These two regions are often hyphenated and treated as one, but actually they are quite distinct. The Languedoc is the area in the départments of the Garde (Costières de Nîmes), Herault, and Aude (Corbières). The best vineyards are in the hills, and are referred to as the Coteaux du Languedoc. These include fairly well-known regions such as Faugères, St. Chinian, Pic St. Loup and La Clape as well as lesser-known regions such as Coteaux de la Méjanelle, Quatourze and Coteaux de St. Christol, among others.
These are excellent vineyard sites producing exciting wines in a fairly New World style from a similar grape blend to that used in the Rhône. One particularity is the inclusion of a Spanish sub-variety of Grenache referred to as Lladoner Pelut, because of the downy underside of the leaves. The soil in these vineyards is mostly schist, and the climate is moderated by the altitude of the hills.
The vineyards on the coastal plain are less interesting sites with deep, fertile soil. It is here that the wines were produced that gave the region such a bad image. It is also here that much of today’s varietal vin de pay is produced.
Corbières, Fitou and Minervois are transitional regions between Languedoc and Roussillon. Until recently, the advances in quality have not been as dramatic as among the best producers of the Languedoc, but the region is now started to wake up to modern technique and produce some delicious wine. In this region and in Côtes du Roussillon to the south, interesting wines are being produced, with the addition of Maccabeo for the whites and Lladoner Pelut for the reds. Rousillon is the region around Perpignan. It is a mountainous region, consisting of the eastern portion of the Pyrénées, and it has a distinct Spanish flavor.
 In the context of these rustic, full-bodied table wines and vins doux naturels, Limoux is something of an anomaly. Here sparkling wine is produced from Mauzac with the addition of some Chenin Blanc and (increasingly) Chardonnay. Most is made with the traditional method and nine months on the lees. Some, called Blanquette Méthode Ancestrale, is made by arresting the primary fermentation with some residual sugar remaining. This was traditionally done by a filter called manches (sleeves) because it was a long, gauzy cotton filter that slowed rather than stopped the fermentation.
Among the best-known crus of this area are Banyuls and Collioure on the rocky cliffs leading down to the Mediterranean just before the Spanish border. In this dramatic site, some of the finest Grenache in all of France is produced, with some being fortified and sold as sweet Banyuls and some being fermented to dryness to make a powerful table wine called Collioure.
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Wine Regions of the World
