Languedoc Wine: The Largest Wine Region in France & The World

Languedoc wine comes from the Languedoc Roussillon region in southern France. Not only is it the largest wine region in France, but it is also the largest wine producing region in the world.

The region has more than 30,000 wine producers and 290,000 hectares of vines (approximately 760,000 acres). This is just a little less than the total amount of vines planted in all of the wine regions in the US.

Almost 33% of all French wines come from this region.

Due to the size of this French wine region, there is a wide variety of wines in the region. Over 80% of the wine from this region is red. The majority of the red wines are blends.

Producers use both international and local red varieties. International varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon wine, Cabernet Franc wine and Merlot wine. They also use local varieties that originated in nearby regions such as Grenache wine, Syrah wine, Mourvedre wine and Carignan.

Over the last 30 years, the region has done a lot to improve the quality of their wines. This makes it an exciting region to watch. Many of the wines are also unpredictable, which makes them fun to try.

The Languedoc wine region is the most southern wine region in the country. It borders the Rhone Valley to the north, the Mediterranean to the southeast and Provence to the west. The southern tip of the Roussillon part of the region touches the northern part of Spain.

The region has a Mediterranean climate. Summers are hot and dry. Winters are mild with days rarely below freezing. The region also enjoys more than 300 sunny days a year!

History of French Wine in the Languedoc Roussillon Region

The history of French wine in this region starts in a similar manner to other wine regions in France. The Greeks planted vines around 600 BC. Some of the oldest vines in France are in this region near the city of Narbonne.

Wine making improved in the region during the time the Romans lived here. They worked hard to understand the varieties that worked well in the region and increased the quality of wine production.

The Languedoc wine region faced additional challenges, since it transferred empires about every 100 to 200 years. This was quite a bit more than other wine regions in France. This transfer of power created inconsistencies in the wine production and it affected its quality.

Finally, in the late thirteenth century, the Languedoc region officially became part of France. It was not until 1659 with the Treaty of Pyrenees that the Roussillon region merged into France. Prior to that time, it was part of Spain and many Spanish influences are still noticeable today.

The quality of Languedoc wine was high in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. However, in 1868, phylloxera hit the region hard.

Producers quickly ripped out the vines and replanted them with American resistant rootstock. This French wine region moved fast and was the first to replant their vineyards.

Before phylloxera hit, the region grew more than 150 different wine varieties. Today, there are around 30 wine varieties.

Throughout the early 1900s, Languedoc wine was always average at best. This French wine region is large and had high yields, which created very simple table wines. The wines flew off the shelves until tastes changed in the 1970s. At that time, the French started demanding higher quality wines and they stopped buying the table wines from this region. The region had to change.

Throughout the 1980s, the region did a number of things to increase the quality of their wines. They lowered the amount of wine produced per hectare (or acre). They did extensive research to determine how to grow the varieties currently planted in the region more effectively. The research also included information on what other varieties would grow well based on climate, soil and other environmental factors.

Each year, the quality of Languedoc wine increased. Their reputation improved and wine lovers throughout the world started to notice them. Today, the region is still focused on quality and continuing their efforts to produce highly sought after wines.

Languedoc Red Wines & AOCs

Ten percent of the wines from the region are from the 30 Languedoc AOCs. Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault are the main grapes used for red wines produced in these AOCs.  

In 2007, the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO) officially created the regional Languedoc AOC. It was a critical time for this French wine region because it confirmed they were now producing higher quality wines. To meet the requirements for this newly formed AOC, producers could use grapes for wines from both the Languedoc and the Roussillon areas.

Languedoc wine vintages to look for are:

• Exceptional vintages: 2000, 2003 and 2007
• Excellent vintages: 2001
• Very good vintages: 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006

Here is a little more about some of the top red wine AOCs in the region:

Roussillon Red Wines & AOCs

Roussillon red wine is different from Languedoc wine. Three percent of the wine from the region is from Roussillon AOCs.

Most of the reds from this region lead with Grenache vs. Carignan in the Languedoc region. Red blends from the AOCs include Grenache, Carignan, Lladoner Pelut, Mourvedre and Syrah.

There are 13 AOCs in this part of the region. The most well-known AOCs are:

• Cotes du Roussillon: Regional AOC, use grapes from anywhere in the Roussillon region
• Cotes du Roussillon-Villages: One level higher in quality, reds only and covers 33% of the north area in this wine region in France  
• Cotes du Roussillon Les Aspres: Another option for red wines from this region, also higher quality wines from the villages located in this AOC

Vintages to look out for from this region for red wines are 2000, 2001*, 2003*, 2004, 2005*, 2006, 2007*, 2008* and 2009. The years with stars are excellent vintages, while those without are very good vintages.

This region also produces more than 90% of the Vins Doux Natural AOC wines in France. These are high quality, sweet, fortified wines. There are both red and white sweet fortified wines produced in this region. The two main sweet red fortified wine AOCs are:

Vins de Pays in Languedoc Roussillon French Wine Region

The majority of Languedoc wine is at the Vins de Pays level. This is a different classification system than the AOC system (learn more about the quality levels in the French wine labels article). They are usually lower quality wines with fewer regulations than AOC wines.

Fifty six percent of the wines in this region are Vins de Pays. Forty percent of these are from the largest region, Vins de Pays d’Oc. The other 16% is from the other Vins de Pay regions in Languedoc Roussillon.

Since there are fewer regulations in the Vins de Pays system, producers in the area use red wine varieties that are not traditional to the region. These include international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet France, Merlot and Pinot Noir wine. Some wine makers also blend in the red wines that are more traditional to this region including Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache.

Producers can use one, two or more varieties in this type of Languedoc wine. The most popular Vins de Pays d’Oc in France is the Cabernet Sauvignon, which is typically the highest quality wine from this region. Merlot is the most exported.

Vins de Pays wines from the region include the variety of the wine or the producer name on the bottle. This is different from AOC wine regulations, but more common to the labeling practices of wines from the US or other New World areas.

Languedoc Wine Day is November 10

Languedoc Day is a day set aside to celebrate the wines from this French region. It is November 10.

This wine region in France has come a long way in the last 30 years. To bring awareness to the region and their wines, they set aside this day to celebrate.

There is so much variety to choose from in this region at several different price points. Celebrate along with the region and pick up a bottle of Languedoc today either online or at your local wine store.