French - Languedoc Print E-mail

wine_grapes1.jpgLanguedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrenees in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrenees.

Languedoc wine (typically labeled "vin de pays d'Oc") is produced in the Languedoc region of south-west France bordering Spain to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Historically of mediocre quality, it constitutes over one third of all wine produced in France and is a major contributor to the surplus known as the "wine lake". However, the Languedoc wine industry is experiencing commercial success due to outside investment and an increased focus on quality. Very important to sales has been (1) selling by brand and (2) the labeling of bottles by the variety of grapes used in their production, a practice increasingly demanded by consumers in the large New World wine market. Wines from the Mediterranean coast of Languedoc are labeled as Languedoc, those from the interior have other labels such as Fronton, Gaillac, or Limoux.