The vineyards of this sunny region are one of the largest expanses of vine growing areas in the world. Once the source of poor quality, watery wines, the Languedoc is now becoming well known as a source of both easy-to-drink, varietally labelled vin de pays and increasingly well-made appellation wines. The ones you'll find most frequently come from Fitou, Minervois, Faugeres and the Coteaux du Languedoc.
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Location
This region covers an area on the border of the Mediterranean Sea,
between the west of the Rhône and Camargue to the border
of Spain and the Pyrénées mountains. The climate
is dry, hot and sunny.
Grapes
- Red: Carignan is the traditional Languedoc-Roussillon
red, but Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cinsaut,
are
widely grown too.
- White: Roussanne, Marsanne, Chardonnay, Viognier
and Sauvignon Blanc.
Look Out For
- Full-body red wine: Corbières
and Saint Chinian
- Medium-body red wine: Costières
- Light and dry rosé:
Languedoc and Roussillon
- Dry white wine: Costières, Languedoc
and Minervois
- Sweet red wine: Banyuls, Carthagène and
Maury
- Sweet white wine: Muscat
- Sparkling white wine: Limoux
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The red wines tend to be made from a blend of grapes such as Carignan, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. They are spicy and often herb-scented, sometimes with a dry austerity as well. You'll find these flavours in the wines of Fitou, Minervois, Corbières, Faugeres, St-Chinian, Coteaux du Languedoc and Cotes du Roussillon.
The reds can be highly individual wines that are often robust and wildly herby, but show the benefits of modern freshness. They vary in style between concentrated, velvety Syrah-based wines to slightly more tannic versions that often contain a higher proportion of Grenache or Carignan. The latter are said to smell of the garrigue, the herby scrub that covers the local mountains.
The whites are fruity and round, and can contain a diverse mix of grapes. The most popular grapes are Grenache Blanc, Rolle, Marsanne and Roussanne.
Rosés tend towards the dry end of the scale and are often great value. They will often have strawberry flavours and aromas, with a hint of herbs.
The Vin de Pays d'Oc is a regional Vin de Pays from the Languedoc. It is the most important single Vin de Pays and is the prime source for France's varietal wines. They are usually juicier, more directly fruity interpretations of the red and rosé styles, whilst the white wines are ripe, nutty and aromatic.
Australian winemakers, lured by the enormous potential of the Languedoc-Roussillon vineyards, have been moving in to produce wines with typically New World upfront fruit, tempered with buttery new oak. Instead of the blends of traditional grape varieties used by the producers in the AC regions, they favour single-variety wines made from grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
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