South of France Flashcards
Departments of Languedoc-Roussillon:
Languedoc - Aude, Herault, Gard
Roussillon - Pyrenees-Orientales
Size of Languedoc-Roussillon:
220000ha - Languedoc
20000ha - Roussillon
Describe Languedoc:
Co-ops important
Largest source of everyday wine in France
1/3 of France’s Organic production
Early drinking; carbonic maceration common
Climate/vineyards of Languedoc?
Warm Mediterranean
Moderate rainfall (under 600mm)
Traditionally hand harvesting - moving to machine harvesting
Describe Carignan:
Late budding
Late ripening
High yields
Prone to powdery mildew and grape moths
High acidity
High tannins
Describe IGP Wines in Languedoc?
70% of total Languedoc
High yields (90-100hL/ha)
58 varieties allowed
Includes regional/departmental/named after geographic feature
Describe IGP Pays d’Oc:
Biggest IGP producer in France
10-15% of all French wine
50% red, 25% white, 25% rose
Merlot, Cab Sauv, Chard, and Syrah are top 4
50% sold in France, 50% export - Germany, Netherlands, Belgium
Describe the rules of Languedoc AOC’s:
All blends by law
Min/Max varietal requirements for each AOC
Most require GSM
Sub-zones can have different requirements than parent zone
Low max yields (45-50)
Describe Languedoc AOC:
Principal varieties: Grenache Noir, Syrah, Mourvedre
Minimum of 2 varieties, at least one must be a principal variety
No variety more than 80%
Principal varieties must be at least 40%
A non-principal variety has max of 30%
Name Languedoc AOCs:
Corbieres AOC
Minervois AOC
Minervois La Liviniere AOC
Saint-Chinian AOC
Fitou AOC
Faugeres AOC
Pic Saint-Loup AOC
Terrasses du Larzac AOC
La Clape AOC
Picpoul de Pinet AOC
Malepere AOC
Cabardes AOC
Limoux AOC
Describe Picpoul de Pinet AOC:
Grape Piquepoul
Dry
Med body
Med+/High acid
Med int
Lemon, light floral
Mainly exported - UK, USA, Netherlands
90% Co-op
Describe Roussillon:
70% AOC
25% Vin Doux Naturels
75% Co-ops
Mostly red wines
Climate/vineyards of Roussillon:
Warm Mediterranean
Windy
Moderate rainfall
High sunshine hours
Bush vines common
Grapes of Roussillon:
Grenache Noir
Syrah
Carignan
Mourvedre
Muscat (Vin Doux Naturels)
Macabeu
AOCs for dry wines in Roussillon:
Cotes du Roussillon AOC
Cotes du Roussillon Villages AOC
Collioure AOC
Describe Cotes du Roussillon AOC:
Large (5000ha)
Max yield 48 hL/ha
Carignan - max 50%
Syrah/Mourvedre - min 25% combined
Min. 2 varieties
Describe Collioure AOC:
Same boundaries as Banyuls AOC, but for dry wines
GSM for reds
Grenache Gris for whites
Low yields
IGP wines in Roussillon:
IGP Cotes Catalanes
Covers Pyrenees-Orientales departement
Describe Provence:
Pale pink rose made principally from Grenache Noir and Cinsaut - 90% of production
40% of France’s AOC rose
Climate/vineyards in Provence:
Warm Mediterranean
Adequate rainfall
Double national average of organic vineyards
Traditionally bush vines, but most moved to trellised vines - mechanization
Winemaking in Provence Rose:
Grenache Noir, Cinsaut, and Tibouren most popular
Up to 20% white varieties allowed
Direct press (most common) or short maceration (a few hours only)
MLF blocked
Premium: oak-aged
Appellations in Provence:
Cotes de Provence AOC
Coteaux Varois en Provence AOC
Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence AOC
Les Baux de Provence AOC
Bandol AOC
Ballet AOC
Cassis AOC
Palette AOC
Describe Cotes de Provence:
Large (20,000 ha)
Must be a blend
Max yield 55hL/ha
Red wine regions of Provence?
Les Baux de Provence AOC
Bandol AOC
Wine business of Provence:
1955 Cru Classe status given to 23 estates - 18 remain; no changes to this program
Export - USA largest, UK
Negociants and co-ops important
