Alain founded “Maison Alain Paret” 50 years ago. He and his friends cleared and then worked some hillsides in the heart of the Rhône Valley to breathe new life into the Syrah, Viognier and Marsanne vines used for the production of the region’s typical Saint-Joseph and Condrieu wines. Over the years, Alain Paret has fine-tuned his methods and today produces top-quality AOC and Vins de Pays wines.
The numerous French and international awards received have encouraged him to carry on his good work. At the end of the 90s, Alain Paret entered into a partnership with some wine cooperatives located in the Pays d’Oc, working with them on their vineyard parcelling and providing them with winemaking advice based on his recommended methods. Thanks to this arrangement, since the early 2000s, the Paret winery has been able to offer its customers the quality Vins de Pays wines they were seeking. Alain’s son Anthony joined his father in the business in 1999. In 2013, after a 14-year apprenticeship, Anthony took over the running of the business, continuing his father’s work with passion and respect. In 2014, Anthony paid tribute to Alain by creating a new premium wine: Côte Rôtie “l’Esprit du Père”.
Today, the vineyards extend over 27 hectares in the Northern Rhône Valley, 50 km south of Lyon. The vines grow on steep, rugged hillsides with a south/south-east exposure and schist and granite soils. This geographical location makes harvesting the grapes something of a challenge as the vines all have to be worked, and the grapes picked, by hand. Our partner vineyards in the Pays d’Oc, north of Sète, have terroirs that are similar to our historic plots in the Northern Valley.
