Muscat de Frontignan is an appellation for the vins doux naturels of Frontignan, a town on the Mediterranean coast in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. As the name suggests, these wines are made from one of the many varieties of Muscat grapes – in this case, Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains.
Frontignan has long been famous for its high-quality Muscat wines, which were popular with such diverse figures as the French philosopher Voltaire and US President Thomas Jefferson. The wine was mentioned in Thomas Shadwell's comedy of 1680 'The Woman-Captain'. In the play's opening scene, the wealthy epicurean Sir Humphrey rejects the 'Burdeaux' wine offered by his steward 'Porters and carriers shall drink that; I'll have Vin d'Aye and Frontignac'.
Despite their grand history, Muscat de Frontignan wines slumped in popularity last century as consumers developed a preference for lighter sweet styles such as Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise. In response, Muscat de Frontignan wines gradually became lighter and fresher, although some of the heavier styles are still made today.
In common with the other Languedoc Muscats (Muscat de Lunel, Muscat de Mireval and Muscat de Saint-Jean-de-Minervois), Frontignan wines are made from Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains, which is considered to be the finest of the Muscat grapes.
The Muscat de Frontignan vineyards are only a few hundred feet from the beaches of France's south coast (in a similar environment to that of Banyuls) and the climate is Mediterranean. Most Muscat varieties require a hot climate to ripen, so the high summer temperatures here are ideal.
As is the case with many southern French wines, production of Muscat de Frontignan is dominated by a small number of co-operatives.
