La Grange Haute Rouge - Hélène Cathala

The Languedoc-Roussillon region is located in southern France and overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the largest and most productive regions in all of France (accounting for over a third of the country's total wine production), with a production that in recent years has increasingly focused on quality.

The wine region, home to several AOCs (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée), is divided into two distinct areas: Languedoc, further east, mostly flat, and Roussillon, further south near the Pyrenees.

The climate is Mediterranean and warm. In fact, on the southern coast of France, we find one of the most favorable microclimates for grape cultivation, although there are also some rather cool areas, such as the hills of Minervois and Limoux, where temperatures are lower due to slightly higher altitude.

The soils are mainly limestone, schist, and stony, forming the characteristic garrigues, a rocky landscape interspersed with lush Mediterranean scrubland. In these soils, Syrah and Carignan thrive and produce wines rich in structure, tannins, and salinity. In the plains, on the other hand, the soils are alluvial and fertile, mainly cultivating Grenache, Cinsault, and Muscat grapes, resulting in wines richer in alcohol.

The majority of the wine produced in the region belongs to the Vins de Pays category, but there are numerous oenological subzones, each producing wines with unique characteristics. Among these, the most productive are Corbières and Coteaux du Languedoc, where mainly red indigenous and international grape varieties are vinified.

Also interesting is the Limoux area, where excellent sparkling wines are produced: the Crémant and the Blanquette de Limoux with the traditional method, but also an excellent ancestral wine produced with the rural method.

The most characteristic wines of the region are the vins doux naturels, produced by fortifying the must through the addition of alcohol (a process called mutage).