Private company

Sieur d'Arques

Logo: Organisation website, Non-free logo, via Wikipedia³

French winemaking cooperative founded in 1946¹

Sieur d'Arques is a wine producer cooperative located in Limoux in the Languedoc-Roussillon area of France. It produces the Red Bicyclette brand of wine, marketed in the United States by E & J Gallo Winery. In 2012, Pierre Mirc retired as chairman of Sieur d'Arques.² Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1946Founded¹

HeadquartersLimoux¹
Websitewww.sieurdarques.com

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The story

In 1531, Benedictine monks in the Abbaye de Saint-Hilaire (a neighbouring commune of Limoux) noticed that bubbles had appeared in fermenting wine.

From Wikipedia’s article on Sieur d'Arques, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.⁴

Controversies and legal

Passing-off controversy

Sieur d'Arques were prosecuted in 2010 for passing off wines blended from other grape varieties as pinot noir in order to charge higher prices to E. & J. Gallo, for whom this was their most popular variety. The amount of imitation pinot noir sold in this way exceeded the production of the Languedoc region and this scandal was said to have damaged the region's reputation. The defendants were convicted. Jail sentences were given but suspended and fines of up to €180,000 were levied.

From Wikipedia’s article on Sieur d'Arques, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.⁴

Timeline

1946Founded Founded¹

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataSieur d'Arques on Wikidata
2
WikipediaSieur d'Arques on Wikipedia
3
Wikimedia CommonsSieur d'Arques logo by Organisation website, Non-free logo
4
WikipediaSieur d'Arques on Wikipedia (revision used)
5
Wikimedia CommonsSieur d'Arques photo by Sieurdarques, CC BY-SA 4.0