The wines of the Gard
The vineyards around Uzès belong to the Duché d'Uzès appellation, one of the youngest in France and one of the most interesting. Rosé, red, white, grown on Mediterranean limestone.
Jan-Willem & Fleur
La Valette Boutique
Sanilhac-Sagriès, 30700 Gard, France
The vineyards around Uzès belong to the Duché d'Uzès appellation, one of the youngest in France and one of the most interesting. Rosé, red, white, grown on Mediterranean limestone.
The vineyards around Uzès fall within the Duché d'Uzès AOC, granted in 2013 and one of France's youngest appellations. It makes mostly red wine, plus rosé and white, on Mediterranean limestone and garrigue soils in the Gard. Small estates mostly work by appointment, so check ahead before you drive out. The harvest, or vendanges, typically runs from late August through September; see our seasonal guide for the full picture. From La Valette Boutique, Uzès is 5 minutes away, the Pont du Gard 15 and Nîmes 30.
| Local appellation | Duché d'Uzès AOC (since 2013) |
|---|---|
| Styles | Red (the largest share), rosé and white |
| Main grapes | Grenache and Syrah (reds, rosés); Viognier and Grenache Blanc (whites) |
| Harvest | Typically late August to September |
| By car from La Valette | Uzès 5 min · Pont du Gard 15 min · Nîmes 30 min · Avignon 45 min |
| Tasting visits | Small estates: usually by appointment. Tasting rooms: set hours, check ahead |
| Drink-driving limit in France | 0.5 g/l of blood (0.2 g/l for novice drivers) |
The appellation
Duché d'Uzès gained AOC status in 2013. It makes red, rosé and white wine in communes of the Gard around Uzès, with red the largest share, on Mediterranean limestone with garrigue influence. Grenache and Syrah lead the reds and rosés (Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvèdre play supporting roles); Viognier and Grenache Blanc lead the whites. Other appellations are easy to add to a day: Costières de Nîmes lies south of Nîmes towards the Camargue; the Gard side of the Côtes du Rhône begins east of Uzès; and across the Rhône valley, Lirac and Tavel (Tavel is known for rosé) are roughly 40 to 50 minutes from La Valette, with Châteauneuf-du-Pape around an hour away. The wider Languedoc appellations lie further west, towards Montpellier.
| Appellation | Terroir & character | Notable for |
|---|---|---|
| Duché d'Uzès | Mediterranean limestone and garrigue, communes of the Gard around Uzès (AOC since 2013) | The local appellation: mostly red, plus rosé and white |
| Costières de Nîmes | South of Nîmes, towards the Camargue | Reds and rosés, beyond Nîmes (30 min from La Valette) |
| Côtes du Rhône (Gard side) | Begins east of Uzès, towards the Rhône | The southern Rhône valley starts on the doorstep |
| Lirac and Tavel | West bank of the Rhône, opposite Avignon | Tavel is known for rosé; roughly 40–50 min from La Valette |
| Châteauneuf-du-Pape | Rhône, north of Avignon | Around an hour from La Valette, so a long day trip |
The landscape
The countryside between Uzès and Nîmes is striped with vines and punctuated by olive groves. The roads are quiet, the light is southern, and in late afternoon the limestone glows the same colour as the wine. A vineyard drive here is not a planned activity. It is what happens when you take the smaller road.
Where to taste
Tasting rooms differ a lot. Some keep set hours; small family estates often work by appointment. Phone or email before you drive out, and treat any hours you find online as a guide only. Three places we can name: the Caveau du Pont du Gard on the route d'Uzès in Vers-Pont-du-Gard, a wine shop and tasting room about 15 minutes from La Valette (its listed hours are Monday to Saturday with a lunch break, closed Sundays, but check ahead); Domaine Natura in Saint-Laurent-la-Vernède, about 12 km north of Uzès on the road through the pottery village of Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie, a young estate of around twenty hectares in the Duché d'Uzès appellation that describes itself as moving towards organic farming; and the Cave des Vignerons d'Estézargues, which the Uzès tourist office lists among local producers. For a wider choice, the tourist office (uzes-pontdugard.com) lists producers, and the appellation's own site, vinsducheduzes.com, publishes a map of member estates. For wine by the glass in town, our restaurant guide covers Uzès's wine bars. Tavel, the village whose appellation allows rosé only, is 29 minutes from Uzès by car (route planner): see our Tavel and Lirac guide.
The vendanges
The grape harvest typically runs from late August through September, earlier for whites and rosés and later for reds, and the exact weeks change from year to year. Estates are busiest then, so booking a visit ahead matters even more. Outside the harvest, spring to autumn all work for tasting visits. In October and early November the vine leaves turn yellow and red. Tasting-room hours are often shorter in winter, so check ahead before you drive out.
Practical
France's legal limit is 0.5 g of alcohol per litre of blood, and 0.2 g/l for novice drivers. Decide who drives before the first tasting, spit as professionals do, or split your tasting across days. Within the EU, customs guidelines treat up to 90 litres of wine for personal use as normal; if you fly, check your airline's hold-baggage rules. Some estates will arrange shipping of cases, so ask before you buy and ask about the cost. Each apartment at La Valette has two bistro chairs in the shade by its door, which is where we would open a bottle.
The vineyards around Uzès fall within the Duché d'Uzès AOC, granted in 2013 and one of the youngest appellations in France. It makes red (the largest share), rosé and white wine on Mediterranean limestone and garrigue soils. Costières de Nîmes, south of Nîmes, and the Côtes du Rhône vineyards east of Uzès are also within easy reach.
Yes. Several estates in the Duché d'Uzès appellation receive visitors, but policies vary. Small estates often work by appointment, so phone or email before you go, and check ahead for current hours rather than relying on what you find online.
For small family estates, usually yes: they may not have someone in the tasting room without notice, and a phone call or email a day or two ahead is a sensible minimum. Larger tasting rooms such as the Caveau du Pont du Gard in Vers-Pont-du-Gard publish regular opening hours, but those can change with the season, so check ahead.
In the Duché d'Uzès AOC, Grenache and Syrah are the main grapes for reds and rosés, with Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvèdre in supporting roles. Whites are led by Viognier and Grenache Blanc, with Rolle, Marsanne or Roussanne alongside. Rules are revised from time to time, so the appellation's official specification is the reference.
The vendanges typically run from late August through September, earlier for whites and rosés and later for reds. The exact weeks change with the year and the grape, and estates are busy then, so book any visit ahead.
Only if you stay under the legal limit, which is 0.5 g of alcohol per litre of blood (0.2 g/l for novice drivers). Several tastings can take you over it, so decide who drives beforehand, spit rather than swallow, or spread the tastings over several days. Uzès is 5 minutes from La Valette by car, so a short tasting day close to home is easy to plan.
Yes, within limits. Inside the EU, customs guidelines treat up to 90 litres of wine for personal use as normal. If you fly, check your airline's hold-baggage rules, and for a trip outside the EU check your own country's allowance. Some estates arrange shipping of cases, so ask before you buy and ask about the cost.
The Duché d'Uzès vineyards start around Uzès, 5 minutes from the house. Nîmes is 30 minutes and Costières de Nîmes lies beyond it. Lirac and Tavel are roughly 40 to 50 minutes away and Châteauneuf-du-Pape around an hour (route-planner estimates; Avignon is 45 minutes from the house). The Pont du Gard is 15 minutes away, which makes Vers-Pont-du-Gard an easy first stop. For the wine villages and the walks on the ridges, with Gigondas about 1h05 from Uzès (route planner), see our Dentelles and Gigondas guide. Further into the Drôme provençale, the château of Grignan and the Nyons olive market are 1h17 and 1h27 from Uzès by car (route planner): see our Grignan and Nyons guide.
Three stays in an 18th-century stone house near Uzès: La Petite Valette (sleeps 2), La Grande Valette (sleeps 4) or the whole house, La Maison (sleeps 6). Uzès is 5 minutes away, the Pont du Gard 15 and Nîmes 30. Book direct, with no platform fees.
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