WHITE GEMS IN THE RED ENGINE ROOM

LANGUEDOC-Roussillon is the engine room of French viticulture. This southerly region, along much of France’s Mediterranean coast, produces roughly a third of all French wines - around 14 million hectolitres-about 1mhl more than all of Australia.

Given Languedoc-Roussillon’s Mediterranean location, you’d think it’s pretty much red wine territory, and it is. Along with some rich, fortified wines. But there are also a few gems of white wines to be found in three appellations at the west, east and south boundaries of the region. In absolute numbers, all the white appellation wines make about 15 million litres, so just over 1 per cent of total Languedoc-Roussillon production. This figure doesn’t include