White Wines

Vin de Pays is a French expression meaning "country wines" which was adopted for an intermediate category of wines created in France in 1973, and formalised in 1979, to recognise and encourage the production of wines that are distinctly superior to basic Vin de Table. Hence the creation of more than 140 different Vin de Pays, all of them carrying some geographical designation mirroring the principles of the "Appellation Controlée" system. To qualify as a Vin de Pays, a wine must not be blended with a wine from another area, must be produced in limited quantities, must be made from certain specified grape varieties, must reach a minimum of alcoholic strength, must come from a specified area and finally be submitted to a tasting panel for approval. This wine is produced on the cooler parts of the Languedoc, near Carcassone. Here the climate shows perceptible Atlantic influences and the wines display greater freshness.