South of France Flashcards
Carignan
(Languedoc)
[6 points]
- Late-budding, late-ripening = needs warm climate
- Need to reduce yield for concentration
- Prone to powdery mildew and grape moths
- Bunches firmly attach to vine = not suited for mechanical harvesting
- High acidity and tannin = carbonic maceration or blending
- Typically unoaked, medium ruby, simple blackberry fruit with high acid and tannin. Acceptable - good quality
Vineyard management LANGUEDOC
[3 points]
- Traditionally vines were grown as bush vines = well adapted to climate providing shading, but hand work ££
- New vineyards = trellises = mechanisation
- IGP and AOC wines may be machine harvested (the latter where topography allows)
Winemaking LANGUEDOC
[4 points]
- Inexpensive = large concrete or stainless steel, cultured yeasts, crushing grapes and fermenting on skins for 5-7 days (limit extraction). Mid-range temps, stored a few months in stainless steel or concrete. Early drinking, medium tannin, will hold 2-3 years
- Carbonic maceration employed
- High quality, small production = use sorting tables, fermentation at warm temps, ambient yeasts, barriques for maturation. Intended to age.
- Experimenting with concrete tanks and eggs, and large format oak vats
IGP wines LANGUEDOC
[3 points]
- 70% production
- Max yields 90hl/ha for white and red, 100hl/ha for rose
- 58 varieties may be used
IGP Pays D’oc typical style
Typically fresh, fruit expressions of the variety being used with little or no use of oak for maturing the wine.
Good-very good
General Languedoc AOC rules
[6 points]
- Red wines = require a minimum of two varieties including one or more of the principal varieties
- Most give an upper limit for one variety (e.g. max 80%), meaning all AOC are generally blends
- All but 2 (Cabardes AOC and Malepere AOC) require Grenache Noir as part of the blend and most require syrah and mourvedre
- Corbieres and Fitou, Carignan is a principal variety (in most others GSM are)
- Max yields typicaly between 45 and 50hl/ha (some sub-zones limit to 40). LANGUEDOC AOC = 50hl/ha for red and 60hl/ha for white
- LANGUEDOC AOC = Principal varieties are GSM
Min of 2 varieties must be used including 1 principal
No variety more than 80%
Total combination of principals must make up 40% minimum
Other varieties may not make up more than 30% of the blend (in sub-regional more typically 10%)
Style, quality and price of Regional appellation (Languedoc AOC)
Typically medium intensity, simple blackberry and plum fruit. Medium tannins, medium acidity, medium body.
Acceptable to good, inexpensive to mid-priced
Style, quality and price of Named appellation e.g. Corbieres (Languedoc)
Typically medium - medium (+) intensity, blackberry and red plum fruit with herb notes (lavender and rosemary), medium tannins, medium to medium (+) acidity, medium - high alcohol and medium (+) to full body.
Minority have oak aromas
Good-very good in quality, some outstanding. Inexpensive to premium priced
Style, quality and price of sub-appellation e.g. Corbieres - Boutenac AOC (Languedoc)
Typically medium (+) to pronounced aromas, medium (+) tannin. Very good quality with some outstanding examples. Mid-prices with some premium
Corbieres AOC
[5 points]
- Hilly - Vineyard slopes up to 450m
- Altitude + cooling winds = acidity
- Nearly 90% red
- at least 40% Carignan GSM
- Max yield = 50hl/ha
Minervois la liviniere AOC
[3 points]
- Red wine only
- Limestone terrace, gentle slopes 400m altitude
- GSM = min 40% + Carignan & Cinsault > 80% blend
Minervois AOC
[2 points]
- Range of climatic zones = altitude + proximity to sea
2. Mostly GSM
Saint Chinian AOC
[2 points]
- Mainly red and rose
- Northern zone = arid, fast-draining schist soils = lower yields, higher concentration. Southern zone = clay and limstone = higher yields of less concentration
Fitou AOC
[3 points]
- Coastal area = flat, low lying plains with clay and limestone
- Inland = more mountainous, less fertile, fast-draining schist soils
- Focus on carignan and grenache noir
Faugeres AOC
[2 points]
- 250-400m altitude, well drained, low fertility schistous soils
- High proportion of organic grape growing
Pic Saint Loup AOC - climate and grapes?
- Continental - 1,000mm per year rain
2. Syrah, must make up 50%
Picpoul de Pinet AOC
[6 points]
- Piquepoul retains acidity as it ripens
- Low-lying land close to coast
- Max yield = 55hl/ha
- Dry, medium bodied with med(+)-high acidity, medium intensity lemon fruit with light floral notes. Acceptable to good
- UK = top export market
- Coops account for 90% production
General climate in Languedoc
Mediterranean Rainfall 600mm avg pa Very warm summers Cool, dry Tramontane north-west wind Drought some years where irrigation not permitted = reduced yields
Top 6 grape varieties in Languedoc
Carignan Syrah Grenache Noir Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Cinsaut
What percentage to cooperatives make up of production in Languedoc
70% total production
Vineyard management Rousillon
- Historically bush vines, most work has to be done by hand £££. Recently trellised though less flat land than in Languedoc
2 main AOC’s for dry wines
Cotes de Rousillon AOC
Cotes de Roussillon Villages AOC - Red only
Cotes de Rousillon AOC
[6 points]
- Situated on lower slopes - 100-250m
- Red, rose and white
- Max yields = 48 hl/ha
- Principal varieties = Carignan, Grenache Noir, Mourvedre and Syrah
- Must be made from 2 varieties, the variety with highest percentage is limited to 80%
- Max Carignan in vineyard is 50%, Syrah and Mourvedre seperately or together must be minimum 25%
Cotes de Rousillon Villages AOC
- Red wines only
- 100-400m
- 45hl/ha
- 5 villages may append their name to this AOC, lower max yield of 42hl/ha
Climate and topography in Roussillon
Warm, windy, mediterranean
500-600mm rainfall per year - Drought can be issue
Dominated by the pyranees - most vineyards are on the slopes or in the foothills
No area suited to high-volume production
Most important grape varieties in Roussillon
Grenache Noir
Syrah
Carignan
Mourvedre
Muscats (black and alexandria)
Macabeu
