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The
Languedoc-Roussillon is the largest wine
producing region in the world. A bit less
than 400 000 ha produce yearly more than
28 000 000 hl of all kinds of
wines.
The soils
(schists and rocks) and the mediterranean
climate (warm and dry) form the ideal
environment for high quality
vineyards.
Thanks to its
diversity of soils and its great variety
of vines (carignan, syrah,
mourvèdre, grenache, grenache
blanc, clairette, picpoul, macabeu, etc.),
the Languedoc-Roussillon is the first
region in the world for the production of
table wines and regional wines, and
quantitatively the third region of France
for the production of guaranteed vintage
wines (AOC).
The Roussillon
occupies a privileged plage in this whole.
With its poor soils (rocks mixed with red
clays) and its dry and sunny climate, it's
the region by predilection for the
production of naturally sweet
wines.
Grape cultivating
and wine making are undoubtedly the most
ancient farming activities of the
Roussillon. Their origin goes back to the
7th century B.C.
The large range
of naturally sweet wines from Banyuls,
Rivesaltes, Maury and Muscat de Rivesaltes
are the jewels on the crown of
roussillonese vine growing.
But the region
does not content itself with this sole
speciality. It also produces white, red
and rosé guaranteed vintage wines
(AOC Côtes du Roussillon and
Côtes du Roussillon
Villages).
The naturally
sweet wines (Vins Doux Naturels - VDN) are
obtained through mutage, a manufacturing
process discovered by Arnau de Vilanova in
1285, under the reign of the Kings of
Majorca. Mutage consists of bringing to a
halt the fermentation of the wine at
15°-17° by adding pure alcohol.
This way, part of the natural sugars
remain present in the wine, hence the name
"Vin Doux Naturel".
The red
guaranteed vintage wines are made from at
least three different varieties of vines,
carignan, grenache and syrah or
mourvèdre.
The white
guaranteed vintage wines require two
different varieties of vines.
The rosé
gauranteed vintage wines are obtained
through a special manufacturing process,
called the saignée. At first the
grape juice remains for a few hours in
contact with the most. Then the juice is
separated from the solid substances
(peels, stalks) for the fermentation
process to complete.
Since a few
years, wines issued from one single
variety of vine (Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet)
have made their appearance under the
denomination of regional wines (Vins de
Pays). Amongst these wines, special
mention should be made of the Merlot wine
which is obtained through carbonic
maceration (macération carbonique).
In this manufacturing process the bunches
of grapes are not being crushed. The juice
ferments inside each individual grape
until the fruit explodes. It's a rather
delicat procedure which demands a
particular attention but the resulting
wines have a quite distinctive fruity
taste and scent.
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