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Introduction to The Wines of Languedoc Rousillon

My first ever trip as a wine professional, some thirty years ago, was to the Languedoc Rousillon region in Southern France.  Back then I was living and working in London and French wines had the largest presence in the market.

Just over the Pyrenees from Spain, historically this was the region known for producing huge volumes of inexpensive and mediocre to poor quality wines. A combination of lower wine consumption at home and competition from the New World resulted in falling sales and consequently the wines of the region went into decline, a similar story to some regions in Spain.

Many vineyards were abandoned as it was not economically viable to farm the land.Particularly hard hit where the vineyards in the more inaccessible areas where yields were very low and harvesting had to be done by hand, which added to the cost of production.

However, these partially abandoned vineyards have been the reason behind the regions revival in recent years. A younger generation of inspired winemakers have been making wines from grapes grown in single vineyards,implementing organic and biodynamic practices and the latest technology.

Rousillon is quite similar to those of Priorato with it’s hot, dry climate is very well suited to Garnacha, where you can find many old vineyards on schist soils up to 800m in altitude in the rugged hilly terrain.These conditions are perfect to make high quality Garnacha based wines.

The change in attitude has in part been due to winemakers from outside the region seeing the great potential that nature has provided with the soils and old vines.

While wine regions like Priorato and parts of the Southern Rhone were receiving worldwide critical acclaim and high prices, it was becoming clear that the Languedoc, with similar varietals and conditions, had the potential do produce top quality wines to compete with the best.

This region offers a vast selection of grapes and wine styles.There are gems to be discovered in the rolling Mediterranean hills on the other side of the Pyrenees.

The most well known regions are St Chinian, Faugeres, Corbiere, Blanquette de Limoux, known for its sparkling wine, as well as the wonderfully named Picpoul de Pinet, where you can find deliciously crisp white wines to accompany the excellent local seafood.

Some of the notable producers to look out for are Prieure de St Jean de Bebian, Chateau Complazers, Mas de Daumas Gassac, Mas Gabriel, Domaine de la Grange des Peres, Domaine La Tour Vieille, Mas Delmas, Gerard Bertrand.

Maybe you should add a trip to the wineries of the Languedoc as a destination for a weekend break.
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I am a Northern Irishman based in Valencia. My career in wine began more than three decades ago, in London. I am the founder of TheWinePlace.es, an online store, where wine enthusiasts can enjoy a selection of international wines and Verde Marte, a company dedicated to exporting Spanish wines. Also, Thewineplace.courses, an "approved program provider" of the courses of the prestigious WSET. I share my passion for wines through my media work writing weekly columns for the Spanish newspaper El Mundo and 5 Barricas, an online wine magazine.

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