Region · Southern France
Languedoc-Roussillon
lahng-DOK roo-see-YOHN
France's laboratory
The largest vineyard in the country, once bulk, now a map of appellations and rebels: Picpoul, Corbières, Pic Saint-Loup, Fitou, and Roussillon's oxidatives.
- garrigue
- black fruit
- lemon
- stone
- spice
You can still buy cheap, overcropped red. You can also buy old-vine Carignan, limestone Syrah, and some of France's most interesting natural wines, because land is still affordable.
Roussillon (Banyuls, Maury, Rivesaltes) is fortified Grenache country. Picpoul de Pinet is the oyster white. The region rewards curiosity more than brand names.
Cassoulet, grilled sardines, and goat cheese.
At the table
Service
Reds 59–63 °F (15–17 °C); Picpoul 43–46 °F (6–8 °C).
