LANGUEDOC- ROUSSILLON

LANGUEDOC- ROUSSILLON

Region of France, located in Southern France, is part of the large Mediterranean Coastal area and extends from Provence to the Pyrénées and Spanish border and is now part of Occitanie. The Languedoc makes up around 90% of the area and Roussillon makes up the other 10%. It is three times the combined areas of Bordeaux and has been, for several centuries, an important centre of wine making. Languedoc-Roussillon is the largest wine producing region, with more than one in three French wines produced here and is the mainstay of the local economy.

This region adopted the marque for its produce, not limited to wine, ‘Sud de France’, in 2006. Among its best-known wines are Vins de Pays d’Oc and sparkling Crémant de Limoux. Grape varietals are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The traditional Rhône grapes of Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah and Viognier also feature. The wines pair particularly well with the Mediterranean diet of olive oil, vegetables, fish, cheese and bread.

by Pam Gagiano

A few of the best known appellations are Languedoc AOC, Corbières AOC and Minervois AOC to name a few. There are more than 500 wine cooperatives.

The vines were first planted by the Greeks and Etruscans around six centuries BCE as the climate was rightly thought to be ideal for the cultivation of vines.

In CE 92, the Emperor Domitian forbade all further vine planting in the empire and thus required half the vines in the provinces to be uprooted!

Fortunately, the Church knew the vineyards were a source of wealth and were able to save them. Starting in the Vlll century, a large network of monasteries and abbeys were built around the vineyards, so providing protection, with many still active today!

In the 17th century, the Canal du Midi was built which connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the railway system, which was established in the 19th century, this made transporting the produce and wines from the area very much easier, which in turn created great prosperity for this region.

Today, leading winemakers are combining traditional winemaking methods with today’s modern state-of-the art techniques to breathe new life into the region, making this house the largest percentage of bio dynamic and organic wines available in France. Languedoc has about 33% of France’s organic vineyards which makes up about 10% in the world, with more than 27% of Occitanie’s vineyards under organic practices. With the production of white, red, rosé, sweet and sparkling wines of exceptional quality being produced in this area, with creativity, innovation and sustainability, the wines are fast becoming highly sought after world-wide.

There are 23 AOC in Languedoc which covers around 16% of production. Wines which aren’t in this tier may be classified as “Indication Géographique Protégée” or (IGP) sélections. Indeed, if you read our February Valentine’s wine page, you may have noticed the wine we paired with our steak was from Pays d’Oc IGP.

The Languedoc AOC forms the base of this wide category covering red, white and rosé wines which allows producers to blend grapes from both Languedoc and Roussillon. Further, there are 10 sub appellations and 5 commune/ village appellations, 4 sweet wine appellations, 3 sparkling wine appellations along with regional, subregional, historic and héritage désignations and finally, three additional IGP designations being Aude, Gard and Pays d’Herault.

There are 14 AOC in Roussillon that allow the growing of 24 grape varieties along with 2 IGP désignations. Many AOC reflect the area’s sweet wine history. Roussillon produces 80% of vin doux naturels (VDN) which are fortified sweet wines which keep their natural sugars after fermentation is stopped with the addition of a spirit. There are five AOC VDN, which are Riversaltes, Banyuls, Maury, Banyuls Grand Cru and Muscat de Riversaltes.

Both areas grow grape varieties native to the area such as Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan and Cinsault. All three varietals of Grenache, the Noir, Blanc and Gris are used in the production with the Noir for the reds and the latter two for white wine.

With the advent of Easter this month, I’ve been tasting a few wines to go with our Good Friday fish and our Easter Sunday Feast of shoulder of lamb with spring vegetables, gratin Dauphinois and salad. And I might add, it has been fun and a tad difficult to choose from all the fabulous wines available from the Languedoc-Roussillon. It is not easy to have a favourite as there are so many, however, I’m confident you will enjoy the wines chosen, if you decide on any of them and are able to find them in your local cave!

I have selected a Picpoul de Pinet AOC, a refreshing dry white wine, made from the old Picpoul grape. This is one of the very few appellations dedicated to the production of white wine, to drink on Good Friday.

Pairing exceptionally well with a pasta carbonara, Croquettes de Brandade, fish and shellfish, having hints of preserved (salty) lemon, melon, blossoms, wet stone and white peach! Its literal translation means ‘stings the lips’, due to its acidity and can be compared to a Portuguese

dry white wine or chilled dry sparkling wine or dry champagne.

Vinho Verde and is also an affordable alternative to a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. As a light to medium-bodied wine with an alcohol content of 13%, this ideally should be served at around 8 - 10 degrees C and is best drunk young, it pairs well with cheese and chocolate too. The bottle we have selected is an organic wine, Château Petit Roubie 2020 AOP Picpoul de Pinet. It will be a first for us, so looking forward to our Good Friday fish dish.

On Easter Sunday, we have decided to start off with a Kir as an apéritif. Such happy connotations for me of celebration, love and fun.

This typically Burgundian apéritif was invented by Canon Felix Kir (1876 - 1968), a hero in the French Résistance and also the Mayor of Dijon from 1945 to 1968. He was a huge fan of regional products and therefore created the apéritif using the local white wine made from the Aligoté grape, which is bone dry, acidic, unoaked and with fairly neutral aromas and a jigger of Crème de Cassis, which is a blackcurrant liqueur. Very simple and delicious. For those wanting a Kir Royale, I will also have a bottle of dry sparkling wine on hand. The ratio for both is around 1/5 Crème de Cassis to 4/5 of chilled

Thereafter, to accompany our Easter slow roasted shoulder of lamb, I have selected a red wine produced in the Languedoc-Roussillon, Pontificis 2018, IGP Pays d’Oc. With its beautiful deep purple colour, silky smooth layers and intensity of rich dark fruit and spiced plum, crushed black pepper, herbs and ripe raspberries on the nose, it will be perfect. It has an alcohol content of 13.5% and is made from a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah and produced by Badet Clément & Cie.

For the non-red wine drinking guests, I am also serving an M de Minuty Rose 2020 from the Côtés de Provence, a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, which is a fabulous crisp, dry rosé grown in St Tropez from the Château Minuty and is one of the Cru Classe des Côtes de Provence designated in 1955. It is a splendid fruity wine with orange peel and fabulous redcurrant flavours, lively and fresh on the finish and an alcohol content of 12.5%. A very special wine and a firm favourite indeed!

Once again, I hope this has given you some ideas and pointers for Easter and beyond. Which brings me to wishing you all a happy Easter and enjoy looking forward to the summer.

Cheers! Pam x

Fortress Carcassonne