Cave Saint-Marc

The story of the Saint-Marc winery starts in 1928 with the creation of winegrowers cooperative in Caromb. The enterprise brought together around 100 winemakers from the foothills of Mount Ventoux in the Vaucluse department. Today that number has grown to more than 300.

The wines fall under the Ventoux appellation. While Mount Ventoux is famous as a stage of the Tour de France, it is also celebrated for its wines. The terroir is as varied as the members of the cooperative. Within the appellation, there is mostly hard clay-limestone soil, but also screen and ancient alluvium with smooth stones. The vineyards benefit from abundant sunshine.

The output comprises reds, whites, and rosés. Red grape varieties here are Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Merlot.  There is also Caladoc, a cross between Malbec and Grenache. The white varieties they grow are Grenache Blanc, Vermentino, Bourboulenc, Viognier, Muscat, Chardonnay, and Roussanne. There is also Clairette, a white grape commonly grown in Provence and the Languedoc which has been in decline recently.

Key features of Saint-Marc wine production are careful selection of grapes from small plots and strictly limited vintages. While it employs traditional methods in the vineyards, it’s a different matter in the winery. There, new technology is playing an increasing role. This includes vinification in thermo-regulated vats and flash release which shortens the fermentation duration.

The winery produces around 30,000 hectolitres of wine annually. Of this, around 60 percent is red wine, 35 percent rosé and 5 percent white.

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