Jean-Francois Nicq, a native of Lille who studied geology before winemaking, helped bring natural wine to Roussillon when he founded Les Foulards Rouges in 2002. He had already spent roughly a decade vinifying with indigenous yeasts and no added sulphur at a Rhone cooperative, a genuinely unusual move at the time, and he carried that conviction south to the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Backstory
After a winemaking degree in Burgundy, where he met Thierry Puzelat and was drawn into natural wine, Nicq spent roughly a decade at the Vignerons d'Estezargues cooperative in the Gard. There he championed indigenous-yeast, no-sulphur vinification, a first for a Rhone co-op. In 2002 he moved south and set up his own domaine at Montesquieu-des-Alberes, between the Alberes hills and the Mediterranean, joining the early wave of natural growers in Roussillon alongside figures such as Bruno Duchene and Alain Castex.
The Region
Roussillon is France's hot, sun-baked southern corner, pressed against the Pyrenees and the Spanish border. Mediterranean warmth and mountain influence meet here, a setting that can easily produce heavy, high-alcohol wines. Nicq instead turns the place toward freshness and lift, using elevation, old vines, and gentle winemaking to keep his bottles light on their feet.
Vineyards & Farming
The estate covers about 18 hectares scattered across the foothills of the Pyrenees, planted on acidic gneiss and decomposed granite. Farming is organic, and some plots are plowed by horse. Old plantings feature prominently, including the centenarian, co-planted vines behind the Frida cuvee, which carry a field mix of several varieties.
Winemaking
Nicq vinifies without additives and without added sulphur, leaning on carbonic maceration for most cuvees to keep the fruit vivid and the tannins soft and approachable. The exceptions are his Grenache and Frida, which are handled differently. The wines are prized for precision, elegance, silkiness, and purity rather than southern weight.
The Wines
The range draws on southern varieties such as Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, and Macabeu. Cuvees include La Soif du Mal in red and white, Les Glaneurs, Octobre Rouge, Terre de Feu, Les Vilains from old Carignan, and Frida from the parcel of centenarian vines. Together they make the case that Roussillon can be vibrant and fresh as easily as it can be powerful.
