Languedoc-Roussillon

Faugères and Saint-Chinian: schist hills, savoury reds, strong value for the price.

Neighbouring hill appellations north-west of Béziers. Faugères is all schist and gives stony, spicy reds with garrigue; Saint-Chinian has darker, firmer reds on schist in the north-west and softer, fresher ones on clay-limestone in the south-east. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan blends, plus fresh whites and rosés. Saint-Chinian is often offered as a cheaper alternative to Priorat.

Neighbouring hill appellations north-west of Béziers. Faugères is all schist and gives stony, spicy reds with garrigue; Saint-Chinian has darker, firmer reds on schist in the north-west and softer, fresher ones on clay-limestone in the south-east. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan blends, plus fresh whites and rosés. Saint-Chinian is often offered as a cheaper alternative to Priorat.

Limoux: cool foothills near Carcassonne; Blanquette and Crémant fizz, plus Chardonnay.

South of Carcassonne, the Pyrenean foothills are cooler and wetter than the rest of the Languedoc, so the focus is sparkling and fresh whites, not Mediterranean reds. Blanquette de Limoux is the old style: Mauzac, light and crisp with apple-skin flavour. Crémant de Limoux is Chardonnay-led, creamier, with citrus and white fruit. Still Limoux Chardonnay is barrel-fermented and fuller.

South of Carcassonne, the Pyrenean foothills are cooler and wetter than the rest of the Languedoc, so the focus is sparkling and fresh whites, not Mediterranean reds. Blanquette de Limoux is the old style: Mauzac, light and crisp with apple-skin flavour. Crémant de Limoux is Chardonnay-led, creamier, with citrus and white fruit. Still Limoux Chardonnay is barrel-fermented and fuller.

Brandade de Nîmes with Crémant de Limoux.

Salt cod whipped with olive oil and milk, served hot or cold. A dry, creamy Limoux fizz handles the richness.

Salt cod whipped with olive oil and milk, served hot or cold. A dry, creamy Limoux fizz handles the richness.

Banyuls, Maury, Rivesaltes: fortified Grenache sweets, from fresh and fruity to nutty and aged.

These sweet wines are fortified, not dried-grape: grape spirit stops fermentation and keeps natural sweetness. Banyuls grows on terraced schist right on the sea; Maury is its inland counterpart in the Agly valley; Rivesaltes covers a wide area between, and Muscat de Rivesaltes is the aromatic white. Two styles: young and fruity, like vintage Port, or long cask-aged and nutty (rancio).

These sweet wines are fortified, not dried-grape: grape spirit stops fermentation and keeps natural sweetness. Banyuls grows on terraced schist right on the sea; Maury is its inland counterpart in the Agly valley; Rivesaltes covers a wide area between, and Muscat de Rivesaltes is the aromatic white. Two styles: young and fruity, like vintage Port, or long cask-aged and nutty (rancio).

Banyuls or Maury with dark chocolate and berry puddings.

The classic pairing: the wine's ripe berry fruit and sweetness meet chocolate on equal terms. Serve it cool.

The classic pairing: the wine's ripe berry fruit and sweetness meet chocolate on equal terms. Serve it cool.

Syrah: pepper and dark fruit - the lead grape in Pic Saint-Loup.

In the cooler limestone hills it is fresh and peppery with violets; in warmer sites it adds colour, structure and spice to Grenache blends.

In the cooler limestone hills it is fresh and peppery with violets; in warmer sites it adds colour, structure and spice to Grenache blends.

Dry climate makes organic and biodynamic farming practical.

Sun, wind and low disease pressure mean many growers farm without chemicals. A large share of Faugères growers are organic or biodynamic, and the south is the heart of France's organic vineyard area.

Sun, wind and low disease pressure mean many growers farm without chemicals. A large share of Faugères growers are organic or biodynamic, and the south is the heart of France's organic vineyard area.

Off the beaten path: Matassa's orange Macabeu.

Tom Lubbe's skin-contact white from Calce, dry, light and unfiltered - a bottle few friends will have tried.

Tom Lubbe's skin-contact white from Calce, dry, light and unfiltered - a bottle few friends will have tried.

La Clape: sea-washed limestone massif by Narbonne; salty Bourboulenc whites, powerful reds.

A limestone hill beside the sea near Narbonne: very sunny, windy and nearly dry. The reds are full, deep and balsamic. The whites, built on local Bourboulenc, are the draw - round but fresh, floral, with a salty, iodine edge. Roughly one bottle in five is white, unusually high for the south.

A limestone hill beside the sea near Narbonne: very sunny, windy and nearly dry. The reds are full, deep and balsamic. The whites, built on local Bourboulenc, are the draw - round but fresh, floral, with a salty, iodine edge. Roughly one bottle in five is white, unusually high for the south.

The other colour: a La Clape white.

Château Mire l'Etang for the lean, salty style, or Château d'Anglès Grand Vin Blanc for the oaked, richer one.

Château Mire l'Etang for the lean, salty style, or Château d'Anglès Grand Vin Blanc for the oaked, richer one.

Domaine Ollier-Taillefer: reliable family Faugères; Castel Fossibus and Grande Réserve.

Fifth-generation siblings on about 36 hectares, organic since 2012. Castel Fossibus and Grande Réserve are the reds; Allegro is the white and Les Collines the rosé.

Fifth-generation siblings on about 36 hectares, organic since 2012. Castel Fossibus and Grande Réserve are the reds; Allegro is the white and Les Collines the rosé.

Terrasses du Larzac: high, cool-night hills; silky, fresh red blends with garrigue.

Terraced hills climbing to the Larzac plateau give the biggest day-to-night swings in the Languedoc. Reds are always blends - dark cherry, blackberry, thyme and pepper, silky and lively rather than jammy. The area is large and the style varies by village; the pioneers around Jonquières set the standard.

Terraced hills climbing to the Larzac plateau give the biggest day-to-night swings in the Languedoc. Reds are always blends - dark cherry, blackberry, thyme and pepper, silky and lively rather than jammy. The area is large and the style varies by village; the pioneers around Jonquières set the standard.

Celebration: a top red - Gauby Muntada or Mas Jullien's Autour de Jonquières.

The region's collector reds, made in small quantities and well worth carrying home.

The region's collector reds, made in small quantities and well worth carrying home.

Château Ollieux Romanis: 60-hectare organic Boutenac estate; Cuvée Atal Sia and Cuvée Or.

Cuvée Classique is the entry red; Cuvée Atal Sia and Cuvée Or are the Boutenac top wines.

Cuvée Classique is the entry red; Cuvée Atal Sia and Cuvée Or are the Boutenac top wines.

Roussillon: sun-baked, Spanish-feeling hills; old Grenache and Carignan, plus a strong natural scene.

Roussillon is hot and dry, with old vines on schist, granite and limestone in the Agly valley, the Fenouillèdes and along the coast. Reds are robust and ripe; whites from Grenache Blanc, Macabeu and Roussanne are full-bodied. Many of the best wines carry the wider IGP Côtes Catalanes or Vin de France instead of an appellation, so judge by grower. On the coast, Collioure makes heady dry reds from the same terraced schist as Banyuls.

Roussillon is hot and dry, with old vines on schist, granite and limestone in the Agly valley, the Fenouillèdes and along the coast. Reds are robust and ripe; whites from Grenache Blanc, Macabeu and Roussanne are full-bodied. Many of the best wines carry the wider IGP Côtes Catalanes or Vin de France instead of an appellation, so judge by grower. On the coast, Collioure makes heady dry reds from the same terraced schist as Banyuls.

Château Maris: biodynamic Minervois La Livinière; La Touge and Les Planels.

A pioneering biodynamic estate in the La Livinière cru. Its range also includes Natural Selection.

A pioneering biodynamic estate in the La Livinière cru. Its range also includes Natural Selection.

Native yeasts, whole bunches and minimal sulfur: the low-intervention edge.

Barral, Gauby and Le Soula use native yeasts and, at Le Soula, whole bunches; Barral adds nothing and uses no sulfur at bottling. Expect livelier, more variable wines that should be stored cool.

Barral, Gauby and Le Soula use native yeasts and, at Le Soula, whole bunches; Barral adds nothing and uses no sulfur at bottling. Expect livelier, more variable wines that should be stored cool.

Schist gives darker, stonier reds; limestone gives fresher, finer ones.

Faugères is all schist; Saint-Chinian has a schist side and a limestone side; Pic Saint-Loup and La Clape are limestone; Collioure and Banyuls are coastal schist. The rock explains much of the style.

The rock under the vines is the quickest way to predict the glass. Faugères is the Languedoc's schist appellation: the stone drains freely, pushes roots deep and gives stony, spicy, sinewy reds. Saint-Chinian splits along a diagonal line. Schist in the north-west gives darker, firmer reds with smoky, mineral depth; clay-limestone in the south-east gives lighter, fresher, softer ones with clearer Syrah and Grenache fruit. Pic Saint-Loup is mostly limestone, dolomite and marl, which favours cooler, finer, more mineral Syrah. La Clape is a limestone massif beside the sea. Collioure and Banyuls grow on brown schist terraces right at the coast. So when two bottles from the same name taste different, ask which side of the geology they come from. Neither rock is better; they suit different tables.

Cazes: Rivesaltes headquarters; Ambré 1999, Cuvée Aimé Cazes and Muscat de Rivesaltes.

A family house since 1895, farmed organically and biodynamically. Its aged Rivesaltes are the benchmark for the oxidative style.

Cazes has made wine since 1895 and is run today by Emmanuelle Cazes, the fourth generation. It farms organically and biodynamically and is best known for sweet wines, aged in old barrels at its Rivesaltes headquarters. The wines to know are Rivesaltes Ambré - the 1999 is amber, with oriental spice, dried fruit, orange peel and a hint of rancio, power balanced by freshness; Cuvée Aimé Cazes, an old Rivesaltes named for the family's first winemaker (a 1978 has been tasted); and the lighter, aromatic Muscat de Rivesaltes. The house also makes dry reds, whites and rosés, including Côtes du Roussillon Villages, and owns Clos de Paulilles on the coast, with Collioure and Banyuls. The headquarters restaurant, La Table d'Aimé, serves a chalked daily menu.

Young 'Vintage' VDN is fruity; Ambré and rancio bottles are nutty and aged.

A vintage-dated, youthful Maury or Banyuls is ripe and berry-fruited, like a vintage Port. An Ambré or long-aged bottle spends years in cask and turns nutty, orange-peel and spice. Both are sweet; they are different drinks.

Vin Doux Naturel labels tell you which of two families you are buying. A youthful, vintage-dated bottle is deep ruby with ripe bramble fruit and Grenache pepper; Mas Amiel's Vintage Maury is made in the same way as vintage Port, and is best served cool, with chocolate or berry puddings. An aged bottle is oxidative: Cazes's Rivesaltes Ambré 1999, reportedly kept in large foudres for years, is amber with oriental spice, dried fruit, orange peel and a hint of rancio, with freshness holding the power in check. Rancio is the nutty, savoury, tawny note that comes from long ageing in wood. Banyuls runs from light red to deep brown and the top bottlings are aged for much longer in wood; Mas Blanc and La Rectorie are known for extended ageing. Ask the cellar which style is in the glass before you pour.

Mas Jullien: Olivier Jullien's Jonquières estate; Autour de Jonquières is the reference red.

A founding name of the Larzac renaissance, started in 1985. The reds come from old vines around Jonquières.

Olivier Jullien started Mas Jullien in Jonquières in 1985 and is one of three names usually credited with reviving quality in the Larzac hills, alongside Aimé Guibert at Mas de Daumas Gassac (1974) and Laurent Vaille at Domaine de la Grange des Pères (1992). The estate's reference red is Autour de Jonquières, made from about 18 hectares of old vines. Jullien's range also takes in Carignan, Mourvèdre and Chenin Blanc, so the estate attracts a following well beyond the Hérault. Taste it as the baseline for what Larzac can do: silky, fresh and savoury rather than big. Daumas Gassac and Grange des Pères are labelled as IGP, not Terrasses du Larzac, so look for them by name.

Domaine Gauby: Gérard Gauby's Calce estate; Les Calcinaires, Muntada, Vieilles Vignes.

Pure, fresh, dense reds and whites from organic vineyards at Calce. Les Calcinaires is the entry; Muntada is the top red.

Gérard Gauby works in Calce and is regarded as the master of the village; he runs the estate with his son and his wife. Farming is organic and biodynamic, and the wines are pure, fresh and dense, with fine tannins. Les Calcinaires is the entry red, a Côtes Catalanes IGP from limestone, clay, schist and rolled pebbles: whole-cluster, native yeasts, then eight months in concrete and old foudres. Muntada is the top red. Les Vieilles Vignes comes in red and white; Coume Gineste, La Jasse and Calcinaires Blanc are whites, and Roque is an orange-style white made by maceration. Gauby also partnered in Le Soula in the Fenouillèdes. Many Gauby bottles carry IGP or Vin de France rather than an appellation, so the producer name is the guide.

Mas Amiel: the Maury estate; its Vintage Maury is the fruity, youthful style.

Mostly Grenache Noir, made like vintage Port: ripe berry fruit and pepper, best served cool with chocolate.

Mas Amiel is the estate to know in Maury, Banyuls's inland counterpart in the Agly valley. Its Vintage Maury is the youthful style of red VDN: mainly Grenache Noir, deep ruby to purple, with full bramble-jam fruit and peppery Grenache notes that balance the sweetness. It is made in the same way as vintage Port and is best served cool, with chocolate or summer-berry puddings. A rancio-aged style also exists, the oxidative opposite: tawny, nutty and savoury. Buying one of each shows how much Maury can vary, and how different a young and an aged fortified Grenache can be.

Léon Barral: biodynamic, no-additive Faugères; Jadis and Valinière are the reds.

Century-old schist vines, cows grazing the vineyard, native yeasts and nothing added. Tradition, Jadis and La Valinière are the three reds.

Léon Barral farms steep, south-facing schist slopes in Faugères biodynamically: vines close to a century old, cows grazing the vineyard from October to April, pigs, poultry, fruit trees and hedgerows. In the cellar nothing is added - native yeasts, no fining, no filtering and no sulfur at ageing or bottling. There are three reds. Tradition is mostly Carignan with Grenache and Cinsault, kept in concrete and no oak, structured but easy. Jadis is Carignan, Syrah and Grenache aged around two years in old barrels, full and fleshy with fine tannins. La Valinière is mostly Mourvèdre from a north-facing plot, dense, long and slow to open. The white, a skin-macerated blend led by Terret, goes out as Vin de France. The wines are unprotected, so buy from a shop that stores them cool and serve gently.

Domaine Gauby: Gérard Gauby's Calce estate; Les Calcinaires, Muntada, Vieilles Vignes.

Pure, fresh, dense reds and whites from organic vineyards at Calce. Les Calcinaires is the entry; Muntada is the top red.

Gérard Gauby works in Calce and is regarded as the master of the village; he runs the estate with his son and his wife. Farming is organic and biodynamic, and the wines are pure, fresh and dense, with fine tannins. Les Calcinaires is the entry red, a Côtes Catalanes IGP from limestone, clay, schist and rolled pebbles: whole-cluster, native yeasts, then eight months in concrete and old foudres. Muntada is the top red. Les Vieilles Vignes comes in red and white; Coume Gineste, La Jasse and Calcinaires Blanc are whites, and Roque is an orange-style white made by maceration. Gauby also partnered in Le Soula in the Fenouillèdes. Many Gauby bottles carry IGP or Vin de France rather than an appellation, so the producer name is the guide.

Century-old bush vines of Carignan and Grenache anchor the best reds.

Carignan was once pulled up as a volume grape. The surviving old vines now give small crops of dark, fresh, tannic fruit that top growers build their wines around.

Carignan was the Languedoc's workhorse for volume and was widely uprooted. The survivors are the point. Old bush vines, grown without wires and often dry-farmed, give small crops of dark, acidic, tannic fruit, and they now anchor many of the best reds. Corbières treats Carignan as its emblematic grape, and its Boutenac cru gives it a leading role in every blend. In Minervois, Château d'Oupia works vines over a century old. Léon Barral's Faugères vines are close to a hundred years old, Clos des Fées bottles parcels of 50 to 100 years, and Château de la Baronne's Les Lanes is Carignan-led. Old vines are a real signal here when they come from a grower you already trust. Overcropped Carignan can be rustic, so buy the named cuvée rather than the cheapest bottle.

Hot, dry, windy garrigue country: ripe fruit and healthy grapes.

Strong sun, little rain and steady winds (Tramontane, Cers, Marin) ripen grapes fully and keep disease down. Wines are warm and generous, scented with wild thyme, rosemary and lavender, which locals call garrigue.

Strong sun, little rain and steady winds (Tramontane, Cers, Marin) ripen grapes fully and keep disease down. Wines are warm and generous, scented with wild thyme, rosemary and lavender, which locals call garrigue.

In the glass: Ripe fruit, herbal garrigue scent and, in organic vineyards, healthy low-intervention grapes

Altitude and cool nights keep freshness in a hot region.

The best hill sites sit well above the plain: Faugères on ridges at 200-400 m, Limoux in the Pyrenean foothills, Le Soula's vines up to 600 m. Night temperatures drop sharply, so grapes ripen slowly and keep their acidity and colour.

The best hill sites sit well above the plain: Faugères on ridges at 200-400 m, Limoux in the Pyrenean foothills, Le Soula's vines up to 600 m. Night temperatures drop sharply, so grapes ripen slowly and keep their acidity and colour.

In the glass: Fresher, finer, more floral wines with firmer acidity than the lowland south

Schist gives darker, stonier reds; limestone gives fresher, finer ones.

Faugères is all schist; Saint-Chinian has a schist side and a limestone side; Pic Saint-Loup and La Clape are limestone; Collioure and Banyuls are coastal schist. The rock explains much of the style.

The rock under the vines is the quickest way to predict the glass. Faugères is the Languedoc's schist appellation: the stone drains freely, pushes roots deep and gives stony, spicy, sinewy reds. Saint-Chinian splits along a diagonal line. Schist in the north-west gives darker, firmer reds with smoky, mineral depth; clay-limestone in the south-east gives lighter, fresher, softer ones with clearer Syrah and Grenache fruit. Pic Saint-Loup is mostly limestone, dolomite and marl, which favours cooler, finer, more mineral Syrah. La Clape is a limestone massif beside the sea. Collioure and Banyuls grow on brown schist terraces right at the coast. So when two bottles from the same name taste different, ask which side of the geology they come from. Neither rock is better; they suit different tables.

In the glass: Schist: dark fruit, smoke, firm tannin. Limestone: red fruit, freshness, finer grain

Century-old bush vines of Carignan and Grenache anchor the best reds.

Carignan was once pulled up as a volume grape. The surviving old vines now give small crops of dark, fresh, tannic fruit that top growers build their wines around.

Carignan was the Languedoc's workhorse for volume and was widely uprooted. The survivors are the point. Old bush vines, grown without wires and often dry-farmed, give small crops of dark, acidic, tannic fruit, and they now anchor many of the best reds. Corbières treats Carignan as its emblematic grape, and its Boutenac cru gives it a leading role in every blend. In Minervois, Château d'Oupia works vines over a century old. Léon Barral's Faugères vines are close to a hundred years old, Clos des Fées bottles parcels of 50 to 100 years, and Château de la Baronne's Les Lanes is Carignan-led. Old vines are a real signal here when they come from a grower you already trust. Overcropped Carignan can be rustic, so buy the named cuvée rather than the cheapest bottle.

In the glass: Concentration, freshness and a savoury, tannic backbone

Cheaper land and big appellations keep good wine at fair prices.

The Languedoc has the space, the hills and the old vines, but not the price tags of the Rhône or Priorat. Saint-Chinian, with similar grapes and climate, is often pitched as a cheaper alternative to Priorat.

The Languedoc has the space, the hills and the old vines, but not the price tags of the Rhône or Priorat. Saint-Chinian, with similar grapes and climate, is often pitched as a cheaper alternative to Priorat.

In the glass: Serious hill-grown reds at mid prices; the best step up is from basic Languedoc to a named cru

Dry climate makes organic and biodynamic farming practical.

Sun, wind and low disease pressure mean many growers farm without chemicals. A large share of Faugères growers are organic or biodynamic, and the south is the heart of France's organic vineyard area.

Sun, wind and low disease pressure mean many growers farm without chemicals. A large share of Faugères growers are organic or biodynamic, and the south is the heart of France's organic vineyard area.

In the glass: Livelier, more individual wines and a big low-intervention scene

Reds are blends: Syrah for structure, Grenache for roundness, Mourvèdre for depth.

Most Languedoc reds blend several grapes. Syrah gives structure and pepper, Grenache roundness and red fruit, Mourvèdre black fruit and ageing power, with Carignan adding freshness and grip.

Most Languedoc reds blend several grapes. Syrah gives structure and pepper, Grenache roundness and red fruit, Mourvèdre black fruit and ageing power, with Carignan adding freshness and grip.

In the glass: Balanced, layered reds that vary by village and vintage

Concrete and large old casks keep fruit and place in front.

Many top growers avoid new small barrels: Gauby ages in concrete and old foudres, Barral's Tradition sees only concrete and his Jadis old barrels. Expect fruit, freshness and stony edges rather than vanilla.

Many top growers avoid new small barrels: Gauby ages in concrete and old foudres, Barral's Tradition sees only concrete and his Jadis old barrels. Expect fruit, freshness and stony edges rather than vanilla.

In the glass: Pure fruit, freshness and mineral texture without obvious oak

Spirit stops fermentation to keep natural sweetness: fortified, not dried-grape.

Banyuls, Maury and Rivesaltes are made by adding grape spirit during fermentation. The young style is protected from air; the aged style spends years in cask and slowly oxidises.

Vin Doux Naturel production starts with ripe Grenache (or Muscat for the white). When fermentation is partly done, neutral grape spirit is added to stop the yeast, leaving the natural grape sugar in the wine. These are fortified wines, not dried-grape wines. From there the path splits. The youthful style is kept from air in tank and bottled early, in the manner of vintage Port; Mas Amiel's Vintage Maury is made this way. The aged style spends years in large old casks, slowly oxidising from ruby to amber and tawny and developing rancio, the nutty, savoury, orange-peel character. Cazes's Rivesaltes Ambré 1999 is reported to have spent seven years in large foudres before bottling. Because the process is the same up to the spirit stage, style comes down to ageing, so the label words Vintage, Ambré and rancio are the guide.

In the glass: Sweet, berry-fruited (young) or nutty, spiced and tawny (aged)

Native yeasts, whole bunches and minimal sulfur: the low-intervention edge.

Barral, Gauby and Le Soula use native yeasts and, at Le Soula, whole bunches; Barral adds nothing and uses no sulfur at bottling. Expect livelier, more variable wines that should be stored cool.

Barral, Gauby and Le Soula use native yeasts and, at Le Soula, whole bunches; Barral adds nothing and uses no sulfur at bottling. Expect livelier, more variable wines that should be stored cool.

In the glass: Fresh, vivid, sometimes cloudy or unfiltered wines with more individuality

Limoux fizz: Blanquette in the traditional way, or the old Méthode Ancestrale.

Blanquette and Crémant get their bubbles from a second fermentation in bottle. Méthode Ancestrale is older: the wine is bottled while still fermenting, giving a light, gently sweet, low-alcohol fizz.

Blanquette and Crémant get their bubbles from a second fermentation in bottle. Méthode Ancestrale is older: the wine is bottled while still fermenting, giving a light, gently sweet, low-alcohol fizz.

In the glass: Dry, apple-fresh Blanquette; creamier Crémant; light, sweet ancestral fizz

Skin-contact whites: orange wines from Macabeu and Terret.

Some natural growers leave white grapes on their skins for hours to days, giving golden, grippy, savoury wines. Matassa's Macabeu, Barral's Terret-based white and Gauby's Roque are examples.

Some natural growers leave white grapes on their skins for hours to days, giving golden, grippy, savoury wines. Matassa's Macabeu, Barral's Terret-based white and Gauby's Roque are examples.

In the glass: Golden colour, savoury texture, light tannin and a dry, saline finish