The Languedoc-Roussillon region is located in the southern side of France, bordering Spain, and it overlooks the Mediterranean sea. It is the largest region of France as well as the most productive one, in fact it produces more than one third of the total French wine, and this element has allowed a revaluation of production in order to get a higher quality of products. The wine region is divided in two distinct areas: Languedoc, more to the east, mainly flat and Roussillon, more to the south near Pyrenees. In the world Languedoc-Roussillon is mainly renowned for its Vins Doux Naturels, the most renowned ones are produced with Muscat Blanc, whereas the famous Banyuls is mainly produced with Grenache Noir. Red wines of the region are mainly produced with Carignan, Grenache Noir, Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Syrah grapes. Crémant de Limoux is an interesting classic method sparkling wine produced with Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Mauzac grapes. Before the phylloxera in Languedoc-Roussillon were cultivated more than 150 different varieties, whereas today the production is mainly focused on autochthonous varieties of France. The main white grapes varieties of Languedoc-Roussillon are: Bourboulenc, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Mauzac, Muscat of Alexandria, Muscat à Petits Grains, Picpoul, Rolle, Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. The main red grapes are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Cinsaut, Grenache Noir, Lladoner Pelut, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Picpoul Noir, Syrah and Terret Noir. The majority of the wine produced in the region belongs to the category Vins de Pays, which with more than 60 appellations represents 70% of all the Vin de Pays produced in France. The rest are AOC.
