BellaVino

The Languedoc-Roussillon actually comprises two regions: the Languedoc, which stretches westward from the bottom of the Rhone down to the Pyrenees hugging the Mediterranean coast, and Roussillon, which curves southward from north of Perpignan to the Spanish border. Combined, this region covers over 400,000 acres of vines and produces close to 18 million hectoliters of wine a year. So vast and so fertile is this region that, not so long ago, it was frequently referred to, quite disparagingly, as France’s great “wine lake.”

The over production in this region started in the mid-19^th century when the arrival of railroads made transporting wines affordable and opened the markets in the north. The mass production lead to weak wines that were often strengthened by adding wine from Algeria and elsewhere in North Africa. When Algeria won independence in 1962, new sources for strengthening wines were found in southern Italy. In fact, when wine producers realized that it was cheaper to import from Italy than to blend,  local growers began to riot. Eventually, in the early 1970s, the government stepped in and began to encourage the  production of  higher quality wines. Through financial assistance, educational and research endeavors, the formation of cooperatives, and the creation of  the vin de pays classification, which is a step above the everyday vin ordinaire, the government was able to reclaim the area.  Progress has continued, and these days, the innovation among wine producers has, like the miracle at Cana, turned much of this lake’s “water” into delicious wine.

The Languedoc-Roussillon is primarily red-wine country, and the classic varietals of this region are: Carignan, Cinsault, and Grenache. Carignan provides body and weight; Grenache contributes alcohol and color, and Cinsault adds fruit and acidity. Whereas older regulations typically limited production to these varietals, newer standards and, perhaps most important, the flexibility of the vin de pays classification have allowed producers to cultivate and experiment with other varieties, such as Mourvedre and Syrah as well as with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. More liberal guidelines have enabled producers to exploit their individual vineyards’ strengths and to adjust their blends either to reflect their own tastes or to compensate for the climactic conditions of the harvest.

For white wines, today’s winemakers, along similar lines, are eschewing the traditional appellation white varieties such as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Maccabeo, Ugni Blanc, and Picpoul for Sauvignon Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, and Viognier. Native Muscats, however, are still prized. And the region is also known for its vins doux naturels, made from the Muscats of Frontignan and Lunel, some truly delightful dessert wines.