© Wikimedia/Hien Le
Vallee du Torgan is an IGP title covering wines made in a valley in the southern hills of the Aude administrative department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. The vineyard zone is located entirely within the Fitou AOC appellation, sandwiched between the larger appellations of Cotes du Roussillon Villages and Corbieres. Red wines made from Grenache and Carignan are most commonly produced under the IGP title.
Unusually for an IGP-level appellation, Vallee du Torgan covers only two communes, Tuchan and Paziols, both located in a clearly defined mountain basin at the foot of Mont Tauch. The valley is filled with both vineyards and the characteristic garrigue scrubland that covers much of southern France, and the Torgan river flows through, lending its name to the area.
The Vallee du Torgan has a hot Mediterranean climate with long summers and short, mild winters. High sunshine hours and the poor, shallow soils are well suited to the traditional Mediterranean grape varieties that dominate the vineyards. A strong, dry wind from the north reduces disease pressure and introduces a cooling influence into the vineyards, helping to balance the development of ripeness and acidity in the grapes.
Most of the vineyards in the Vallee du Torgan produce rustic red wines under the Fitou appellation. However, since the mid-1980s there has been a separate category for white, rosé and red wines which do not comply with the rules set out by the Fitou AOC law. Since 2009, these wines have been labeled as Vallee du Torgan IGP, and before this the now-defunct Vin de Pays du Torgan denomination was used.
