Mas Karolina is a very special winery in the Roussillon region of France
The Roussillon is a very special part of France filled with delicious wine and people who make their living from the vine.
Though French today, the language is Catalan and so is the culture.Though French today, the language is Catalan and so is the culture.
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During my very first night in the beautiful Roussillon region, I had the thrill of the delightful Caroline Bonville, winemaker behind Mas Karolina. The venue was the elegant four-star hotel and restaurant Villa Duflot in Perpignan.
Wines of Mas Karolina
Caroline is a beautiful woman, yet there is a fierce rugged quality about her. In many ways, she is like her wines … graceful yet full of power.
The Mas Karolina winery is located in the rugged windswept hills of the Roussillon.
Caroline is an artisanal winemaker.
At Mas Karolina, she displays a particular passion for the Carignan.At Mas Karolina, she displays a particular passion for the Carignan.
Carignan rows all over southern France and Spain, Sometimes it is produced as a single variety wine. Most often it is blended with Grenache or other typical red grapes of the Roussillon (Grenache Noir, Syrah, Mourvedre.
Caroline makes the white wines of Mas Karolina from Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc.Caroline makes the white wines of Mas Karolina from Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc. Though the climate here is boiling, the white wines are crisp, dry, and fresh.
Mas Karolina: In the Pyrenees
Mas Karolina encompasses 17 hectares and is at the foot of the Pyrenees.
The specific village is Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet. It is in Maury, one of the two key AOP regions for high quality sweet wine that first became an appellation in 1936.
Like many of the producers I will meet on this trip, Caroline loves the sweet wine tradition and makes a lovely Vin Doux Natural.
Caroline loves the sweet wine tradition and makes a lovely Vin Doux Natural.
I love this style, and would happily drink it any time of the day.
Most people think of serving this after dinner, but I think it can work with some food dishes. Many cocktail specialists are mixing this wine with tonic water to serve as an aperitif.
Though I adored Caroline’s sweet wines, it is her red wines that important because they absolutely reflect the specific terroir on which they grow, and the rather wild landscape of the Maury region.
When I think of Maury, the cover image of Maurice Sendak’s book “Where the Wild Things Are” comes to mind because it the land is always described as being so rustic and animated.
Though this YouTube Video is in the French language, if you click on it you can see Caroline being interviewed against the dramatic backdrop of her land.
In the video, she also describes the various soils such as Granite, Calcaire, and Schist (black and other colors) that give her wines such power and verve.
Because of the Tramontane wind and the elevation of her vineyards, the wine is always fresh.Because of the Tramontane wind and the elevation of her vineyards, the wine is always fresh.
Since 2007, the grapes for her top end wine L’Enverre has 70 – 70% of Carignan depending on the vintage. The grapes come a vineyard on Schist on the side of Rasiguères and other grapes from the red Marl soil in Maury.
They age these wines for a year in 500-liter pieces.
Caroline’s grandfather created the original family vineyard in Champagne, but her winemaker parents moved to Entre-Doux-Mer in 1974.
After graduating Oenology school in 1996, she worked as an assistant winemaker at Chateau Figeac (perhaps accounting for her elegant touch with her own wine) then she worked in vineyards and wineries around the world, including the USA and S. Africa.
She is an artisan winemaker feels that Roussillon is the best place to make wine that really expresses the soil.She is an artisan winemaker feels that Roussillon is the best place to make wine that really expresses the soil.
I loved the wines she poured for me, all intensely elegant with ripe concentrated fruit, power, and verve. I also love the flirty illustrations on some of her labels (click to see them here).
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If you like this article you will like:
— Dominus Estate
— Chappellet Family Winery
— Hess Collection
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About Author Marisa D’Vari
D’Vari contributes to Forbes.com, Financial Times, World of Fine Wine, Quarterly Review of Wine, Decanter Robb Report, San Francisco Chronicle, South China Morning Post, and more.
She holds the (WSET) diploma, Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Certified Wine Educator through the Society of Wine Educators … to see it all, please click on bio