Listel, brand name of the Domaines Viticoles des Salins du Midi which was founded in 1856 and is based in Montpellier on France’s Mediterranean coast. In the 19th-century it began investing money made from its main business of harvesting salt by diversifying into wine, whence its name (Salins du Midi Wine Estates). The sandy soils on the coast were ideal for vines because there was no phylloxera. The company has made the Sables du Golfe du Lion a sort of appellation of its own, led by its Domaine de Villeroy, Domaine de Jarras and Domaine du Bosquet brands (Hugh Johnson: Wine Companion: 1991, p.219).
Staff: Pierre-Louis Jullien (retired 1986).
Viticulture: The vines grow in sand as an almost neutral growing medium, sea water is excluded with dykes of fresh water, the sand is fertilised and fixed with winter cereals (Hugh Johnson Wine Companion: 1991, p.219).
Other vineyards: The company also has vineyards in at Pierrefeu and Ollières in the Var in Provence which produce Côtes de Provence AOC, Coteaux Varois AOC and Maures IGP.