Wset - Southern France

Question 1

Which climate is it in Southern France?

Answer 1

warm Mediterranean with summer temperatures often in excess of 30°c, mild winters and low rainfall levels especially during the growing season.

Question 2

What’s the difference for the vineyards growing inland in the foothills of the mountains, and the ones planted on the coastal plain.

Answer 2

the vineyards planted inland in the foothills of the mountains are noticeably cooler than those on the coastal plain and often have less fertile, well-drained soils that are better suited to quality viticulture.

Question 3

Which two winds effect this region massively? and where do they come from?

Answer 3

The Mistral blows down the Rhône Valley
The Tramontane blows through the gap between the Massif Central and the Pyrenees.

Question 4

What’s the biggest grape growing challenge in the this region?

Answer 4

drought, whereas fungal diseases are less of a problem,

Question 5

Which grape varieties do they grow here in the Southern France?

Answer 5

GRENACHE
SYRAH
Carignan
Cinsault
Mourvèdre
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon

CHARDONNAY
SAUVIGNON BLANC
Viognier
Piquepoul

Question 6

What’s the characteristics for Carignan?

Answer 6

Carignan is widely grown. This grape is naturally high in tannins, acidity and colour, but can lack fruit or finesse, although old vines Carignan on poor soil can produce quality wines.

Question 7

Which grape variety is used for Rosé or in blends in the Southern France?

Answer 7

Cinsault. used for rosé and to add red fruit flavours to red blends-

Question 8

Where do Mourvèdre trive?

Answer 8

On the warmest sites.

Question 9

What do Mourvèdre usually bring to a blend?

Answer 9

richness, colour and complexity.

Question 10

Which two international varieties are mostly only used in the production of IGP wines?

Answer 10

Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon

Question 11

Which winemaking technique are used by some producers to soften the tannins in Carignan?

Answer 11

Semi-carbonic maceration

Question 12

Which white local varieties can you find in the Southern France? and where?

Answer 12

Muscat
Grenache Blanc
Piquepoul in Pinet
Mauzac in Limoux
Maccabeu in Roussillon
Rolle in Provance
Clairette in Languedoc and Provance

Question 13

What’s Muscat used for? and what’s it’s characteristics?

Answer 13

It’s used for sweet fortified, but is also sometimes used to make dry wines with aromatic grapey aromas.

Question 14

What’s Grenache Blanc used for? and what’s it’s characteristics?

Answer 14

Grenache Blanc maked fry wines that jave soft peachy fruitiness, full body and low acidity, tends to oxidise easily

Question 15

What’s the characteristics for Piquepoul?

Answer 15

it produce wines with refreshing high acidity and green fruit and citrus flavours.

Question 16

What’s the other “name” from Languedoc and Roussillon?

Answer 16

Languedoc: départments od Aude, Hérault and Gard
Roussillon: départment Pyrénées-Orientales

Question 17

How far does Languedoc reach?

Answer 17

from the spanish border to nimes.

Question 18

Certain areas within the appellations have been recognised for their quality and now have their own sub-appellation, name one.

Answer 18

Minervois-La Livinière

Question 19

Which is the most common grape varieties that you blend?

Answer 19

Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, and to a lesser extent Mourvèdre.

Question 20

What do they mostly produce in the cooler areas?

Answer 20

wines with finesse and lighter tannins and often the best Syrahs

Question 21

What do they mostly produce in the warmer areas?

Answer 21

in the warmer areas Mourvèdre is at its best and wines have greater body and some meaty, gamay flavours.

Question 22

What chacteristics do the best wines have?

Answer 22

full-bodied and have concentrated spicy red fruit often with oak flavours.

Question 23

what’s the characteristics for a rosé?

Answer 23

Rosé tends to be soft and fruity wines

Question 24

What’s the topogeography and climate for Côtes du Roussillon?

Answer 24

it’s more consistently rugged and mountainous than the other areas of the Languedoc.
Bright sunlight, low rainfall and particilarly stong wins can produce concentrated wines.
The best vineyards are found in the north.;Côtes du Roussillon Village

Question 25

Which area can you find just to the north of Côtes du Roussillon Village?

Answer 25

Fitou

Question 26

Fitou is split into two separate areas, which and what do they produce in the two differnet?

Answer 26

a warm coastal strip that produces fuller-bodied wines
and
another cooler area inland and at altitude, there ligher wines predominate.

Question 27

Which region is in between Fitou and Minervois?

Answer 27

Corbières

Question 28

What’s the topogeographic and the climate like in Corbières?

Answer 28

Corbières cobers warm sites near the coast and vinetards planted at altitude that are cooled by the tramontane.

Question 29

Corbières have been subdivided into 11 subregions, which in the best one?

Answer 29

Boutenac, it has it’s own AC

Question 30

What’s the topogeographic and the climate like in Minervois?

Answer 30

Minervois lies ont he slopes of the Massic Central. The vineyards do not reach the coast but vary in their qualities due to altitude, the richness of the soil and the extent of their exposure to the cooling influenced from the atlantic

Question 31

Minervois is subdivided, which is the best subregion?

Answer 31

La Livinière, it has it’s own AC

Question 32

What climate factors helps the wine of Piquepoul de Pinet to keep the natural high acidity?

Answer 32

The cooling sea breezes.

Question 33

What climate is there in Limoux and what style of wine is produced?

Answer 33

It’s a cool climate affected by the altitude and is a source of premium oaked chardonnay

Question 34

Under which name are most of the IGP wines sold under?

Answer 34

Pays d’Oc

Question 35

How come the Pays d’Oc wines have the success that they have?

Answer 35

The IGP regulations permit a wider range of grape varieties as well as varietal labelling, and the warm, sunny climate means that large volumes of ripe, fruity wines can be produced here relatively easily compared with other areas of France and therefor many of the wines are excellent value for money.

Question 36

How’s the topogeographic of Provance?

Answer 36

The landscape is very varied and is broken up by manu prominent range of hills.

Question 37

What’s the characteristics for a rosé wine from provance?

Answer 37

these wines tend to be very pale in colour, light- to medium-bodied and dry on the palate, and display delicate flavours of red fruits.

Question 38

What’s the characteristics for a red wine from provance?

Answer 38

red wines range from fresh and fruity to more full-bodied, barrel-matured styles.

Question 39

What’s the characteristics for the best white wines from provance?

Answer 39

they often make a feature of the aromatic qualities of Rolle or Clairette

Question 40

Which is the largest appellation in Provance?

Answer 40

Côtes de Provance

Question 41

Along the coast i Provance there’s three isolated pockets of vineyards, each with it’s individual AOC, which is the most important one?

Answer 41

Bandol.

Question 42

What’s produced in Bandol, what’s it’s characteristics, and how’s the terrain??

Answer 42

It produces premium reds based on the Mourvèdre grape, which is able to ropen reliably on the region’s south-facing terraced slopes.
These are dark, full-bodied wines with powerful tannins and they require bottle age before they show their gull spectrum of bramble, meat and liquorice-spicy flavours.