If you feel like you want to take the Occitanie wines have so much soul and personality, it is above all because the winegrowers watch over the richness, authenticity and quality of their vineyards.
Wines from the South-West, wines from Languedoc, wines from Roussillon
No less than 60 Appellations
Protected Origin
More than 50 indications
Protected Geographical
The Occitania vineyards are distributed on the ancestral soils of the south of France where the establishment of vine dates back to Antiquity. Distributed over wine-growing regions distinct from the strict perimeter of the administrative regions, they mainly cover current Occitanie, but also spill over into New Aquitaine on the western fringe and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur on the eastern fringe.
From southwest to southeast, from the near Ocean to the shores of the Mediterranean sea, brushing the Pyrenees chain then leaning against the foothills of the Massif Central that are the Cévennes and the Montagne Noire, the wine-growing areas spread over an area of 263 000 hectares, including 37 000 for the southwest part and 226 000 for the southeast part. Bringing together the historic regions of Languedoc, Roussillon and South-West, this vast territory is distinguished by a number of wine appellations without equivalent worldwide. Occitanie wines are in fact available in around sixty Protected Designations of Origin (AOP) and nearly fifty Protected Geographical Indications (IGP).
Benefiting from the proximity of the Pyrenees and the oceanic influences South West, bathed in the Mediterranean climate in Languedoc and Roussillon, the Occitania vineyards bring together in the same territory the largest range of appellation wines. The very high quality level that they have acquired also makes them ambassadors of incomparable nuances of terroir, served by the specific character of regional grape varieties and the contrasting interweaving of a variety of climatic singularities.
Wines from the Southwest or wines from Languedoc & Roussillon? Pyrenees or Mediterranean?
Southwest vineyards
Southeast vineyards
Occitanie vineyards: winegrowers in the spotlight
Occitanie ranks first in the world in terms of the extent of its wine-growing areas and the significant number of appellations grouped within the same cultural territory. Number of Occitan winegrowers is in this respect quite remarkable. All contribute to the wine reputation of their three unifying and identity regions: the South West, Languedoc and Roussillon. Each independent domain, each cooperative grouping, brings its own signature to the Occitanie wines. All are determined by the characteristics of their production area, as much as by the local and family history which governs the management of the vineyards. A dive into each of these individual stories is as revealing of a human adventure as of the highly qualitative diversity of Occitania wine terroirs.
Wines from Occitanie: an opulence of typicities
The Occitanie wines are distributed in two main types. In Languedoc and Roussillon the Mediterranean signature of the wines is essential and comes in exciting nuances depending on whether the wine-growing areas are near the sea or backed by the reliefs of the Pyrenees or the Massif Central. Red wines are in the majority, usually from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan. As for white wines, they often make the reputation of their own appellations such as Picpoul de Pinet or Clairette du Languedoc. In the South West, where oceanic influences dominate, the vineyards are distributed in archipelago. The typicity of the wines is frequently qualified by singular grape varieties such as Tannat in Madiran, Malbec in Cahors or Négrette in Fronton. The terroir of Gaillac would even be the most demonstrative, where the restoration of endemic grape varieties on the vineyard is one of the claimed characteristics of the appellation.
Find Occitanie wines on Instagram
Find Occitanie wines on InstagramOver the days and seasons, revealing the richness of the terroirs of Roussillon, Languedoc and South West, Occitanie wines are also revealed on Instagram in marriage of cuvées and flavors.
Vineyards of Occitanie: first organic wine region
Benefiting from a particularly favorable climate, Occitania occupies the first place in the classification of vineyards conducted under organic labeling. Support for virtuous wine initiatives is even one of the first commitments of the local authority. In the South-West as in Languedoc-Roussillon, the number of estates whose wines are officially certified organic or organic conversion keeps growing. If the size of the domains concerned mainly includes small farms of a few hectares managed by independent winegrowers, the dynamic is also driven by large wine-growing structures. Together, all contribute to the reputation of organic wines from Occitanie, available in all the typicities of each terroir and each appellation.
Vineyards of High Environmental Value
When the Occitania wineries do not benefit from an organic labeling, they often opt for a certification in High Environmental Value (French Environmental Label) (label HVE). This classification, supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, concerns the entire vineyard or the wines produced by the farm. It guarantees that the vineyards concerned are engaged in environmentally friendly approaches. Control is exercised on several levels of consistency: promoting biodiversity, regulate thephytosanitary intervention, rationalize fertilization and optimize theirrigation. The approach promoting good environmental health in the vineyards of the South-West and Languedoc-Roussillon, HVE certified domains are highlighted on Occitania vineyards.