Latour-de-France, small village on brown schist that once guarded the border between France and Spain, and whose name may be a suffix to the appellation Côtes du roussillon-Villages. It may have been accorded this distinction less because of the superior quality of the wine than because the name had been successfully promoted to the French wine consumer by wine merchants Nicolas, who once bought the majority of production. Grape varieties allowed are Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Lladoner Pelut. For more details, see roussillon.
