Languedoc Appellation Contrôlée

In my post on Jenise’s recent thread where I tried to assert the distinctiveness of Languedoc and Roussillon, I wrote the following –
There is a proposal around to create a merged appellation covering both entities but many people, including me, think this perverse because of the distinctiveness which Victor pointed out.

Reading RVF’s review of the 2009 vintage, I learn that this is no longer a proposal but has become a reality. Languedoc AOC covers entry level wines from the Mediterranean Spanish frontier up to, but not including (I think) Costières de Nîmes.

Initially it will co-exist with the existing appellations such Coteaux du Languedoc, Côtes de Roussillon, Faugères, Minervois, etc., but it is intended that Coteaux du Languedoc should disappear with the better areas, e.g. Montpeyroux, Pic-Saint-Loup, La Clape, acquiring appellations in their own right. I do not know what is proposed for Côtes du Roussillon or Côtes du Roussillon Villages, but I find it hard to believe that a vigneron like Gérard Gauby, who puts Catalogne Nord on his label, would have any truck with Appellation Languedoc (a bit like telling the Scots that their whisky has to be called English).

Here is a coarse translation of what RVF says about Languedoc AOC 2009 –
The appellation is very young but is already being talked about. Born in April 2007, the founders’ intention was to provide a framework for the production of quality wine. A seductive idea on paper! The results are half-hearted. It is true that the appellation is little by little finding its place in the Languedoc landscape . However the policy of thereby promoting wines which are supposed to represent the region costing between 3 and 7€ is calculated to confuse wine-lovers. Because, having set aside faults such as dilution, over-ripeness or bitter tannins, the majority of the wines of Languedoc AOC are distinguished by….their overwhelming ordinariness. Supple and easy drinking, they are made in a consensual and technological style which confirms alas! what we feared; a levelling down of the production from the Spanish frontier up to Nîmes….a worrying situation at a time when hierarchical classification in other appellations is under way.

So the subliminal message is avoid Languedoc AOC, if you want a wine of character. The French frequently shoot themselves in the foot with their appellation decisions .

Another bad decision. Thankfully those of us in the know will be able to make some rightful choices but overall it will mean some added research before going out to buy under the watchful eye of the in-house PO!
I just cannot keep up with all these changes!

up to, but not including (I think) Costières de Nîmes.

And you would be correct, Tim.

Costieres is part of the Rhone AOC now; and part of the Inter-Rhone organization as a Rhone area.

[David M. Bueker]

I am going to throw this out there, not because I believe it's right, but because I think it might be the populist reasoning.

Why does the consumer need a network of AOCs in Southern France? Do many of them mean much to anybody but the winemakers and people like us? France has so many AOCs, and 99.9% of people cannot fathom what they mean.

Ok, now that I have said it, I think doing this is a bad idea. The distinctions between these areas mean something - to the winemakers, the local people and to me as an educated wine consumer. Why not do something about educating wine merchants rather than dumbing down the wines.

That's an interesting provocation, David. Clearly the vast majority of consumers, outside France, doesn't give a toss about the tissue of appellations in Languedoc-Roussillon and elsewhere. The most they want is probably a varietal and broad geographical indication plus a trusted brand.

However, in the quest for gaining respect and even love amongst the significant minority of consumers who care about wine personality and quality and who are prepared to pay what they can afford in order to get it, I think that sensibly delineated appellations are very useful. The villages who are allowed to tack their names onto Coteaux du Languedoc do have a quality potential and character of interest to this type of consumer. I do question whether it is sensible to drop the name Coteaux du Languedoc because it helps the consumer to situate geographically and climatically the village of, say, Montpeyroux. However, there is a sort of snobbery among French producers which makes them believe that, say, Faugères sounds superior to Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux, so I suspect that this is a lost cause.

I guess that the promoters of Languedoc AOC are aiming at a market segment which lies between the mass market.