Cave de Tain

Located between Valence and Lyon, Cave de Tain lies at the foot of the Hermitage hillside. At the heart of the historic northern Rhône vineyards, the Cave produces and markets 5 “cru” wines and single varietal Vins de Pays from over 1000 hectares of vines (appellations Hermitage, Crozes Hermitage, Saint Joseph, Cornas and Saint Peray), making it the leading producer of “cru” wines in the northern Rhône Valley.

On the left bank of the Rhône river, the Hermitage hillside towers above the Crozes Hermitage appellation. On the right bank, from north to south, the vineyards of Saint Joseph, Cornas and Saint Péray cling to steep terraces. It is here, on granite and alluvial soils, resulting from a complex geological evolution offering amazingdiversity, and at their most northern cultural limit, that our grape varietals are at their best – Syrah for red wines, Marsanne for white wines. The Cave de Tain owns domaines in the appellations Crozes Hermitage, Cornas, Saint Péray and notably21 hectares in the prestigious Hermitage appellation. 

A team of 9 vineyard workers tend the Cave de Tain domaines. The Cave de Tain supports replanting projects, using ancient skills passed down by local growers, including traditional trellising on stakes and terraces help up by hand-built stone walls. Its contribution to the preservation of viticultural heritage is an integral part of its dedication to Sustainable Development.

Fully automated reception area, enabling rigorous fruit selection and high quality, speedy handling of the freshly picked grapes.  The information technology, linked into a GPS map of the vineyards, ensures perfect tracability.

Stainless steel tanks, with integrated temperature control and assisted de-vatting.
“Pigeage” robots, respecting longstanding traditions, but ensuring optimal extraction.

Small, concrete tanks, to limit heat transfer and facilitate wine clarification.

Oak tanks, with a capacity of 120 and 150 hl, for traditional ageing.

2000 French oak barrels are used to age wines with full-bodied tannic structure for laying down.

Launched in 2002, the Vineyard Work Book, now computerised, is used to record and monitor the various operations in the vineyard plots; the objective is to ensure optimal fruit quality. The GPS vineyard mapping system was implemented in 2007. Essential for tracing the grapes back to the vineyard, it provides precious information about individual “terroirs”, the work carried out on each plot, and helps monitor the grapes themselves, from arrival at the winery through to the finished wine.