Coteaux du Pont du Gard is an IGP title covering wines from an area of the Gard department of southern France. It lies at the meeting point of the Languedoc, Rhône and Provence wine regions.
As in many southern French IGPs, the wines are made up of traditional Mediterranean grape varieties like Grenache and Mourvèdre, as well as the more internationally recognized favorites Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. Though the wines produced in this part of France are typically blends, varietally labeled wines are not uncommon.
The catchment area of the IGP stretches along the western edge of the Rhône river, and also covers a significant amount of the plains to the south of Nîmes. The Coteaux du Pont Du Gard IGP jostles for space with the more famous vineyards of the Costières de Nîmes AOC appellation as well as overlapping the Lirac and Tavel appellations (and the wider, southwestern Cotes du Rhone Villages).
The denomination is named for the famous Pont du Gard aqueduct which was constructed by the Romans in the 1st Century to bring water from a spring in the mountains to Nîmes. It was around this time that the first vineyards in the region were planted, and viticulture has been a steady presence since.
Though the IGP’s delimited area is rather large, the climate is fairly uniform and can be broadly described as Mediterranean. Mild winters are followed by long, hot summers with very low rainfall.
The Mistral wind from the northwest brings cooling influences, although its collision with lighter, warmer winds from the Mediterranean can cause sudden, heavy rain storms, particularly in autumn. Well drained, sandy limestone soils help to mitigate the negative effects from this.
Florence grew up in the city of Lyon, France, but has always been surrounded by agriculture from the beginning as her grandparents were farmers. With a love for the outdoors and nature, she wanted to understand the agricultural process.
Florence studied agronomy in Montpellier, located in the Languedoc region of the south of France. Her discovery and passion for the wine world began here, and Languedoc became her home.
She went on to study oenology and she met her husband, who worked as a winemaker. After graduating, she left for an internship at Nederburg in Paarl, South Africa. She spent 6 months there, deepening her industry knowledge.
At age 22, she returned to Languedoc and found a permanent position as a winemaker in a cellar where she learned everything about running a winery.