When crossing Madagascar during our African tour, the excuse was definitely there to go to La Reunion, since it was just an hour’s flight away. The perfect opportunity for a brief stop in France on the other side of the world – 9,300 km from Paris – on an island which surface area doesn’t exceed one third of Corsica.

WINE IN THE HEART OF CILAOS

La Reunion is famous for it’s three Cirques : Cilaos, Mafate and Salazie. These are natural calderas with steep walls and a circular shape, formed by a volcanic depression. Exceptional places for all hiking and nature lovers. Of the three, we came for the Cilaos : there is a wine production there!

The vine arrived in La Reunion with the first settlers’ boats in 1665. Located in a tropical latitude, the vineyards are now exclusively located in Cilaos, between 600 and 1,300 meters above sea level, with no less than 51 microclimates ! The dominant climate remains hot and humid from December to March and cool and dry from April to November. Erosion, very active, requires the creation of terraces to cultivate vines on steep slopes and work is done mainly manually.

Amidst all of this, a holy curiosity remains – Isabelle :  grape variety which originated from the American species Vitis labrusca. It was the only red grape introduced to the island until 1975, when it was forbidden by law to be used for the production of wine.  Officially, it would seem that Isabelle didn’t qualify for the production of quality wine. However, it is said that if one has no right to vinify Isabelle, it is because the wine made people crazy…

Today seven grape varieties constitute the Vin de Pays de Cilaos’ appellation : Chenin blanc, Verdelho and Gros Manseng for the whites, Malbec, Pinot noir, Gamay and Syrah for the reds.

Rental car in hand, we began our ascent of the mountain. Better to be faint of heart and to have a light breakfast, wise and friendly advice to all.  The hairpin turns keep coming, all the more sinuous than the ones before.  According to the locals which we encountered on our way, there would be 400 turns before reaching Cilaos ! I thought them out in words, I stopped counting at 399.

REUNION VINEYARD : A COOPERATIVE AND A FEW IRREDUCIBLES

In the late ’80s, a dozen cilaosiens farmers started a cooperative together to develop modern viticulture, with the help of French and European subsidies. This was the creation of the Chai de Cilaos, a vineyard of 20 hectares planted with noble grape varieties, sprinkled around the Cirque.

But Reunion vineyard also consist of a handful of irreducibles made up from passionate individuals who continue to make wine for themselves; sweet wines mostly – because in La Reunion we love sugar. 

And with which variety? Isabelle of course! No label on the bottle, here they sell wine from the property, directly from the producer to the consumer. This is what we commonly name “Vin de Cilaos“. It goes hand in hand with the lenses of Cilaos, a variety of lenses planted between the rows of vines during winter, and which offers a good complement of income to the grower-farmers. Meeting with two phenomena.

Fabrice Hoarau, winemaker and owner of Domaine du Petit Vignoble, in Bras-Sec, who made wine for a few years in Alsace before returning home with his wife. He explained that there are some people like him, settled in this area. 

The job is hard and physical. “We are also affected by the vagaries of weather, and in addition we have no subsidies from the Government, because of the varieties we use”, says Fabrice. We appreciate Fabrice’ white Couderc13 and red Isabelle wines for the aperitif, in the shade of his terrace. Ice cube in the glass is permitted.

A few kilometers away, in the village of Îlet à Cordes, we met Eli Gonthier, the owner of Bon Vin de Cilaos estate, a local guy who loves his region. Eli is illiterate, but who cares. “I left school when I was 9 and it hasn’t prevented me from making wine for 40 years now”, he said, laughing. His winery produce mainly a sweet red and a sweet white (a blend of Muscat and Couderc13), plus a clementine wine, which we had the privilege of tasting in his cellar. Eli plunged the plastic pipe in a barrel, sucked briefly, brought the glasses on top… done ! Watering feet passing, it’s part of the folklore.

THE PITON DES NEIGES

We wanted to finish our journey in style. Tomorrow it was decided, we would climb  Piton des Neiges, the highest point of the Reunion island : 3070 meters. Meanwhile, tonight it was all about bivouac into the wild with BBQ fish in foil, flambéed bananas and a night spent in a hammock. The area is perfect to do so. We were facing the cliff, amidst the vegetation. In front of us there were two waterfalls. Swimming in the river that borders the camp offered us a moment of relaxation before the following day’s efforts.

Climbing the Piton des Neiges was a real physical challenge: a 1500 vertical meter climb along 8 km. No flat surface, only  a series of steps that don’t allow  you to catch your breath. We had a lunch break at Refuge de la Caverne Dufour, at 2600 meters above sea level, after 4 hours of walking. My legs did’t want to go any further. I had to resign myself to the fact that for me, it was time to descend.  Sometimes you have to listen to your body. Fortunately, all ended  well.  And Ludo, courageous always , went to the top to bring us this beautiful picture in the clouds.

One last night of rest Chez Lucette, in Cilaos, where a good bed and a wifi connexion will costed us only €14 (a smile and a welcome coffee included). We even left the day after with some passion fruit just fallen from the tree. A delight that we kept on the plane…direction :  our next adventure !

Thank you to Domaine du Petit Vignoble, Bon Vin de Cilaos and the Chai de Cilaos for their warm welcome.