SUN-DRENCHED SOUTHERN FRANCE
Famille JM Cazes Domaine de L’Ostal Rosé France $17.99 71191 A delicate pink blend of Grenache and Syrah, this pretty Pays d’Oc delivers tangy red berry and orange blossom notes. It’s juicy and dry.
Domaine de l’Olivette Rouge France $19.99 626242 This organic Pays d’Oc blend of Merlot, Grenache and Syrah has notable earthiness. Expect plum, cherry, fennel and mint, and a fresh and fulfilling palate.
Bastide Miraflors Côtes Catalanes France $26.99 457184
This Côtes Catalanes blend of Syrah and Grenache is silky and fleshy with wild raspberry, cherry and licorice aromas. It’s deliciously balanced and approachable.
“Blessed with a rich and diverse landscape, sea and mountain breezes... not to mention ample sunshine to perfectly ripen wine grapes, Occitanie is, quite simply, abundant.”
In Roussillon, 24 grape varieties are approved and grown in a patchwork of microterroirs. The soils are derived from schist, granite and limestone, or, in the case of Les Aspres, gravel and yellow clay. Grenache is the most widely planted red variety by far, followed by Carignan and Syrah. You’ll also find Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre and Cinsault grapes. For white wines, the grapes are Grenache Blanc, Macabeu, Malvoisie, Marsanne, Roussanne, Vermentino and Viognier. In the AOP of Banyuls, vines for the vins doux naturels grow on narrow terraces of grey schist. Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris and Muscat dominate the blends. Some wines are labelled Vin de Pays d’Oc. They are made outside the borders of Occitanie’s AOPs or by producers who opt for the more lenient IGP regulations, which give them more freedom and flexibility in winemaking. As you can see, from vibrant bubbles and precocious pinks to racy whites, robust reds and succulent sweet sips, the south of France has our favourite wines covered.
Roussillon Nestled between Languedoc and the
Limoux and Blanquette de Limoux Méthode Ancestrale. The “ancestrale” method involves bottling the grape juice as it is still fermenting, thereby trapping carbon dioxide and creating a fizzy wine. The main ingredients in Limoux’s bubbles are Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Mauzac. In the middle of Languedoc are landlocked Faugerès and Saint-Chinian. In the former, Grenache, Syrah and Carignan are the primary blenders for reds and rosés. Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Roussanne make up its whites. Those same three grapes combine in most of Saint-Chinian’s whites, while its red and rosé blends are dominated by Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Finally, halfway between Narbonne and Montpellier is the enchanting seaside Picpoul de Pinet AOP, which only produces fresh and dry white wines called Picpoul.
Pyrenees, Roussillon is an amphitheatre- shaped area facing the Mediterranean. Ruled by Spain until 1659, Roussillon has its own unique history and continuing affinity with Spanish Catalonia. Over the centuries, its reputation for outstanding sweet fortified wines (known as vins doux naturels) has grown. Roussillon has nine dry wine AOPs and five sweet wine AOPs. BCLIQUOR stores carry wines from Roussillon, including Côtes du Roussillon Villages Les Aspres, Côtes du Roussillon Villages and Banyuls AOPs and the Côtes Catalanes indication géographique protégée (IGP, or Protected Geographical Indication). An IGP generally covers more area than an AOP and has fewer winemaking regulations and restrictions.
bcliquorstores.com
61
Powered by FlippingBook