SOUTHERN FRANCE

Question 1

SOUTHERN FRANCE-IN GENERAL

Answer 1

• CLIMATE: WARM MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE W/ SUMMER TEMP. OFTEN IN EXCESS OF 30C
• MILD WINTERS & LOW RAINFALL LEVELS DURING GROWING SEASON
• IN MOST YEARS THIS AREA CAN OFFER IDEAL CONDITIONS FOR GROWING GR

THE REG IS BY NO MEANS UNIFORM:

• VINS PLANT. IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE MOUNT. THAT SURROUND THIS REG ARE COOLER THAN ON THE COASTEL PLAIN & OFTEN HAVE LESS FERTILE, WELL-DRAINED SOILS THAT ARE BETTER SUITED TO QUALITY VITICULTURE.
• STRONG WINDS IMPACT ON CLIMATE
• COOL DRY WINDS BLOW FROM THE NORTH, COOLING THE EASTERN & WESTERN ENDS OF THE REG
• THE MISTRAL BLOWS DOWN THE RHONE VALLEY & THE TRAMONTANE BLOWS THROUGH THE GAP BETWEEN THE MASSIF CENTRAL & THE PYRENEES
• WARM, DRY CLIMATE MEANS= BIGGEST GRAPE GROWING CHALLANGE IS DROUGHT, WHEREAS FUNGAL DISEASES ARE LESS PROBLEM HERE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN FRANCE
• HOWEVER, THE REG CAN OCCASIONALLY EXP. SUMMER FLOODS

Question 2

LANGUEDOC & ROUSSILLON

Answer 2

• MAJ OF THE WINES FROM S.O.F COME FROM THE VINS OF THE DEPARTEMENTS OF AUDE, HERAULT & GARD TRADITIONALLY KNOWN AS LANGUEDOC
• VINS OF THE DEPARTEMENT PYRENEES-ORIENTALES ARE KNOWN AS ROUSSILLON
• THERE IS A LARGE COASTEL PLAIN AREA BETWEEN BEZIERS & MONTPELLIER
• FURTHER INLAND & TOWARDS THE SPANISH BORDER VINS. BECOME MORE HILLY & RUGGED

Question 3

LANGUEDOC

Answer 3

• GENERIC APP THAT COVERS ALL THE APPS VINS FROM SPANISH BORDER TO NIMES
• BEST SUB-REGS W/ LANGUEDOC CAN ADD THEIR NAME TO LABEL ALONGSIDE LANGUEDOC AC (FOR EX PIC-ST-LOUP)

ABOVE THIS AREA THERE ARE A NUMB. OF MORE GEOGRAPHICALLY SPECIFIC APPS SUCH AS COTES DU ROUSILLON & MINERVOIS, WHICH CAN HAVE THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL REGULATIONS:

• CERTAIN AREAS WITHIN THESE APPS RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR Q & NOW THEY HAVE THEIR OWN SUB-APPS SUCH AS MINERVOIS-LA LIVINIERE
• THE APP SYSTEM CONT. TO EVOLVE AS THE SUB-REGS OF THE LANGUEDOC APPLY FOR FULL AC STATUS
• MOST APPS PERMIT RED, WHITE & ROSE
• VAST MAJ: RED & BASED ON THE QUARTER OF GR: CARIGNAN, GRENACHE, SYRAH & LESSER EXTEND MOURVEDRE

ITS VERY DIFFICULT TO DESCRIBE TYPICAL WINE FROM EACH OF THE APPS BECAUSE OF;

• POSSIBLE VARIATIONS IN THE BLENDS
• MANY APP COVER SIGN.GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS W/ DIFFERENT CLIMATIC & SOIL COND. DOM. IN DIFFERENT ZONES:
• COOLER AREAS PRO: WINES W/ MORE FINESSE & LIGHTER TANNINS & OFTEN BEST SYRAH
• WARMER AREAS PRO: MOUDVEDRE IS AT ITS BEST & WINES HAVE GREATER BODY & SOME MEATY, GAMEY FLAV.
• IN THE LARGER APP: WINES CAN OFTEN BE BLENDS OF THESE DIFFERENT STYLES/ BEST W: FULL BODIED, CONCENT. SPICY RED FRUIT, OAK FALV. ROSES: SOFT & FRUITY

Question 4

A FEW EXAMPLES CAN SHOW THIS DIVERSITY: COTES DU RHONE ​ROUSILLON

Answer 4

• MORE CONSISTENTLY RUGGED & MOUNT. THAN OTHER AREAS OF LANGUEDOC
• BRIGHT SUNLIGHT, LOW RAINFALL & PART. STRONG WINDS CAN PRO. CONCENTRATED WINES
• BEST VINS: ARE IN THE NORTH & QUALIFY FOR COTES DU ROUSSILLON VILLAGES

Question 5

FITOU

Answer 5

JUST TO THE NORTH OF COTES DU ROUSILLON VILLAGES, SPLIT IN TO 2 SEPERATE AREAS:

• A WARM COASTEL STRIP: PRO FULLER-BODIED WINES
• COOLER AREA INLAND & AT ALTITUDE WHERE LIGHTER WINES ARE PREDOM.

Question 6

CORBIERES

Answer 6

• COVERS WARM SITES NEAR THE COAST & VINS PLANTED AT ALTITUDE THAT ARE COOLED BY THE TRAMONTANE
• ITS BEEN SUBDIVIDED INTO 11 SUB-REGS, THE BEST OF WHICH, BOUTENAC, HAS ITS OWN AC

Question 7

MINERVOIS

Answer 7

• LIES ON THE SLOPES OF THE MASSIF CENTRAL
• VINS DON’T REACH THE COAST BUT VARY IN THEIR QUALITIES DUE TO ALTITUDE, THE RICHNESS OF THE SOIL & EXTEND OF THEIR EXPOSURE COOLING INF FROM ATLANTIC
• ITS SUBDIVIDED & BEST SUB-REG: LA LIVINIERE HAS ITS OWN AC

Question 8

WHITES CAN VARY AS DRAMATICALLY AS THE REDS DEPENDING ON THE GR VAR. & LOCATION

Question 9

PICPOUL DE PINET

Answer 9

• NEAR THE COAST, COOLING SEA BREEZES HELP TO RETAIN NATURAL H ACIDITY OF THE PICPOUL GRAPE
• BY CONTRAST, LIMOUX BENEFITS FROM THE COOLING EFFECT OF ALTITUDE & IS A SOURCE OF PREMIUM OAKED CHARDONNAY

Question 10

IGP WINES

Answer 10

• MORE IGP WINES ARE MADE HERE IN ANY OTHER REG THAN FRANCE
• THEY ARE: VITAL FOR THE COMMERCIAL SURVIVAL OF GR GROWING IN SOUTH FRANCE
• MOST SOLD: UNDER THE REG NAME PAYS D’OC=COVERS ALL THE DEPARTEMENTS THAT MAKE UP LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON
• IGP REGULATIONS PERMIT A WIDER RANGE OF GR VAR. AS WELL AS VARIETAL LABELLING
• WARM, SUNNY CLIMATE=MEANS THAT LARGE VOLUMES OF RIPE, FRUITY WINES CAN BE PROD. HERE RELATIVELY EASILY COMPARED W/ OTHER AREAS OF FRANCE/ EXCELLENT VALUE FOR MONEY

Question 11

PROVENCE

Answer 11

• THE LANDSCAPE IS VERY VARIED & BROKEN UP BY MANY PROMINENT RANGE OF HILLS
• THIS OFFER PROTECTION FROM THE MISTRAL & PROVIDE GREAT VARIETY OF DIFFERENT SITE CLIMATES & SOILS
• ROSES: ACCOUNT VAST MAJ OF PRO
• ROSES STYLE: VERY PALE COLOUR, L BODIED, DRY, DELICATE FLAV. OF GRAPEFRUIT & RED FRUIT
• RED WINES: RANGE FROM FRESH FRUITY TO MORE F BODIED, BARREL-MATURED STYLES
• THE BEST WHITE WINES: AROMATIC QUALITIES OF ROLLE OR CLAIRETTE

Question 12

COTES DE PROVENCE

Answer 12

• LARGEST APP IN PROVENCE
• ROSES: ACCOUNT FOR THE VAST MAJ OF PROD.
• ALONG THE COAST THERE ARE 3 ISOLATED POCKETS OF VINS, EACH W/ ITS INDIVIDUAL APPELLATION CONTROLEE
• MOST IMP. OF THE 3 IS BANDOL LOC. TO THE EAST OF MARSEILLE:
• IT PROD: PREMIUM REDS BASED ON MOUDVEDRE GRAPE, WHICH IS ABLE TO RIPEN RELIABLY ON THE REG’S SOUTH-FACING TERRACES SLOPES

WINES:DARK/ F BODIED/ POWERFUL TANNINS/ REQUIRE BOTTLE AGE BEFORE THEY SHOW THEIR FULL SPECTRUM OF BRAMBLE, MEAT & LICORICE-SPICE FLAV.