Frontignan Premier: It carries itself well!

The Frontignan Premier bottle

On the occasion of the 2009 season the Frontignan Premier chose to appear on the catwalk with a sensible makeover.  In effect, it was the ideal moment to display its charms.  What could be more natural for the prestigious brand of the “appellation d’origine contrôlée” (AOC) Muscat de Frontignan?

A centenarian beverage with a bottle whose special form is even older, the Frontignan Premier will help you discover a history and geography where the Romans had already planted their vines under the same sun and had already savoured the Muscat cepage—a white raisin of small seed, particularly sweet and delicate, capable of producing a wine with a golden robe.

Some humorously suggest that this bottle with its twisted fluting was the work of Hercules, in all likelihood upset to have only a 75cl bottle instead of a magnum!

If this witticism makes you smile, the following will surprise you.  Mr. Bernard Germain, director of the cooperative wine cellar of Frontignan, recounts its creation.  “In the beginning, the producers of Muscat used a bottle with a form coming from Bordeaux.  They are the ones who invented it.  It was very much similar to the form of Bordeaux that we know today.  Furthermore, the proximity of a leading craft glassmaker in the area of Cévennes made it easy to make.

It was the Marquis de Lur-Saluces, owner of the Chateau Yquem, who found this bottle suited for his production of Sauternes after having studied the methods of production of the sweet wines of Frontignan.  Little by little, a number of chateaus in the Bordeaux area used the form of the Frontignan bottle, until it became their unavoidable reference.

The reaction of Muscat producers was logical:  distinguish themselves anew.  Finally, a design close to the current model of twisted fluting would be chosen.  Today it expresses at once the long tradition dating back to antiquity—a historical terroir—and the uncommonness that it claims.”

To be sure, the Frontignan Premier wasn’t going to dilute these strong symbols!  The VOA worked in the spirit of and respect for the values of the product:  adding more material, more momentum and more height.  The bottle thus gains in nobility and visibility.  The lift remains sober while bringing coherence to the brand.  The label sits perfectly on the fluting, displaying a vintage style—a wink and a nod to the glorious 1930’s.

Between a new design and the million and a half bottles on the market, Frontignan Premier will at a glance distinguish itself at the head of its class....