Far too often in China the words affordable and French wines have been mutually exclusive. It’s true that a visit to local hyper or super market will expose you to a plethora of inexpensive French wines from the famous regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy, but the brutal truth is that many of these wines are not good. The ability of Bordeaux and Burgundy to make good to great wines is undisputed, but because of their northern climates in many years it is difficult to get the overall grape ripeness without quite a lot of selectivity. Simply put, this means it’s hard for these regions to make good cheap wines. While some good inexpensive wines are made in these famous regions, the reality in many stores in Shanghai is far too often insipid, diluted Bordeaux wines with alcohol content under 12% or excessively sour, undistinguished Burgundies. Francophiles with smaller budgets need not lose hope; there is a region in France that makes affordable wines that will satisfy even the most demanding palates.
Languedoc AC is located in the Midi region in the south of France and is making some of the world’s best low-priced wines. The more southern climate certainly helps, but the creative winemakers and exciting Mediterranean varietals also play their part. White wine grapes include Vermentino, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier while the most important rose and red wine grapes are the Syrah, Grenache, Mourvendre, Carignan and Cinsault. These grapes are wonderful and exciting alternatives to the more internationally prevalent Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties. Many winemakers have adapted the practice of putting the names of the grapes on the label making things easier for the consumer. The abundant sunshine helps ripen the grapes while the evening breezes from the Mediterranean Sea cool the vines thereby helping add complexity to the wines. The wild hillsides of Languedoc are filled with wild herbs and flowers that also contribute special flavors to the wines. All these factors help make Languedoc distinctive, affordable and fun.
Some of the Languedoc wines I’ve recently tasted in Shanghai that I recommend are two lovely Viognier white wines, the Petit Mots de Pays, 2008, a vibrantly refreshing wine with abundant white and yellow fruit flavors and a pleasing acidic finish and the Robert Skalli Viognier, 2007 an aromatic fruity and floral wine with excellent freshness. These whites are perfect as an aperitif or with seafood dishes. The most important factor when picking a red wines from Languedoc is the producer. In addition to the aforementioned white, Robert Skalli also makes consistently good and affordable red wines. I’m especially fond of his 2007 Languedoc AOC, a Syrah and Grenache wine that’s deeply colored and full of wild fruit and spice flavors. If you want to spend a little more, the superb wines of Daumas Gassac shouldn’t be missed. While not cheap, they are still very good values. Because Languedoc red wines tend to be hearty, rustic with lots of spicy dark fruit flavors, they are lovely companions to boldly flavored meat dishes especially those with some spice like the two Szechuan dishes spicy boiled beef and beef and offal slices. When serving with spicy foods, I recommend that you chill the reds to about 15 C, and the sensations of “la” or chili spicy and “ma” or numbing spicy of the dishes will be soothed by the wine. The generous ripe fruit flavors of the wines will also add flavor dimensions to the dish.
