|
 |
A few facts and events have marked the history of 'CAYRANE" and were at the very foundation of our culture and the "Cairanne Attitude".
The ancientness of the vine :
- Lambrusque: historians and archaeologists agree that wine was born in Europe and Asia 4000 years ago. The lambrusque, or wild vine, was pruned to bear Vitis Vinifera grapes. Crushed, these grapes produced a divine beverage.
Viticulture headed south, to Mesopotamia, then thanks to the Greeks and Romans, invaded the West.
- Gilgamesh and Noah: Wine entered the pages of history with Gilgamesh, a Sumerian hero who offered the "juice of the vine, red and white wine" to shipwrights of the Arc, like Noah from the Bible who planted a vine stock on his arrival on terra firma.
- Osiris and Dyonisos Egyptians called the great Osiris "lord of wine". Dionysos, Greek heir to Osiris and Bacchus, his Roman counterpart, brought this tradition to our shores at around 600 BC.
Voconces and Salyens :
- The Voconces (in the North) and the Salyens (in the South) occupied the Cairanne territory between 300 BC and the beginning of our era. These Gallic Celto-Ligurian tribes started cultivating vines at Cairanne very early on.
- The products from the Voconce vineyard soon became established in the ancient world.
Earthenware debris lining the old Roman roads bear witness to this popularity. The Viconces territory extended from Vaison-la-Romain to Die, by way of Cairanne.
- The Salyens were known for their mastery of the natural environment and their agricultural products (still marked by vestiges of oil mills). They were attentive to the cycle of seasons, venerating nature, forests and springs. Les Salyens were never far from the Viconces, from the Ouvèze to Aix en Provence (Entremont) and even the coastal region.
- Together, these ancestors passed on their passion for great wine (Voconces) and their love and respect for nature and the land (Salyens) to Cairanne winegrowers
Middle Ages and Christianity :
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Church played a pivotal role in the political and cultural formation of the Christian West. Bishops, abbeys and simple parishes owned vineyards indispensable for the production of communion wine.
The small fortified village of Cairanne first belonged to the Templars, then to the Hospitaliers and finally to the Popes.
The use of this sacred wine spread throughout all social classes.
The birth of an appellation :
The Decree of 1766 below, is proof that as early as the 18th century, the Cairannais were thinking n terms of an appellation: "Innkeepers may only sell to private individuals wine of the place, in sealed bottles. In consequence, kindly ask the Police to place the seal on said bottles, and innkeepers must justify the provenance of their wine". This wine was exported primarily by river from Roquemaure or even farther from Sète.
Phylloxera and the Renaissance :
Phyolloxera first appeared in 1864 and progressively destroyed the whole French vineyard, although leaving some sandy terrain untouched.
One Cairannais even presented his wines in 1868 at the Le Havre International Exhibition!
At the beginning of the 20th century, with the Baron Le Roy, the villagers, winegrowers for generations, struggled to revive the ravaged vineyard and enhance the quality of their wine.
Baron Pierre Le Roy Boiseaumarié, a trained lawyer and winegrower at heart, and a well-informed, determined man, successfully obtained legal recognition of the "Côtes du Rhône" appellation of origin in 1937.
The roots of a cellar, a winegrowing history
1929, 3 pioneers founded the Cave de Cairanne, mandated by 120 other winegrowers to produce and promote high quality wine, indeed meriting an appellation of origin. The building was not yet completed when the cellars of a capacity of 20,000 hl received their first harvest.
1937, the frosts of 1936, which decimated olive trees in the region, accelerated the development of vine culture. Cairanne wines were recognised Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée Côtes du Rhône.
1959, the vineyard was expanded over scrubland, and mechanisation ensured the development of the Cave, that opened its first Côtes du Rhône wine tasting cellar.
1967-87, growth continued. The 81,000 ha capacity vathouse and the quality of production were rewarded with the formalisation of the Côtes du Rhônes villages appellation, accepted since 1953.
The cave expanded: sales, bottling, buried vats, new equipment, cuvées de prestige , creation of the quality club.
1998, a new vathouse designed with even greater respect for the terroir and grapes was added, for vinification with punching of the cap and délestage (rack and return).
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
