Languedoc-Roussillon

Question 1

What is the Languedoc-Roussillon known for? How is that changing?

Answer 1

Massive bulk vine plantings for table wine, which are slowly being replaced with quality vines.

Question 2

Where are the quality wine regions of Languedoc clustered?

Answer 2

In the west.

Question 3

What rules govern the Corbières AOC?

Answer 3

red, rosé, & a little white, all blends of at least 2 allowed grapes, from a variety of soils & microclimates

Question 4

What subzone of Corbières has its own AOC?

Answer 4

Boutenac, for carignan-based red blends.

Question 5

What AOP lies directly north of Corbières?

Answer 5

Minervois AOP

Question 6

Where is Fitou located and what are its subregions?
What kind of wine does Fitou make?

Answer 6

Fitou is embedded in Corbières, and is divided between
Fitou Maritime & Fitou Montagneux.
Red blends focused on carignan

Question 7

What is the oldest Languedoc AOP? When was it established?

Answer 7

Fitou, in 1948

Question 9

What does Sable de Camargue produce?

Answer 9

As of 2023 it’s an AOP showcasing gris wines from grenache

Question 9

What kinds of wines are made in Minervois? What about the smaller AOP embedded within Minervois?

Answer 9

red, white, & rosé. La Livinière is at the heart of Minervois & makes red blends and has been its own AOP since 1999

Question 10

Where are the Cabardès & Malepère AOPs located?
What do they produce?

Answer 10

In the Languedoc. They both produce red & rosé wines only.
Cabardès balances grenache & syrah with bordeaux varieties.
Malepère makes reds based on merlot & rosés based on cabernet franc.

Question 11

Where are the Saint-Chinian and Faugères AOPs located? What do they produce?

Answer 11

In the Languedoc. They produce red, white, & rosé wines based on southern French grapes.

Question 12

What are the 3 new developments for the Saint Chinian AOP?

Answer 12

Allowing for production of white wine, and 2 specific red-only subzones, Berlou & Roquebrun

Question 13

Where is Limoux located and what are its AOPs?

Answer 13

South of Cabardès & Malepère.
Limoux AOP
Blanquette de Limoux AOP
Cremant de Limoux AOP

Question 14

What rules govern the Limoux AOP?

Answer 14

reds must be merlot based.
Still whites must be from chard, chenin, & mauzac, and fermented in oak.

Question 15

What is Limoux’s signature grape? What are its two notable productions within the Limoux AOP?

Answer 15

Mauzac!

Blaquette de Limoux must be 90% Mauzac (+chard & chenin), and traditional method.

Limoux Method Ancestral must be 100% Mauzac

Question 16

What is Limoux’s more modern, traditional method sparkling wine AOP? What are its rules?

Answer 16

Crémant de Limoux.
Max 90% Chard & Chenin, + 20% max Mauzac & Pinot Noir.
Standard traditional method, 9mo on lees, 12mo total, hand harvesting, minimum 3.5 atm pressure.

Question 17

What is the Languedoc Roussillon’s umbrella AOP? How many geographic designations does it include? What are its basic wines generally?

Answer 17

Languedoc AOP, including 11 geographic designations.
Includes red, white, rosé, with reds usually majority GSM & Lladoner pelut, but this varies by designation.

Question 18

Is a grand cru system likely in the Languedoc in the future? What developments are there in the meantime?

Answer 18

Yes, there have been talks of organizing it into a cru hierarchy.
In the meantime, Languedoc geographic designations are being promoted, such as Terrasses du Larzac in 2014, & La Clape in 2015.

Question 19

What are the Languedoc’s 4 fortified wine appellations?

Answer 19

Muscat de Mireval AOP
Muscat de Lunel AOP
Muscat de Saint Jean de Minervois AOP
Muscat de Frontignan AOP

Question 20

What’s notable about Muscat de Frontignan?

Answer 20

It’s the most common of the Languedoc’s 4 fortified wines, and it can be VDN or vin de liqueur

Question 21

What is Roussillon most known for? How much of france’s does it produce?

Answer 21

Vins Doux Naturels, it produces 90% of France’s fortified wines.

Question 22

What is the biggest producer of fortified wine in Roussillon?

Answer 22

The Rivesaltes AOP

Question 23

What does Rivesaltes mean in Catalan?

Answer 23

High riverbanks

Question 24

What kind of wine does Rivesaltes produce? What colors and styles do they correspond to?

Answer 24

ambré, grenat, tuilé, & rosé VDNs; they can be varietal or blends

ambré & tuilé are amber & tawny, aged oxidatively for 3 years before bottling. In practice these can be aged extensively after the minimum, either in glass bottles or solera.

grenat is red grenache, aged reductively for 1 year prior to bottling

hors d’age is aged for at least 5 years, sometimes up to 20

muscat de rivesaltes AOP can be a blend of muscat of alexandria & a petit grains, is sweeter than other VDNs, and is best consumed young for aromatic freshness.

Question 25

When, where, & by whom was VDN invented?

Answer 25

In the 13th century in Rivesaltes by Dr. Arnaud de Villeneuve, who used mutage to make medicinal elixers for his patients.

Question 26

What are the 2 notable non-Rivesaltes VDN AOPs in Roussillon? What are their rules?

Answer 26

Maury & Banyuls
Maury allows all colors of grenache for all colors of VDN
Banyuls requires 50% grenache noir for its traditional bottling and 75% grenache noir for its grand cru AOP

Question 27

What are the rules for Banyuls Grand Cru AOP?

Answer 27

75% grenache noir
30 months oak aging

Question 28

What are the rules for vintage dated Banyuls?

Answer 28

Must be bottled within 1 year and labeled rimage.

Question 29

What is considered the best Roussillon VDN?

Answer 29

Banyuls: richest, fullest bodied, most consistently quality-minded.

Question 30

Can Maury produce non-fortified wines under its AOP?

Answer 30

Yes, as of 2011 it can produce dry reds.

Question 31

Can Banyuls produce non-fortified wines under its AOP?

Answer 31

No, producers can release still reds, whites, & rosés under the Collioure AOP.

Question 32

What is the Roussillon’s regional appellation? What can & does it produce?

Answer 32

Cotes-de-Roussillon, producing mostly rosé

Question 33

What kind of wine is Cotes-de-Roussillon Villages? How many communes are included? What are the named villages?

Answer 33

Red wines only.
50 villages can use the village descriptor on their wines labels.
Latour-de-France, Caramany, Les Aspres, Lesquerde, & Tautavel.

Question 34

In what ways is Roussillon changing as a wine region?

Answer 34

Producers are starting to take dry wine production more seriously by rethinking carignan, trimming yields, and discover old vines.

Question 35

How much of France’s AOP wine does Languedoc-Roussillon produce? What is the rest of its wine labeled as?

Answer 35

10%, much of the rest is Pays d’Oc IGP