Vin from Southern France

 

 

Life is good along France's posh Mediterranean coast.  Seafood is plentiful, orchards and gardens are bountiful and the vineyards of Roussillon, Languedoc and Provence are busy supplying France and the world with a wide range of wine.

These are fertile lands, from the border with Spain, eastward along the Mediterranean arc.  Here, the wine culture of France is at its most colorful and diverse.  A maritime climate enhances the conditions for an abundant array of wine styles like nowhere else in France. 

As familiar as the wines of the south of France are to today's French wine drinkers, they had trouble in the past attracting the attention of Americans.  In the 1970s, as Americans were becoming more familiar with Bordeaux and Burgundy,  the Russian born American, Alexis Lichine, was busy pitching the marketing campaign, "French Country Wines," mainly about wines from the region of the Cote de Roussillon.

Lichine was known to American wine drinkers as the owner of Ch. Prieure-Lichine in Margaux, and the guy who married  glamorous Hollywood movie star, Arlene Dahl.  But his efforts to sell French country wines to Americans met with sales resistance, mostly because Americans knew little then about Mediterranean wine regions, much less that Roussillon, Languedoc and Provence have individual personalities.  

A lot has changed since Lichine's day, so let's take a closer look at the three main French Mediterranean wine regions. 

Roussillon, in the west, next to Spain, shares the Catalan culture and language with Spain.  The Spanish influence in Roussillon is similar to the history of the French-German region of Alsace. 

A large part of the Roussillon economy is dependent on olives and grapes, with abundant orchards supplying cherries, plums, peaches and apricots to markets throughout France. 

Vineyards are rooted in the valleys and  rolling foothills.  Roussillon's variety of soils are a suitable medium for a wide range of grapes.  Blends  are common in Roussillon, with Grenache Noir, Syrah and Carignan the leading red grapes and Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris and Macabeo for whites.  Macabeo is a popular white variety adopted from northern Spain.

Roussillon is famous for its range of dry and sweet Muscats, as well as Banyuls vins doux naturels, a French specialty where fermentation of a naturally sweet wine is stopped by adding grape spirits. It's essentially the same technique as is used to make Port and Madeira. 

 Roussillon Wines: Domaine Pierre Cadene, $11;  Domaine Lafarge Nicolas, $20; Danjou Bauessy, $67; Domaine Forca Real, $15.

Languedoc is France's volume leader and an ambitious producer of a range of wines, from sparkling to dessert.  Heading east along the Mediterranean, the inland region of Languedoc lies between Roussillon and Provence.  A slight detour before crossing the Rhone river takes you to the Southern Rhone and a different expression of the wines from those found in Roussillon or Provence. 

Syrah and Grenache, followed by Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvedre, are the most common red grapes.  Plantings of Carignan, once a major variety, were dramatically reduced in 2015 by an EU vine-pull scheme, to reduce a wine surplus.

Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are the leading Languedoc whites.  Chardonnay and/or Chenin Blanc play a minor role, supporting Mauzac, in Languedoc's popular sparkling wine, Blanquette de Limoux.

Long a sprawling area of limited AOC wines, In 1985, Languedoc 's noted Corbieres and Minervois wines were elevated to AOC status, boosting the total AOCs to ????. 

Languedoc Wines:  Reserve Saint Marc, $15; Deferlante, $33; Coteaux du Languedoc Saint Cristol Cuvee, $23; Les Darons, $14. 

Provençal lavender

Provence may be better known for tourism than wine, although Provence Rosé is the wine favored by locals and tourists to wash down local dishes centered around an olive oil and garlic-based cuisine, featuring aioli, the versatile garlic infused mayonnaise.

Pale pink rosés, made primarily from Grenache and Cinsault, are mildly fruity and mostly off-dry.  Mourvèdre, Carignan and Syrah are reserved for Provence red wines, while Semillon, Ugni Blanc and Vermentino are the main white grapes.  

Vermentino, known in Provence as Rolle, is identified mostly with Sardinia and had its moment a few years back as an alternative white to Albarino and Viognier.

Cassis, a small white wine area in Provence is better known for cassis, French for blackcurrant. The popular liqueur is the noted Provençal contribution to the world of drinks.  Mix cassis with chilled white wine and you have Kir. 

Not as well known outside of Provence as cassis, are the oak-aged red wines of Bandol.  Based on Mourvèdre, Bandol may also include Grenache and Cinsaut. 

Provence Wines: Chateau Saint-Pierre-Eden Rose, $20; Provence Vineyards, $23; Mas de Gourgonnier, $18; Juliette, $17. 

With some exceptions, wines from these three regions are plentiful and affordable.  The dozen wines suggested above are mainly blends and mostly red, but there are plenty of white varietal wines, sparkling wines and sweet dessert-style wines.  Most of the choices you'll find in your local market are from Languedoc, but that depends on wine merchant preferences and local demand.

Next post: Alexander Valley

Leave a comment at boydvino707@gmail.com