Languedoc-Roussillon Updates
My book the Wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon was first published in 2014 and since then very few changes have occurred, but they are gradually coming. Although the book remains up to date, a few new developments have occurred and to keep readers informed updates will be published on this page
French wine is governed by rules intended to protect history, tradition and wines styles and therefore change can be slow but new things do happen...
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Changes to the Minervois Appellation
One of the things that makes this region so exciting is how the various terroirs impact on wine styles. This is leading to new appellations forming but it can take ten years for the INOA, the agency that looks after appellations and IGP’s to approve them. There are a few new Cru coming soon in the Minervois and when full details are available they will be published here. In the meantime here’s what we know so far.
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The Minervois currently has one cru, La Livinière which is discussed on page 108 of the book. This cru for red wine only will soon be joined by four others;
Minervois-Cazelles
Minervois-Cazelles is a tiny hamlet in the high Minervois overlooking the Cesse valley and close to the village of Saint-Jean-du-Minervois. Wine makers who grow on this ‘island of vines’ have long been convinced of the freshness and minerality imparted by the particular limestone soils called "Peyre Ficats" (the singing stones) and banded together to apply for cru status in 2015 and hope is it will be awarded in 2025. The land has an altitude of around 300 meters which offers cooler growing conditions and diurnal temperatures that tend to create wines with good acidity, important in hot climates. The relative coolness brings a longer growing season which allows the grapes to reach maturity in both sugar and phenolics.
Minervois-Laure
Minervois-Laure also applied in 2015. This would be cru revolves around the village of Laure-Minervois but also encompasses 8 others where 11 wine estates produce excellent Minervois wines. This terroir covers 500 ha out of a total of 3,500 that make up the entire Minervois appellation. The land lies in the heart of a natural amphitheatre formed by vine covered hills, pine forests and fragrant garrigue that offers some protection from the Cers wind. The soils are varied but often stoney sandstone and marl and rain fall is low and the wines tend to have a harmony of sweet spices and fresh fruits intermingled with notes of garrigue and sometimes hints of quince and orange peel.
Minervois-Terrasses de l'Argent Double
This terroir owes its name and its topography to the river which created fluvial terraces during the succession of glaciation and inter-glaciation periods and surround the villages of Trausse and Caunes-Minervois.
The terroir is characterized by moderately acidic soils that give the wines great roundness and balance between acidity, tannins and body. The cru was applied for in 2019 and I suspect it will not be awarded for a few years yet.
Minervois-La Caunette
Minervois-La Caunette applied in 2020. The beautiful terroir surrounds the villages of Minerve and La Caunette and is one of the most breathtaking areas known as the ‘Causse’ which translates as limestone plateau. The landscape is sliced by deep gorges that reveal layers of different limestone periods. The cool air descending from the Montagne Noire slows warming and the dry winds sweeping the undulating landscape mitigate the heat and aerate the vineyards keeping the grapes in good health. The wines have freshness and delicious perfume often accented with garrigue notes.
Vin de France
The Vin de France label no longer signifies a ‘vin ordinaire’ as it once did. In fact, depending on the price of the wine, this labelling term can denote an outstanding wine that simply does not conform to the rules of appellation or Vin du Pays. Let’s take Pet Nat for instance. When wine makers began making these delicious fizzy’s they couldn’t label them appellation because Pet Nat hadn’t been considered when the rules for traditional wines were drawn up. The same goes for Vin du Pays, so the only choice the wine maker has is to label their Pet Nat’s as Vin de France.
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The same can be said for a fine red or white wine that is either grown on land not included in the appellation or made from excluded grapes. The wine maker has the choice to label the wine Vin de France or he/she can use Vin du Pay if the wine complies with those rules.
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The lesson here is to remember appellation does not guarantee quality, it’s only the wine maker who can do that.
Pet Nat Explained
Pet Nat stands for naturally petiant, in other words naturally fizzy. This means it has not gone through a second fermentation as Champagne and crémant wines have. Instead, the bubbles were formed by trapping CO2 produced by the yeast during the first fermentation. There are two main ways of doing this.
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Start the fermentation as usual but when the yeast has only partially done the job the wine makers chills the must thus arresting the fermentation. The wine is then bottled and obviously contains residual sugar and when the bottle is brought to normal temperature the yeast begin work again, Because the bottle is closed with a crown cap (like a beer bottle) the CO2 can’t escape and dissolves into the wine making it fizzy.
This method produces a bottle of fizz that, depending on when you buy it can be still undergoing fermentation and can therefore still be a little sweet. The longer you wait the dryer it gets. These wines can be volatile so be careful when you open the bottle..!
Method two is for the wine maker to freeze a portion of the must (juice) before fermentation and to fully ferment to dryness the remainder. When the wine is bottled some of the now defrosted juice is added to the bottle and a fermentation takes place with the crown cap trapping the CO2 inside.
Orange Wine Explained
Orange wines, sometimes called amber, or perhaps skin-macerated are wines made from white grapes using a similar method to most red wine. Usually, white wines are made from the juice only but with orange wines, just as with most reds the skins and the pips are included in a long maceration of around 4 weeks, although this will vary depending on the winemaker.
This style of wine is new to many of us however, in Eastern Europe wine has been made this way for millennia, especially in places like Georgia. Wine makers there believe this style of white wine is far superior to standard white wine because the skin contains an array of components including tannins and anthocyanins that add character to the wine.
Not everyone is a fan however and this may be due to the way you perceive wine and how you drink it. If you’re looking for a refreshing fruity wine to sip with a salad or a light dish such as oysters then an Orange wine will definitely disappoint. But if you’re looking for a wine with body to enjoy with a fine meal such as pork with an orange sauce then you’ve found the match.
Blouge Explained
The term 'blouge' is a blend of the words ‘white’ and ‘red’ which is exactly what the resulting wine is too, although it could also include ‘gris’ grapes. It’s a style of wine gaining popularity as many consumers are looking for a light bodied wines that are refreshing and easy to drink and always served chilled no matter how dark in colour the wine is.