WINES OF THE FAUGERES APPELLATION.
Typical vineyard at Faugeres.
Languedoc is the largest wine producing region of the world and whilst the emphasis in days past was on quantity production this has now shifted to one of quality. This is evidenced by the fact that many communes have attained AOC status (Appellation Originale Controlee). The Faugeres appellation encompasses seven villages and gained VDSQ (Vins delimites de qualite superieur) status in 1948. It graduated to AOC in 1982 and now produces some of the finest wine France has to offer. The predominant grape varieties for red wines are Carignan, Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre in varying proportions. The grape varieties for white wine are Marsanne and Roussanne which originate in the Rhone valley. Cinsault is the variety used for Rose wine.
The older vines tend to produce the best wine grapes and sixty year old vines seem to be the optimimum age for quality, although some vines are still producing good stock at one hundred years old. It is not generally known that some Faugeres wine is sent to Bordeaux for blending. There are many "Cave Co-operative" wine outlets and local wine producers who are more than willing for you to sample their products. Whilst known primarily for the quality of their red wine, Faugeres now produces some of the finest rose wine. Also produced is a "Fine" - a brandy similar to Marc made from distilling wine.
There are oppotunities for wine tours of both Faugeres and other wine areas. Please link to www.languedoc-wine-tours.com for details.
The Faugeres vineyards, like all Coteaux du Languedoc, go back to Roman times. The unique character of the Faugeres wine comes from the schist and sandstone soil of the hills. The stony, dry and acid soil forces the grape vines to grow very deep roots in order to survive. It is a condition of AOC status that vines are not permitted to be irrigated in any way. The resulting yields are of course very low but they are highly concentrated.