming, light crushing and fermentation with the grapes’ natural yeasts in concrete. Maturation takes place in unlined concrete over at least two winters; the sheet explicitly describes an unoaked route. Check the sheet for the bottle in hand rather than treating this account as a rule for every vintage or producer.
A cru does not require an oak flavour
The appellation name identifies origin and production requirements. The vessel is another question. Concrete can provide a different working environment from small new oak barrels, and the absence of wood does not mean an absence of maturation.
Harvest and sorting
Fruit condition and the selection of lots begin the story before fermentation.
Extraction
Destemming, crushing, time on skins and cap management influence the red wine’s structure.
Rest and finish
The maker chooses how to raise and assemble the wine before bottling. Ask for vessels and duration separately.
Remember the white wine
Montirius also describes a Vacqueyras white built around Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Bourboulenc. Its estate account traces those grapes to different parcels. A place can therefore connect both a red blend and a white blend, with quite different vineyard and cellar questions.
Garrigue names the Mediterranean scrub landscape and its aromatic plants. A tasting note comparing a wine with thyme or rosemary describes an association, not proof that herbs were put in the tank.
At the table
Try the red with a savoury vegetable stew, grilled mushrooms or slow-cooked meat. With a white, compare fish or a vegetable tart. Let the actual wine’s freshness, tannin, sweetness and texture guide the match.
The harvest photograph above was taken at the Cave de Vacqueyras. It shows a real receiving operation, rather than Montirius’s cellar or the composition of Garrigues.
A small Cork Dork discovery
Give your curiosity a little room.
Compare Montirius Garrigues with a wood-matured Vacqueyras whose technical sheet is available. Record grape proportions, destemming and maturation separately; then taste small pours with the same dish.
Your observations, your words. Small pours welcome.
A few questions worth uncorking.
Must Vacqueyras be a three-grape GSM?
No. Read the wine’s actual composition; Montirius Garrigues provides a Grenache–Syrah example.
Does cru mean new oak was used?
No. The appellation and the maturation vessel answer different questions.
Is there white Vacqueyras?
Yes. The appellation includes white and rosé as well as red.
Where shall we wander next?
Rhône Valley →Grenache / Garnacha →Syrah / Shiraz →Mourvèdre →GSM Blends →Appellations & Cru →Côtes du Rhône & Villages →Gigondas Wines →Behind this introduction
Editorial sources checked 24 October 2026. Composition, production rules and cellar practices can vary by appellation, producer and vintage. The producer’s notes are the place to check a particular bottle.
Meet the white grapes beside the red-wine story.
Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Marsanne have separate profiles. Which grapes are permitted depends on the appellation; a Rhône connection is not universal authorisation.
Meet two more white-grape ingredients.
Clairette Blanche and Bourboulenc now have individual profiles. Compare their roles in the actual wine; an appellation’s permitted palette is not a compulsory recipe.
Meet the producer behind a wine.
Montirius & the Saurel Family → connects this wine journey with family history and documented cellar choices.