Côtes du Roussillon covers the dry wines of the French Catalan country, in the plain and foothills behind Perpignan, and was recognised in 1977. The vineyards sit on granite, schist, limestone and old river terraces, among the driest conditions in France, with the tramontane blowing down from the Corbières and scouring the vines for weeks at a time.

For most of its history Roussillon made fortified wine, and the dry appellation was carved out of a vineyard planted for Rivesaltes. That inheritance is its advantage: a great deal of old Carignan, grown as bush vines at very low yields, which gives dark, firm reds when it is handled well. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre are blended with it, and the whites come from Grenache Gris and Blanc, Macabeu and Roussanne. The separate Côtes du Roussillon Villages designation applies to reds from the northern communes in the Agly valley.