Pays d’Oc, here I am

The sun is shining and it is 73 degrees in Montpellier, France. The day has begun and the first image I see is a guy in a beret riding his bicycle down a small hill with three loaves of French bread attached to the metal bar on the back of his black, retro-looking bike.

Welcome to France, I say, with a big smile on my face.

The sun-drenched Mediterranean region of southeast France will be my home for the next five days. There are three other journalists traveling with me and a French representative from SOPEXA, who is sponsoring the trip. Her name is Laurence Faubert and she has shared many facts about Pays d’Oc with me.

I need orientation to help make a fuller understanding of the region I am visiting. This is what I learned from Laurence, pronounced “Lor-Rant.”

The Pays d’Oc stretches along the Mediterranean Sea, basically in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It has hillside vineyards that face 125 miles of prime Mediterranean Sea beaches. Obviously, the region is embraced with the Mediterranean climate that, in the Pays d’Oc case, is dry and windswept.

It has adopted its vineyards and grape varieties, 56 in all, from different regions in France. The Pays d’Oc IGP winemakers are known as innovators and creative artists who guarantee quality, traceability and geographical origin. What I am told is that the wines from there seduce your senses and create an enjoyable moment wherever you are.

Some facts about Pays d’Oc

There are over 20,000 winemakers, and as mentioned before, 56 grape varieties that wines are made with. All wines with the Pays d’Oc label are controlled wines that have been sampled before being allowed to be put on the retail store shelf.

Pays d’Oc IGP wines are the first out of IGP wines in volume. The region makes 65 percent of all IGP wines and uses 90 percent of French varietals. The region is the leading French exporter by volume and the fifth world exporter by volume.

The United States only represents 3.9 percent or $32.63 million worth of wines exported. The breakdown is simple, 72 percent red and rosé wines are exported, mixed with 28 percent white wines.

Pays d’Oc represents 70 percent of Languendoc-Roussillon exported to America. My job is to help create awareness and increase those figures.

At a recent tasting to prepare me for the trip, Jacques Gravegeal, president of Pays d’Oc IGP, guided me through a flight of wines from the region that literally blew me away with the freshness, exceptional high quality with reasonable prices of the wines. The wines that I liked are listed below.

These are a few wines that I suggest that you try before I return from Pays d’Oc. The wines from Pays d’Oc can easily be divided into three distinct styles: crisp and fresh; light and fruity; and savory and rich.

Crisp and fresh suggestions: La Forge Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2010; Delatour Cuvee Premier Chardonnay 2010; Laurent Miguel Nord Sud Viognier 2010; Gerard Bertrand Muscato 2010; and Domaine de Larzac Roussanne 2010.

Light and fruity suggestions: Badet Clement Les Jaamelles Grenache Rose 2010; Domaine de Jau Le Jaja de Jau, Syrah Rose 2010; Anne de Joyeuse Gargantuavis Pinot Noir 2010; and Family and Vineyard C’est la Vie, Pinot Noir Syrah 2011.

Savory and rich suggestions: Foncalieu Les Fontanelles Merlot 2009; Domaine Gayde Figure Libre Syrah Grenache and Cabernet Franc, both 2010; La Forge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2010; Domaine Ricardelle Alencades 2009; George Duboeuf Patch Block Merlot 2010; and Jeff Carrel Puydeval 2010.

Later today, I will visit the first of a dozen vineyards that are planned for this trip. I look forward to sharing my views about the Pays d’Oc as I go “underground” for this assignment.

Posted by Phillip Kampe on October 4, 2012. Filed under Columns,Food,Opinion,Wine and Beyond. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry