The largest wine producing area of the world can be found at the border of the Mediterranean Sea, in between Spain and the Rhone delta. Out of a population of 2.4 million, there are fifty thousand involved in growing vines. The area they consume spans twenty-seven thousand and four hundred square kilometres (10500 miles). There are 400 cooperatives and about 2800 private wineries in the land with Banyuls to the southwest and Muscat to the east. Out of that comes two billion bottles of wine.
The area has hot
summers and mild winters. The soil ranges from sandstone and limestone to
granite pebbles. Cargnan, Merlot and Grenache other red wines are produced here
and among the white wines there is Roussane, Chardonnay and Viognier.
It was the Greeks
who started the cultivation of vineyards in this area as early as the 6th
century BC when the Romans arrived in the region this cultivation was developed
and it went on with the Visigoths in the 5th century. The monasteries in the
9th century developed the hillside regions for the vineyards and used the
valleys for grains and in the 19th century the plains became vineyards as well.
Currently it is the plains of Herault, Gard and Aude that make up a half of
France’s overall grape yield.
For some years the
quality of wines began to lag but in the past few decades with the emergence of
Syrah there is been a return to quality. Syrah is opaque, purple in colour, and
has the scent of sweet black berry spiced with cassis and black pepper
The Vin de Pay D’Oc
has been improving the region’s reputation in the past ten years with the Corbieres
and the earthy Minervois.
Most winegrowing
areas are dominated by a particular Chateau. In this area this is not so, most
wines are produces by cooperatives who buy grapes grown on local farms. The
grapes are put through a process that includes adding grape spirit. This stops
the fermentation, saves the sweetness and raises the alcohol level to fifteen
or sixteen percent. Wines such as Vin Doux Naturel made from Grenache or Muscat
and Muscat de Frontignan or Banyuls are made from this process. They are
wonderful dessert wines and are similar to port when it comes to aging
potential.
White wine grown
here are also of high quality. The Chardonnay and Marsanne are grown in
Argelier, an area west of Bezier. The dry, fresh taste with an aroma of apple and
oak comes from the chalky soil and the early harvesting process which allows
for only a few hours of skin contact before pressing.
There are other red
wines of interest such as the full bodied, spicy Corbieres that are made from
Carignan and Grenache grapes grown in marl, sandstone and limestone. There are
more than seventy million bottles produced that can go through three to seven
years of aging.
In the sunniest
region of France, the Pyrenees in Roussillon produces another variety of reds.
The area is closer to Spain and the Carignan is the main grape variety grown in
the region. The wine produced is of medium body, spicy and has hints of
licorice.
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