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“We are in the south, not the southwest of France,” explained Michel Riouspeyrous, owner and winemaker of Domaine Arretxea as he gazed out at the surrounding peaks some 3,000 feet (1,000 meters) high. ‘The climate here is impacted by the mountains, and also the Atlantic Ocean which is 50 kilometers away [30 miles] a way. There is rain, humidity and cold mountain chill here, and not much alcohol in the wines.

Michel had driven us from his home to the top of a nearby hill to visit the remains of an old stone priory as well as to admire the surrounding peaks. It pointed to steep hillside vineyards through a deep sloping valley with century-old white vines. The rain fell. Water from the puddles seeped through our shoes. Michel remained oblivious to these normal working conditions.

“It’s a small region with an incredible history, and it’s my life project. I planted eight hectares [20 acres] and now with my two sons and others we work on 12 hectares [30 acres]. It’s hard physical work here in the mountains. There are many risks, including perhaps death from a tractor accident. But a bottle of wine brings a lot of life: history, terroir, types of work, ecosystems, complexity.

The peaks of the Pyrenees that surround this wine-growing valley provide shelter from both oceanic and northern winds. They also create a warm slope foehn October winds which accelerate the ripening of the grapes. Rainfall averages 70 inches (1,800 millimetres) per year, more than double that which falls on Bordeaux further north.

Agricultural production in the Irouléguy region is centered on sheep and ewe cheeses, as well as pastoral cattle. There are also about a hundred winegrowers supplying a cooperative cellar, as well as 17 independent winegrowers. The vines are 60% on terraces and 60% organic. Some slopes are so steep that the phrase “heroic appellation” applies because these vines are a cheeky challenge to harvest by hand. One million bottles are produced here every year, making this wine low yielding, high priced and sold in a niche market, which aligns with other local Basque food products that sell on reputation: Ossau-Iraty cheese, Espelette pepper pepper, Itxassou cherries cherries and Basque pork pigs. Similar to the equally mountainous Jura region of France, Irouléguy is renowned for its cheese and wine appellations.

The Arretxea Estate produces organic and biodynamic wines. Michel does not use any chemical fertilizers, herbicides or insecticides. Its vines are surrounded by dozens of plant species that reduce erosion, aerate the soil and fix trace elements. The rain and humidity here make the grass as green as any Irish pasture, forcing winemakers to mow their plots perhaps half a dozen times a year.

Irouléguy is located in French Basque territory, with its own language and cultural traditions independent of those of France or Spain. The region of Irouléguy is also known as “lower Navarre” and is in a former land of tanneries, pig farms and wool processing factories. This land between the communes of Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port includes the Nive, the Iraty forest and sloping hills often covered in morning mist.

The old town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, first built in the 7and century – received a 12and metamorphosis of the century by Sancho the Strong—King of the Empire of Navarre. The town features red-shuttered windows and carved wooden balconies and is surrounded by sheep pastures and sturdy white-painted stone farmhouses. Ten minutes by car from Spain and forty minutes from the city of Bayonne, this city which was once a garrison is still a stopover on the route of pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. For centuries it has been a market town and a crossroads of commerce: at the covered Monday market, smiling bearded vendors in woolen hats sell coated potatoes and magnificent beige-coloured loaves of bread, but look on with disbelief the strangers – little seen since the virus hit. The pink sandstone Church of Our Lady of Bout-du-Pont was built to commemorate the victory over the Moors at Las Navas de Tolosa in the year 1212, and its entry point, the Porte de Navarre, was once a toll point for those entering the market.

Today, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port brims with youth like a ski town, with eclectic, off-the-grid libertarian attitudes mixing with more conservative mindsets, perhaps remnants of past centuries of the Kingdom of Navarre . Here, practicality meets decor. The shoes, in teal and peach colors, are chic but practical; mountain shirt styles include lumberjack plaid and hoodies are ubiquitous. Young buff men with misshapen haircuts and half-grown beards woo young women who strut around in heavy black designer boots, their athletic frames wrapped under large, flamboyant scarves. Here, the courtship invariably revolves around food, especially desserts such as small Basque cakes or meringue tarts.

Cultural complexity permeates these rugged hills. Even simple bars serve wine in quality stemmed glasses and basic ‘tapas’ may include Casserole of king prawns (shrimp potpourri) and cod accras (Caribbean donuts). Bartenders in black face masks and white platform shoes squirt streams of amber beer past walls covered in photos of rugby teams.

Michel explained that the Irouleguy wine region stretches for 10 kilometers along an open valley which is protected and includes a rainy and humid microclimate suitable for growing vines. The varied local geology includes some 40 different soil types, including calcareous clay, shale, amplite and sandstone.

He planted his first vines in 1993, and immediately used organic techniques. The first days were difficult.

“Iroulèguy had a bad reputation. The banks did not give money to the winegrowers; the restaurants didn’t want our wines, and the locals didn’t know about organic farming – so they were prejudiced against it. It was my difficult period. Then Kermit Lynch from San Francisco visited us in 1995 and started working with us. Belgians too, who were curious, started to buy our wines. A two Michelin star chef from the city of Bayonne tasted our white wines blind and was impressed. Before that, only Jurançon wines from this mountain region were known.

The white wines of Irouléguy are made from three grape varieties: Gros Manseng (lively and citric), Petit Manseng (broad and aromatic) and Petit Courbu (providing minerality), while the red wines are made from Tannat ( giving color and tannic structure) and both Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon (with suppleness, aromas and complexity). Gros Manseng and Tannat both have a reputation for pairing well with food, and the regional cuisine won’t disappoint: Irouléguy is a land of truffle pasta, Landes duck and hot charcuterie platters.

The white wines are particularly impressive with flinty aromas, crackling acidity and flavors that are both tropical and creamy. Many reds have earthy, vegetal aromas and flavors of minestrone and plum. These are wines that accompany food: garlic and seafood for the whites, and hearty stews for the reds.

As a winemaker, Michel remains aware of the forces he cannot control. “The big boss above brings rain, hail and frost.”

He also respects dedication to the work he loves.

‘For nearly thirty years, I have been patient over time, working on quality, working on ecology and the terroir. You have to be humble, patient, focused. It’s also important to love your work.