In the cellar with... Stephen Roberts
Let’s push the boundaries of exhilaration as we ask Stephen Roberts, winemaker and owner of Domaine Fondugues-Praduges, a few questions.
Wine accompanies the moments of our lives, from the most intimate to the most memorable. To explore this connection and introduce you to new cuvées, I interview winemakers, sommeliers, and enthusiasts about themes linked to the emotions of different occasions.
It could be the plot of a bad indie film: an American raised on GMO corn ends up making natural wine just outside Saint-Tropez, on his husband’s family estate. But Stephen Roberts is real—though with the presence of someone cast somewhere between Bruce Willis and Louis C.K.
I met him through a friend (hello Chyi) and recently spent a few luminous days zipping through his vineyards in a Jurassic Park–style cart, watching the vines bloom and talking soil between glasses. The place has a kind of quiet grace that is increasingly rare on the Riviera
At Fondugues-Pradugues, Stephen has spent over time undoing the excesses of conventional farming. He went organic, then biodynamic, brought in horses, and now—when nature allows—makes “double zero” wines: no additives, no sulfites.
He stepped away from the AOC system to work under the freer Vin de France label (VDF). He seems to make the kind of wine he likes to drink ; which is always a good sign in a winemaker. In a region obsessed with pale rosé and marketing gloss, his bottles stand apart: vibrant, assured, and yet often surprising.
First, Stephen made me enjoy rosé again, which I’d long associated only with the fillette—the oddly named 375ml bottle (literally “little girl”) my father ritually opens at every lunch. But on my last visit, I fell for a new red named Méli-Mellow 2024 : light, vibrant, and disarmingly easy to drink. I hadn’t expected to find something with the freshness of a Beaujolais out here, and was delighted to enjoy it with my salade niçoise.
Stephen has also built a clean-lined cellar under the pines. There’s a room where you can sit down to eat (very well) and have a drink, eyes on the vines, in rare stillness. Moreover, he opens L’Éphémère, a seasonal wine bar set on a food truck parked in the pine needles, where you can finally be in holidays.
For the twelfth episode of “In the cellar with…”, Stephen Roberts has taken on my wine-themed Proust questionnaire.
What do you think is the greatest virtue of wine?
I mean, it’s a cliché but it brings people together and helps them to slow down and interact directly with each other. In this sad, digital age, we need more moments to look into each others eyes and raise our glasses (but please no selfies).
…And what bigger flaw could there be?
A flaw is often a wine made by a committee or marketing team
Which cuvée for a special occasion?
For a special occasion, a beautifully aged rosé ! I love Rose-Marie from Chateau Le Puy 2020, it puts me in the mood.
…And for a non-occasion?
For a non-occasion or everyday, a light wine sparkle or Vermouth. Right now I am drinking Alone Time by Natalie at Domaine Milan, the name says it all.
Which wine for love?
If you love me bring me brut nature, preferably by Alexandre Lamblot
…And for an amicable breakup?
I have never had an amicable breakup, so I head for spirits, preferably by Laurent Cazottes, Coings sauvages or Tomates are my go-tos.
What about a wine for my father, who is convinced he doesn’t like natural wine?
He can try Equinox 2021 (shameless plug), a red wine most daddies love.
A bottle to gift someone who doesn't like wine?
Do they really deserve it?
What’s your definition of the French word ivresse, which means both exhilaration and inebriation?
Ivresse is freedom, to be silly and make beautiful mistakes
Where’s the best place on earth to taste wine?
In Paris anywhere with the people in the next question
.. And, in your opinion, who is the best companion to enjoy a glass of wine with?
Friends, particularly Chyi and Joshua in my case, but anyone who loves to explore and be challenged
Last but not least, in the world of wine, is there a particular work you would personally like to highlight?
For me the work of the enlightened caviste (wine shop owner) is the most noble in the wine world, the person who sells a personal selection of wines unapologetically and with passion.
Fondugues-Pradugues — 7677 Route des Plages Road 93, 83350 Ramatuelle — www.fondugues.fr — +33 4 94 79 09 77