Languedoc – Roussillon

Languedoc-Roussillon is the largest wine producing region in France. One fifth of the total area of the region is planted with vines that produce most of France’s Vins de Table and the majority of Vins de Pays (PGI). This region is also known for the high-quality sweet wines of various AOC called Vins Doux Naturel (VDN).

For many centuries, wines of Languedoc-Roussillon were used for blending to boost the profit of other wine regions.  However, the region continues to change dynamically to become a producer of high-quality wines. Recent progress and investments come from discovering the rich terroir and introducing international grape varieties, although the greatest progress has been improvement in growing and winemaking of the traditional varieties. 

Roussillon is located on the border with Spain among the low mountains of the Pyrenees. The area is characterised by its diverse terrain, soils and micro-climates. In Roussillon, with three valleys, there are alternating soils of shale, granite, sand, and limestone.  The climate is Mediterranean with warm winters and hot and dry summers. Sunlight hours average 2,500 hours and rainfall is 550mm per year.

The red wines from the AOC of Fitou, Corbières, Minervois and Saint-Chinian are usually blends made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre which has become used in many other regions around the world and known as GSM. The reliable climate cooled by breezes from the Mediterranean Sea couple with altitude from the mountains ensures grapes have a perfect combination of acidity and tannin to make great wines. White wines tend to be less complex and are often single variety with fashionable grapes such as Chardonnay, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc appearing under Pays D’Oc (PGI) labels. Smaller AOC, such as Picpoul de Pinet, are currently very fashionable with zesty white wines, made from the Picpoul grape, struggling to keep up with demand.

The broader PGI wine region of Provence spreads east from the mouth of the Rhône river to the city of Nice. This region once belonged to the regional committee of Côtes du Rhône, however, since 1989 the regions are now independent AOC.  History of wine making in this region is the oldest in France. The most popular wines of the region are rosé wines though it produces full bodied red and dry white wines too.   The fresh and fruity pink-colour wines are made mostly from Grenache with a brief period of skin contact. Over eighty per cent of the wines of Côtes de Provence, the largest A.O.C. of the region, are rosé wines.

The region of AOC Bandol, adjacent to AOC Côtes de Provence, the appellation takes its name from the fishing village, a port that once flourished with the region’s wine trade. The area has a long history of wine production and, ever since the Phylloxera epidemic in the 18th century, has focused its efforts on Mourvèdre which must account for 50% of the blend. This late-season, red grape has always been grown in the area and is well suited to the Bandol terroir. The remainder of the blend is usually Grenache and Cinsault.