There is a certain freedom to winemaking in the south of France. The warm Mediterranean climate, the long hours of sunshine, mild winters and warm summers mean that a sizeable number of both red and white grape varieties will thrive in your vineyards.
Geographically, the Languedoc is enormous and there is plenty of scope for winemakers to make single varietal wines, blends, reds, whites, rosés and sweet wines. There is less constraint here too – many choose the freedom of using IGP (indication geographique protégée) status which means they don’t have to adhere to legislation regarding (among other things) which grapes they can grow.
Domaine Gayda embody the free spirit of the Languedoc – the cépage range comprises varietal wines that actually have the name of the grape on the label (how very modern and non- French!). They have vineyards in a wide range of locations throughout the region giving them plenty of options when it comes to blending (or not, as the case may be). It’s like having a whole store cupboard full of ingredients to cook with. The new Freestyle wines truly capture this unrestricted, liberal approach to winemaking. The red and white wines are blended from the best barrels of different grape varieties from different sites meaning that these wines truly represent the flavour and style of Gayda. The wines have reached rather heady heights in the world of celebrity too.Freestyle Blanc and Freestyle Rouge were poured at no less illustrious event than the première of the latest Bond film, Skyfall. That is one of the coolest wine stories we have ever heard – well Dench as the kids would say. The labels feature a chap falling/jumping/flying through the sky. Apparently they’re not in cahoots with Danny Boyle or the Royal Family; it’s a rather apt coincidence.
Gayda attained their organic status in 2012, just in time to coincide with the launch of the Freestyle wines. They are encouraging biodiversity in their vineyards and doing their best to get the healthiest fruit possible, which in turn means we get the tastiest wine possible. Cheers to that!
