Domaine Riberach Belesta

In the heart of Occitanie and the Pyrénées-Orientales, just 20 minutes from Perpignan, a singular building draws a silhouette at the foot of the medieval castle of ‘Bélesta de la frontière’, this is Domaine Riberach!

Between vineyards and scrub land, in a renovated former cooperative winery, our estate is the ideal spot for lovers of the slow life. Stylish, zen, refined, eco, gastro… the list of adjectives is long when it comes to describing this estate which offers a Eco-lodge hotel, a gastronomical restaurant and a winery with bistro.

In harmony with our philosophy of an ‘elegy to slowness’, the Riberach spa offers a bubble of comfort right in the heart of the hotel, pampering to lovers of well-being, body care and the slow life.

Not forgetting our ‘Nature & Progrès’ labelled organic wines… Nurtured by the Roussillon’s hot days and cool nights, which accompany slow maturity and excellent healthy fruit, Domaine Riberach wines are ambassadors of elegance.

Full flavoured, refined and generous, the wines’ names thoughtfully speak for themselves: Thèse, Antithèse, Synthèse, Hypothèse*… to be enjoyed, why not, during a wine tourism escapade.

A PLACE OF ARCHITECTURE AND STORIES
PEOPLE’S STORY
Riberach adventure starts in 2006 with the association of people and ideas around one common goal. On these terroirs of the Pyrenean foothills, 5 men commit to produce high-quality and resolutely organic wines that they want to mature here, in a place that captures the very essence of who they are.

STORY OF THE DIFFERENT AREAS
Nothing could be better than an old winery to make wine. The ancient cooperative winery of the village had been an industrial wasteland for 10 years.

Karin and Luc restored it in order to accommodate Riberach wine warehouses. The remaining area (2,000sqm) is dedicated to a luxury contemporary hotel-restaurant which is inspired by their urban culture.

Story of perspectives
Riberach is a long slender building, clinging beneath the mediaeval castle of Belesta. The natural swimming pool lies at one end of the building, reminiscent of the prow of a ship.

The building’s interior hallways and its appearance of gables dotted with portholes are just two of Riberach’s many similarities with naval architecture. An invitation to travel, to dream and to be at one with your inner self…

Story of architectures
Preserving the Eiffel’s framework of the hall of the old presses, and creating a restaurant. Opening the former wine vats looking onto the gardens, and creating rooms and suites. Hanging the lounge terrace made of metal and wood on the stones of the facades.

Using raw materials. Combining plants, minerals and organic matters. Retaining the same volumes and structuring the space blending industrial style and natural materials. All floors are full of surprises!

Story of ecolo(d)gy
As they are greatly influenced by their environmentally friendly architectural culture, Karin and Luc put their convictions into practice.

“The best energy being that which we don’t use”, they have chosen to take advantage of the technical characteristics and thermal inertia of the building, heat, cool, and produce their own domestic hot water using geothermal energy.

The 500sqm of photovoltaic panels on the roof complete the installation. The water of the natural swimming pool that has been designed like a biotope is naturally filtered by plants. It welcomes guests – young and not so young – among bamboos, frogs and dragonflies.

SLEEPING IN A CELLAR…
above the tanks
Gain height! Slate floor, coloured walls and shimmering cloths, exotic furniture, terrace or panoramic balcony, views of the garrigue and surrounding vineyards.
A characterful environment coupled with a wild imaginary world offering both comfort and luxury in the slightest details.

Great chic in an atmospheric place
On the same theme, you can choose enjoying reading on the sofa or in your bath. 36sqm of pure relaxation made by Riberach!

in the tanks
Oak parquet floor and pebbles, soft whitewashed walls, midnight blue suspended ceiling, silk curtain panels creating a cocoon effect, and private terrace guarantee a restful night and peaceful sleep in a “vat”.

A wonderful universe highlighting natural, pure and refined charm, and offering great comfort and luxury in the slightest details.

Soft whitewashed walls
One plus two is three. Three vats and an uncompromising design to make you change your view about concrete.

The Restaurant
At Riberach, we defend a certain idea of “Slow food” cuisine: fluid, structured and gourmet, our cuisine vibrates according to the seasons, the market and the cravings of the moment.

In a constant search for fresh products of local origin, 0 km is our motto. This terroir is discovered and appreciated in a succession of dishes with flavours that reveal themselves, respond to each other or challenge each other…

Gaining height, reinventing space, playing with the history of the premises, marrying the mineral with the organic, rediscovering the ancestral traces of wagons, planting a tree and turning a press room into a restaurant.

Outside, on the terrace in the shade of an olive tree, you will linger to taste wines from here and from abroad, in harmony with Julien’s gastronomical poetry…

THE KITCHEN CHEF
Julien Montassié trained under Michel Troisgros, Gilles Goujon and Laurent Lemal took over the kettles of the restaurant « La Coopérative Riberach » in January 2020.

Previously Head Chef at Host and Vinum, he was also Laurent Lemal’s right-hand man for three years in the kitchens of the Domaine Riberach. For Julien, it’s a real return to the roots, literally and figuratively!

Combining technique and simplicity, accuracy and precision, modernity and tradition, Contemplating nature, exploring it, understanding it. Rediscovering the meaning of the product, working it, respecting it, magnifying it, while making sure you never lose the notion of sharing!

In this terroir where he draws his roots, he is inspired by the women and men who work it with humanity and minimalism. Between land and sea, in this sun-drenched and partly unspoiled natural environment, Julien reinvents a sensory game of forgotten flavours, combining the expected with the improbable.

A succession of impressionist paintings animated with vegetal touches, a return to the origins on the tracks of the snail.

EVENTS
With its contemporary design and bucolic setting, Domaine Riberach is the ideal venue for the organisation of your receptions.

Whether for family gatherings, weddings, christenings, private or Holy Communions, wedding anniversaries, stag and hen parties, or other events, Riberach is certainly one of the top venues in the Pyrenees-Orientales.

UNIQUE VENUE
Perfectly organised services, assistance, welcome, comfort, quality of products and remarkable architecture make for the ideal venue situated less than 25 minutes from Perpignan.

From the dining area of “La Coopérative” restaurant and its lounge terrace providing panoramic views, which can be entirely reserved for your exclusive function (50 seated or 80 standing for buffet option), to our 60sqm and 240sqm function rooms accommodating up to 100 seated guests (or 200 for buffet option)… we have the perfect function space for your gathering.

With its picture windows offering fabulous views of the Mediterranean gardens, covered terrace looking like a ballroom, our function spaces are flexible, versatile and can be arranged to accommodate your requirements.

LIVING AREAS
In high season, the restaurant offers its lounge terrace whether for a meal, a drink or a gourmet coffee/tea with your partner, friends or family, or alone with a book!

The garden planted with Mediterranean species spreads out over terraced grounds, and slopes down to the village stream, thus providing both a haven of peace and a regenerating pleasure. The environmentally responsible approach of the architects – Karin and Luc – was influenced by their Germanic culture.

So the use of rainwater and drainage system for garden watering is essential, and the traditional swimming-pool at Riberach is a natural pool (known as “biotope”). The technical yet attractive biotope is divided into three parts and includes one paddling pool for small children.

Two pools use plants to filter the pool water. The natural pool ensures pure enjoyment with its abundance of flora and fauna. You have the feeling that your skin is soft and silky (sunscreen prohibited), the gentle lapping of water helps calm your senses down, and the planet says thank you.

Recreational areas are available… From the pétanque strip to the children’s play area, our Domaine has something for everyone to enjoy.

The Winery
Wine is a way to promote culture, stimulate exchanges and favour encounters. Reflecting this diversity, we invite you to share our production – a work of art in 5 acts based on the themes of Thèse (Thesis), Antithèse (Antithesis), Synthèse (Synthesis) and Hypothèse (Hypothesis).

In 2006, the group formed by combining the talents of all, and founded Domaine Riberach. This fusion of competences and ideas resulting from different backgrounds has, over the last ten years, enabled to broaden one’s experience when in contact with others’ experience.

What is true for human beings is also true for wines, and this “multicultural” blending can be savoured in a glass today. RIBERACH is first of all the result of the meeting between Jean Michel Mailloles, Patrick Rodrigues, Moritz Herzog and Luc Richard, and very recently, Guilhem Soulignac.

HISTORY
In the name of the sky, land and men who work it!

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN VINEYARDS MEANT EVERYTHING!
At that time, men and women gathered, and shared their strength and courage. They shaped the mountain and built terraces on the slopes. The land was cleared, turned over and planted with vines, and they hoped that nature would be generous. And then they built a winery, their winery, a winery just like them…

Through sheer hard work, they piled up stones and built cyclopean walls… Just within the limits of balance. And when they had finished, they thought it was well done and they signed. As if they wanted to defy adversity, like a cry for universality, they did it. A world map, two intertwined hands and a maxim for eternity:

“All for One, One for All”. This would be their future! Much time has gone by since then… From successes to failures, from great victories to lost illusions, it is not so much that nature has changed but humankind has evolved. Evolution! Here is the keyword that rules mankind’s world.

Nearly 80 years later (in fact, a man’s or woman’s lifetime), what is left of this ideal, these waved flags and raised fists? Images, memories, convictions? Nature is still here. It has its own rules that reason knows nothing of, and the grapevines formerly planted for the happiness of men and women still today produce the fruits of this labour.

AIn the name of those women and men who took destiny into their own hands, showed us that daring was not an empty word, and happiness is first what we do with it, we cultivate, in our turn, this touch of fantasy… called RIBERACH!

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY
In order to maintain ecosystem processes and protect our health and yours, our wines are produced through agroecological methods from the start.

NWe selected « NATURE & PROGRÉS » label and were certified by it in 2011, which enables us to offer you an honest and consistent organic approach with reference to both the vineyards and winery.

We exclude pesticides and herbicides, and more generally all synthetic products or GMOs. Our goal is to preserve and promote existing natural balance, biodiversity in our countrysides and, finally, maintain and improve soil fertility from a more general perspective on sustainable development.

We therefore favour local grape varieties (Carignans, Grenaches, Maccabeu) using mainly massal selections. Because “wine is first made from the grapevine”, we use traditional vinification methods without technology.

Our wines are made by spontaneous fermentation using indigenous yeast flora which naturally grows in the environment. No chemical or physical amelioration to wine during winemaking process. No addition of animal/vegetal fining agent, and/or no sterile filtration. Use of sulphites is extremely limited, or even prohibited.

OUR WINES
Whatever the vintage, we strive to vinify our wines without artifice and to reveal the unique character of their mountain terroir.

THÈSE
A fine and elegant cuvée made from Black Grenache. This fresh, well-balanced wine includes notes of fresh cherries and graphite.

Accompaniments
It is excellent with delicate, savoury dishes: saddle of lamb with rosemary, Bresse poultry, fillet of doe with cranberries…

ANTITHÈSE
Aux notes florales et d’épices, cette cuvée antithèse exprime une belle fraîcheur avec un joli caractère enrobé d’une texture fine.

Accompaniments
Caractère, finesse, des notes florales qualifie cette cuvée et se marie à merveille avec un quasi de veau rôti, filet de bœuf aux cèpes, daube de bœuf, gigot d’agneau aux herbes…

SYNTHÈSE
The synthesis of the different grape varieties of the estate. This cuvée is neither too light nor too robust. It offers notes of black fruits, spices and smoked notes marked by the terroir while retaining fine flavours.

Accompaniments
Due to its neither too light nor too powerful character, it is excellent to drink with a chicken liver terrine, a roasted Tirabuixo pork with herbs from the Fenouillèdes, a free-range chicken with thyme…

HYPOTHÈSE
A pure Carignan… and to think that this grape variety was unpopular… This red hypothesis matches powerful flavours, and fresh and fine notes mingled with complex character of black fruits, spices, smoky aromas on the palate… with a round finish.

Accompaniments
Everything is here! This cuvée is a perfect accompaniment to a 60-day matured rib of beef, a roasted pigeon with mushrooms, a bull meat guardiane with spices or a daube of wild boar…

FOU-THÈSE
A limited cuvée, an unexpected vinification process producing a powerful, complex wine with aromas of black fruits and spices. It is well balanced and fresh with a silky finish.

Accompaniments
This cuvée is best served with a thickly-cut beef steak with cepe mushrooms, a rack of lamb with herbs, a roasted woodcock…

ROUGE N°
The same character as for rosé No , light, fruity, gourmet and crisp on the palate. It is ideal at any time of the day!

Accompaniments
Since it is light, gourmet and cheerful, this red cuvée No is ideal with aperitif or any other meal. It is best served with a saucisson, grilled meats, a roast chicken with herbs, a pork shoulder with mustard…Convivial, simple yet delicious meals!

SYNTHÈSE GRIS
Original grape selection, a grey rosé wine which is nicely fresh and full-bodied, and offers floral and spicy aromas.

Accompaniments
Since it has character and vinosity, this grey rosé wine is ideal with convivial spicy dishes such as a paella (the authentic one!), a zarzuela or a fish tagine… Can be served during the whole meal!

SYNTHÈSE BLANC
A dry white wine with a fresh character, notes of citrus fruits, white flowers and fennel, and a saline, mineral finish… A mouthwatering wine. An easy-going wine!

Accompaniments
When young, the cuvée white Synthèse is perfect as an aperitif and with oysters, mussels à la Marinière, fish brochettes, Catalan-style anchovies, sardines Escabeche, fresh goat cheese… When older, the cuvée white Synthèse is a good match for a tuna fish carpaccio, salmon gravlax, fillet of john dory with vegetables…

HYPOTHÈSE
A rare cuvée due to its grape selection. Great dry white wine which is complex and very mineral

Accompaniments
A complex wine which is perfect with a dish including a sea bass with olive and fennel jam, turbot steak with snails, Dublin Bay prawns with chanterelles, roasted lobster, creamy land and sea risotto, highly flavoured cheeses…

PARENTHÈSE MACÉRATION
This dry white wine has a deep yellow colour, aromas of exotic fruits, a rounded structure combined with fresh character, a nice bitter finish derived from the maceration using whole bunches of grapes. Atypical and original!

Accompaniments
Thanks to its aromatic expression, structure and nice bitter finish, this cuvée is excellent with exotic, spicy meals, fish curry, marinated white meat, chicken tagine, guinea fowl with orange and honey, old Mimolette cheese…

PARENTHÈSE BULLE
This cuvée was made from a base wine, our Synthèse Blanc 2018, to which was added, during the May 2019 tirage, a proportion of juice which had been kept refrigerated since the harvest.

The sugar brought by the juice thus served as a substrate for the foaming in the bottle without increasing the alcoholic degree. The wine thus obtained was kept for 9 months on laths before the first disgorging.

Accompaniments
From aperitif to dessert, the fine bubbles will refresh your taste buds.

SEMINARS & CONVENTIONS
At the heart of the vineyard…
Our sales department is at your disposal to plan corporate seminars, festive and professional evening parties, weddings, meetings, receptions and cocktails in Domaine de Riberach.

Depending on your needs and/or your customers’ needs, we can provide our seminar rooms ranging from 60sqm to 240sqm, together with state-of-the-art equipment and logistics to make your meetings from 5 to 120 persons a success.

…expertise and support
We can also offer our expertise and assistance to help you create high-standard comprehensive seminar programmes. Dense yet stress-free, and providing a good overview, these seminars, whose duration is two or three days, evaluate the situation of a sector, analyse the new trends, and are the reference in the main areas of the enterprise.

Educational contents and approaches have been developed with the support provided by a selection of leading professionals of the sector.

…and as an optional extra
We provide an all-inclusive programme of activities and entertainments to be carried out in our establishment or in the close proximity, between the Pyrenees and Mediterranean, and a range of selected gifts to make available to your guests and delegates.

SURROUNDING AREAS
Between Cathar Country and Catalan Region
All roads lead to Belesta… Whether you are travelling from Millas or the Agly valley, passing not far from the summit of Força Real from which you can enjoy stunning views of Roussillon

Bélesta de La Frontière watches over the Roussillon Plain. The delightful small village formerly marked the frontier between the kingdoms of France and Aragon before the annexation of Roussillon to the kingdom of France under the Treaty of the Pyrenees.

A walk around the village will allow you to discover traces of the frontier still visible thanks to boundary posts. At a height of 370 metres, Bélesta de La Frontière is a picturesque, charming village dominating the garrigue, the white, black, grey, red and ochre rock, and the vineyards.

On the hillside, facing south, the village is located in front of the majestic Mount Canigou, the emblematic mountain (2 784m) of the Eastern Pyrenees and symbol of the Catalans.

Castle-Museum of Prehistory
The medieval castle, now home to the Museum of Prehistory, dominates the village. Created following the discovery of a cave and numerous Neolithic artefacts in 1983, it retraces the history of that period.

Water tour
Whether you are looking for green tourism or want to explore local environment, you will follow the bed of the stream, admire the fauna and flora of the Fenouillèdes, listen to the music of birds singing or the chirping of cicadas.

Moli del Vent dolmen
This is a tomb made up of a burial chamber called ‘cella’. It has upright slabs and a large stone access corridor. The construction is exceptionally preserved (- 2 500 years) since it is very rare to observe an almost in place tumulus with its flat stone walling.

Boundary posts
Today they can be found at the limits of the territories of the towns of Bélesta and Ille-sur-Têt. They were used as landmarks when the system of land registration was created in the Napoleonic era.

As they were in a perfect state of preservation, they would mark the existing frontier between France and Catalonia between 1258 (Treaty of Corbeil) and 1659 (Treaty of the Pyrenees).

Orgues d’Illes/Têt
In the Têt valley, halfway between the sea and the mountain, the site offers an amazing landscape of ‘fairy chimneys’. This is a unique landscape with coloured reliefs that water has sculpted in the clay and the sand that has been torn away from the Pyrenees. A one-hour walk will lead you inside this natural masterpiece.

Perpignan and the Palace of the Kings of Majorca
In Perpignan, the Palace of the Kings of Majorca was built by the Catalan King James II of Majorca. It is among the great palaces and fortresses built in the late Middle Ages. This is a jewel of Gothic architecture in Roussillon.

The Cathar castle of Peyrepertuse
Set high on a limestone defensive crag at an altitude of nearly 800m and over the garrigue and vineyards. It is among the most beautiful examples of Cathar fortresses. It was also one of the ‘Five Sons of Carcassonne’ and an important part of French border defence.

Collioure

Collioure, the jewel of the Rocky Coast, enjoys an authentic setting and a preserved environment. At the foot of the Royal Castle, the small Catalan harbour is nestled in a sheltered rocky cove where the schistose Pyrenees meet the Mediterranean Sea.

Website: www.riberach.com

Rooms: 18

Price: from 187 EUR per night