Coteaux du Languedoc

Coteaux du Languedoc
Year of establishment:	1985 (red), 2005 (white)
Country:	France
Sub-regions:	15th
Cultivation climate:	Mediterranean
Soil types:	Hillside location with terraces: gravel, sandstone, marl, lime, slate, clay and volcanic rock, mostly mixed
Planted acreage:	8000 ha
Grape varieties:	Grenache Noir, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan Noir, Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Bourboulenc, Piquepoul Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, Rolle, Tourbat, Carignan Blanc, Terret Blanc, Ugni Blanc, Maccabeu, Viognier
Wine quantity:	200,000 hl / 150 million bottles

The AOC Coteaux du Languedoc is a wine-growing region in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France, spread over the departments of Hérault and Aude . It is one of the oldest wine-growing regions in France, the Greeks planted vines here around 2500 years ago. The area, which was awarded the status of Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée for its red and rosé wines on December 24, 1985 , borders the Costières de Nîmes wine-growing region to the east and extends to Narbonne to the west . To the north the foothills of the Massif Central form the geographical border and to the south the Mediterranean Sea.

The production area covers almost 10,000 hectares , from which about 256,000 hectoliters are vinified. The appellation is the largest within the Languedoc . The share of red wines is 70%, rosé and white wines each have a share of 15%. The area, which includes a total of 141 municipalities, is divided into seven sub-appellations and local appellations. These may add their own name to the appellation.

The three leading subappellations are La Clape, Pic St. Loup and Grès de Montpellier.

history

Greeks and Etruscans brought about 600 BC. Viticulture in the Languedoc. The very favorable climatic conditions were soon recognized and production increased enormously, so that the wines were exported to Egypt , Greece and Turkey . However, the Roman Emperor Domitian prevented this in 92 to protect his own production. After centuries of stagnation, the opening of the Canal du Midi in 1680 opened up new trading opportunities. At the end of the 19th century, the phylloxera disaster caused enormous damage. As a result, new quality criteria for wine production were decided. These efforts were rewarded for the first time in 1945 with the naming of the first Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS). In 1948 Clairette du Languedoc received the status of its own AOC. The Saint-Chinian and Faugères growing regions followed in May 1982, followed by the Coteaux du Languedoc in December 1985, initially for its red and rosé wines, and then also for the white wines in 1988. The subappellation La Clape has had its own AOC status since spring 2009.

Orography and climate

The wine-growing region is characterized by a diverse landscape and a wide variety of soils, which creates wines with an individual character.

Three zones can be distinguished from south to north:

the coastal plain with elevations not exceeding 50 m
the Garigue -covered hilly hinterland with a height of up to 300 m
the foothills of the Montagne Noire and the Cevennes

The Pic-St. Loup in winter

The 658 m high Pic-St. Loup, about 20 km northeast of Montpellier , which gives the subappellation of the same name its name and has a formative influence on the character of the wines produced there. The same applies to the Massif de La Clape, an approximately 15,000 hectare limestone massif that rises about 200 m east of Narbonne at the mouth of the Aude River into the Mediterranean Sea. The altitude and the cooling wind blowing from the sea enable the production of very individual wines. The white wines in particular, which are mainly made from the Bourboulenc grape variety, are of remarkable quality.

A great variety of soil types can be found in the Coteaux du Languedoc. In the coastal areas there is an alternation of alluvial soils , limestone and mineral-rich clay soils. In the hinterland up to the foothills of the mountains there are iron-rich clay soils, pebbly limestone soils, slate and nutrient-poor sandy soils. The vines are often grown on terraces.

The climate throughout the wine-growing region is Mediterranean, i. H. summers have little rainfall and are very hot. In the higher altitudes it cools down more at night. This higher interdiural temperature variability is an important factor influencing the development of a balanced fruit-acid interplay in wine. On the coast, the maritime influence ensures slightly lower temperatures. In winter, the precipitation usually falls as rain, it remains practically frost-free.

Different regional winds have an influence on the development of the vines. On many days the dry and cooling Cers blows from the northwest between the foothills of the Montage Noire and the Pyrenees . In the east of the wine-growing area, the influence of the mistral ensures dry air, which is beneficial for the vines.

Grape varieties

Red grape varieties

In order to achieve a higher quality in the growing area, other varieties were introduced in the past century, including Syrah and Mourvèdre . Together with Grenache Noir, which was originally from Languedoc, these two form the main varieties in the blend with a share of at least 50%. Secondary varieties are Cinsault and Carignan noir . In the individual sub-appellations, the proportions of the main varieties are usually even higher.

White grape varieties

Many different types are blended for the production of white wine. The main varieties with a share of at least 70% are Bourboulenc, Clairette Blanche , Grenache Blanc , Piquepoul Blanc , Roussanne , Marsanne and Rolle (better known under the name Vermentino ), while Carignan Blanc , Maccabeu , Terret Blanc , Ugni Blanc and Viognier .

The subappellation Picpoul de Pinet has a specialty, it is grape-bound: the wine of the same name is made from the Picpoul blanc grape, one of the oldest grape varieties in Languedoc.

Production criteria

The yield is limited to 50 hectoliters per hectare for red and rosé wines and to 60 hl / ha for white wines. In the subappellations of Grés de Montpellier and Terrasses du Larzac it is only 45 hl / ha. In recent years the Coteaux du Languedoc has achieved an average yield of 46 hl / ha.

The alcohol content must be at least 11.5% by volume, in Grés de Montpellier and in the Terrasses du Larzac more than 12% by volume.

Young vines are authorized to be sold as appellation wines in the individual areas between the third and seventh year after planting.

The planting density is at least 4000 vines per hectare. In some cases, planting is also done more densely in order to increase the competition between the vines for nutrients on the poor soils. This leads to a lower weight of the grapes and a lower yield and thus a concentration of the aromas in the grapes.

Renaming to AOC du Languedoc

To improve the marketing of wines from Languedoc-Roussillon, the new super appellation AOC du Languedoc was launched in 2007 . It includes all AOCs from Nîmes to the foot of the eastern Pyrenees in Roussillon. The production criteria of the AOC Coteaux du Languedoc apply as the basis. Winemakers of this appellation can keep the old name until 2012.

Web links

literature

Hugh Johnson , Jancis Robinson : The Wine Atlas . 6th edition. Gräfe and Unzer, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8338-1219-4 .
Hugh Johnson, Steven Brook : The Great Johnson: The Encyclopedia of Wines, Regions, and Winemakers of the World. 6th, completely revised edition. Gräfe and Unzer Verlag, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-8338-1621-5 .
Hachette Wine Guide France 2000 . Gräfe and Unzer Verlag, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-7742-5266-1 .