Roquemaure, Gard

Roquemaure
Roquemaure
Administration
Country	France
Region	Languedoc-Roussillon
Department	Gard
Arrondissement	Nîmes
Canton	Roquemaure
Intercommunality	Côte du Rhône Gardoise
Mayor	Roger Qeyranne (2010–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	20–176 m (66–577 ft) (avg. 25 m or 82 ft)
Land area1	26.22 km2 (10.12 sq mi)
Population2	5,238  (2008)
- Density	200 /km2 (520 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	30221/ 30150
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Roquemaure is a commune in the department of Gard in southern France. The small town is a centre of local wine production, especially of Lirac AOC, and is located on the right bank of the Rhone. The city Avignon is nearby.

History

Roquemaure was one of Hannibal's stops on his historic journey to Rome. During the medieval era, Roquemaure, which is located on the Rhône River, was an important wine-shipping port.

In 1868 the relics of St. Valentine arrived after being purchased from Rome by Maximilian Richard, a local dignitary as it was believed that the relics would protect the vines from phylloxera which ravaged the vineyards in 1866. The relics are kept in the 14th century collegiate church.

Population

Historical population of Roquemaure, Gard

Year	1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851	1856
Population	3300	3506	3539	3759	4138	4388	4471	4507	3795	3704

Year	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896	1901	1906
Population	3649	3543	3211	3008	2860	2666	2461	2391	2304	2221

Year	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954	1962	1968	1975
Population	2219	1963	1996	2052	2118	2109	2138	2925	3411	3646

Year	1982	1990	1999	2008
Population	4053	4647	4848	5238

Wine

Roquemaure introduced commercial protection of its wine, the famous Côtes du Rhône AOC, by stamping 'CDR' on the barrels. The accompanying rules became the basis of the regulations for today's AOC - appellation d'origine contrôlée.

Phylloxera

Roquemaure is believed to be the site where phylloxera was first introduced to France. In 1862 wine merchant Mr. Borty received a case containing rooted American vines from a New York vine-grower, Mr. Carle. This case contained native American grapevines, including 'Clinton', 'Post-Oak', and 'Emily'. Mr. Borty, planted these American vines in ten rows within his walled garden at 21 rue Longue (Renamed rue Placide Cappeau). The following summer in a vineyard at the nearby village of Pujaut, a number of vines began to die. By 1864 Botry's own Grenache and Alicante vines were showing symptoms of phylloxera infection. All the vines in the neighbouring village of Pujaut were either dead or dying by 1865 and the initial infection had spread to the towns of Orange and St-Rémy. By the end of 1868 the whole of the lower Rhône Valley was infected and by 1894 phylloxera had spread across most of France.

Events

Roquemaure hosts the annual St Valentine La Fête du Baiser ("Festival of the Kiss"), a kissing festival which began in 1989 and attracts over 20,000 people. The town is known as "La Capitale des Amoureux", or "The Capital of Lovers". The town operates a winery named after Saint Valentine (Cave Saint Valentine), as well as a specialty post office that seals envelopes with a kiss.

See also

• Communes of the Gard department

References

• INSEE

External links

• Town council website (in French)
• Tourist office website
• Webpage about Roquemaure