Ep 124: Wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon

This huge wine producing region of southwest France is old, varied, and sort of inconsistent. There are a lot of misses here but a few big hits, mostly in the form of bubbles and sweet wines. If you know what you're looking for, you can get great wine.

Good AOPs include:

• Languedoc
• Corbières
• Minervois
• Roussillon
• Saint-Chinian

It's quite possible sparkling wine originated in Limoux -- Blanquette, made in the ancestrale method of the Mauzac grape, and Crémant, made in the Champagne method, are both exceptional here. 

Maybe the best stuff the Languedoc-Roussillon is the Vin Doux Naturel, or the sweet wine of the region. From Banyuls (great with chocolate) to Rivesaltes, the sweet wines are not to be missed! 

Although from my experience most of the still wines from the Languedoc are lackluster, it's an emerging region and worth a concerted effort to keep trying to see whether it will capture some of its former glory.