Languedoc-Roussillon wines are increasingly popular lately because of the high number of appellations for high quality production.
The vineyards spread on the west of the Rhône River, from Montpellier to the Spanish border. The eastern vines are situated on a vast coastal plain between Montpellier and Béziers. Further, west, the vineyards are inlands on rugged landscapes. After the collapse of the table wine market, the number of appellations in Languedoc-Roussillon has increased but many producers decided to avoid the AOC legislation to produce IGP wines made of international varieties. Some production can be labeled Grand Vin du Languedoc or Grand Cru du Languedoc which refer to the best wines. Languedoc-Roussillon enjoys a mediterranean climate but it has a high risk of drought. For the last few decades, there is a increase of high quality wines thanks to lower yields.
Main appellations in Languedoc-Roussillon
Called in the past Coteaux du Languedoc, AOC Languedoc is a vast appellation of vineyards spreading from Gard to Pyrénées-Orientales. In the foothills, the small producers of Pic Saint-Loup make interesting elegant red wines.
AOC Minervois is situated on the slopes of the Massif Central. In its center, the appellation Minervois La Livinière produces excellent full-bodied reds with good ageing potential. The combination of mountainous sites, rocky soil and warm dry climate is optimal to make full-bodied concentrated red wines.
Corbières is a large appellation that gathers warm vineyards near the sea and elevated sites benefiting from tramontane winds.
South of Corbières, AOC Côtes-du-Roussillon is on a mountainous landscape. The bright sunshine, the scarce rainfalls and harsh winds make highly concentrated wines. The best vineyards are gathered in the AOC Côtes-du-Roussillon Villages.
Rivesaltes produces red and white sweet wines. Ambré Rivesaltes are made of white grape varieties whereas Tuilé wines consists of Grenache. The label «Hors d'Age» means that the wine has to be aged at least five years.
Banyuls and Collioure are near the Spanish border. The terraced vineyards are held by 6000 kilometers of dried stones low walls. Banyuls wine is considered as the best sweet wines in France. It has a maderized flavor thanks to the maturation process inside oak barrels or glass containers. Some wines like Banyuls Rimage are bottled early to keep the fruity aromas. Banyuls Grand Cru consists of 75% of Grenache and needs to be matured 30 months inside oak barrels. Banyuls produces a few sweet white wines.
Collioure makes full-bodied dry reds and rosés. Its dry white production was officially recognized a decade ago.
Grape varieties in Languedoc-Roussillon
The red wines are made of Carignan, Grenache, Syrah or Mourvèdre.
The cooler sites produce the best Syrah wines and the light reds with smooth tannins. The warmer vineyards grow the variety Mourvèdre to make full-bodied wines with typical meaty flavor and salty notes. Muscat is the grape used in the production of natural sweet wines.
Some of the best producers in Languedoc-Roussillon
The most important wine producers in Languedoc-Roussillon are Domaine Canet-Valette, Domaine Peyre Rose, Mas Bruguière, Prieuré de Saint-Jean de Bébian, Domaine du Clos des Fées, Domaine Gauby, Domaine de la Rectorie and Mas de Daumas Gassac.
