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Those TINY Little
bbbBy Matthew Wexler
FORGET TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THE PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT WERE BUILTONE OF THE WORLDS
GREATEST MYSTERIES IS THE ORIGIN OF SPARKLING WINE, WHICH MANY BELIEVE BEGAN IN LANGUEDOC-
ROUSSILLON. ADD THE REGION TO YOUR WINE LOVERS BUCKET LIST TO UNEARTH AN EFFERVESCENT PAST
UNIQUE TO THE SOUTH OF FRANCE.
High Spirits
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om Prignon is oten credited
or mthode champenoise,
the now legendary second
ermentation that occurs in
the bottle. But almost 150 years
beore Prignons arrival at the abbey in
Hautvillers in 1531, the monks o Saint-
Hilaire in the south o France wroteo Blanquette de Limouxwhat was
then a asked sparkling wine. Its pos-
sible that Prignon visited the abbey in
Limoux on a pilgrimage, picked up this
established technique, and applied and
perected it in the Champagne region.
Well never know or sure, but Languedoc-
Roussillon continues to embrace the
tradition o sparkling wine.
Te three categories o sparkling wine
rom Languedoc carry their own cachet
at a more wallet-riendly price. Te mod-
ern Blanquette de Limoux contains a
minimum o 90 percent Mauzac (a variety
indigenous to southwest France), with
recent vintages exhibiting a robust, yeasty
quality and beautiul hay color. Crmant
de Limoux, a brut or medium dry spark-
ling wine that is distinct because o the
regions particular appellation, relies on
Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc and is
meant to be drunk within two years o
bottling. Blanquette de Limoux Mthode
Ancestrale uses a ermentation process
where the sediment rom the secondary
ermentation is let in the bottle, creating
a sweeter sparkling wine, slightly cloudy
with oral notes and stone ruit on the
palette.
O course, the most authentic way to
experience these wines is in Languedoc-
Roussillon itsel, where you will nd a
sparkle in the eye as well as the bottle.
Discovering a lush countryside dotted
with dedicated winemakers, tasting
rooms and local culture, youll wonder
why Dom Prignon ever let.
Picks that PoP
Antech Blanquette de Limoux, Rserve
BrutFrom a amily estate or more than
six generations, this sparkling wine show-
cases oral aromas with a golden hue and
nishes with delicate bubbles.
Gilles Louvet Esprit du SudPart o anorganic portolio ofered since 1993, this
Blanquette de Limouxshowcases notes
o honey and menthol.
Gerard Bertrand Crmant de Limoux
Once captain o the Stade Franais rugby
team, Bertrand now owns seven estates
and was awarded European Winery o the
Year ( 2011) by Wine Enthusiast. His take
on Crmantofers a toasty hazelnut efer-
vescence and a mineral nish.
Go. see. Do.
Originally built as a convent to accom-modate the Church o Saint Martial nuns,
the Couvent dHrpian has been re-
stored as a charming inn and eatures a
subterranean wine vault and honesty
bar, where you can taste local vintages
at your own pace.
Create your own wine experience
with Master o Wine Matthew Stubbs
at Vincole, the center or wine educa-
tion in Languedoc-Roussillon. Choose a
two-hour workshop or a guided wine
weekend, or get even more serious with
a WSE (Wine & Spirit Education rust)
proessional course.
ake a break rom the bottle and revel
in the Limoux Carnival, which has been
part o the citys history since the
16th century and runs weekends rom
January through March in the Place de la
Rpublique.
a Point about Perrier
First utilized by the amed military
commander Hannibal as a place to re-
juvenate his troops, Perrierthe most
amous sparkling water in the world
comes rom Vergze in Languedoc-
Roussillon. Te property received its
name in 1898 when Louis-Eugne Perrier
purchased the estate and set about de-
veloping a sealed glass bottle that could
hold this natural spring water that con-
tains three times its volume in gas. oday,
Perrier is in 150 countries, but you
can have a amily-riendly experience
directly at the source with a visit to the
Perrier Spring and Museum. n
Addresses
Antech Limoux Winesantech-limoux.fr
Gilles Louvet Winesvignobles-gilleslouvet.com
Gerard Bertrand Winesgerard-bertrand.com
Couvent dHrpiangarrigae-resorts.com
The Vincolevinecole.com
Languedoc Roussillon Travel Infosud-de-france.com/en
Perrier at Les Bouillens, Vergze+33 4.66.87.61.01
rendezvousenfrance.com/magazine
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