South West France, Languedoc and Rousillon

Once one of the most ‘undiscovered’ parts of France, the Southwest region now has a major tourist industry thanks to new motorways, rail links and industries moving into the area.

Although located between Provence and the true 'south west', we include Languedoc and Roussillon in this section. The wines from Languedoc and Roussillon are up-and-coming, quickly loosing the ‘vin ordinaire’ label that has been unfairly attributed to them.

Also included here is the area close to the Spanish border around Biarritz in the ‘Pyrénées Atlantique’ department of France.

The local wines fall into the AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) and AOVDQS (Appellation d’Origine Vine Délimité de Qualité Supérieure) categories. Vineyards are widely scattered throughout the region which is still to be fully discovered by the tourist, not through any lack of quality wines but simply because tourist numbers have not reached the proportions of the more popular parts of France.

Prehistoric man first settled the region and left many caves and cave paintings which can be seen in the Dordogne - Perigord area and in the Lot and Célé Valleys. Picturesque troglodyte houses are still lived in.

Today, rock climbing and canoeing enthusiasts head for the deep gorges and swift flowing rivers, which formed an ideal defensive landscape. Gorges, fast flowing rivers and alluvial plains and valleys also present ideal conditions for vine growing, which has continued almost unhindered since Rome first occupied the region. The wines have changed over the years and the once famed ‘black wine’ of Cahors is no longer available. Its place is taken by a full-bodied red at its best after about 4 - 5 years.

Gaillac, which produces red, white and rosé from a wide selection of grape varieties, is also noted for its Vin Mousseaux, made in the traditional ‘methode rurale’, claimed by some to be the primitive predecessor of the Champagne method.

Toulouse, once the capital of the Province of Languedoc, is the fourth ‘metropolis’ of France and home of the country's aircraft and aerospace research industries. Many road signs here are in two languages, French and the local 'Occitan'. The Occitan language is thought to have originated in Occitania, an area roughly equivalent to the old Aquitania (Aquitaine) region. Although French is the official and cultural language of Provence and the Languedoc, Occitan is still used in everyday speech.

To the east of Toulouse is the modern city of Perpignan and further east, towards Montpellier, is Béziers, known as Baeterrae Septimanorum under the Romans when it was home to the legendry Seventh Legion. The huge ‘Gothic’ Cathedral of Saint Nazaire can be seen for many miles.

Montpellier is capital of the Hérault department. It has a University and is an important centre for tourism.

Nîmes is home of the cloth used to make jeans. 'Denim', no doubt shortened from words ‘serge de Nîmes’, was used extensively in the manufacture of work clothes in America. Its Roman amphitheatre, though smaller than that at Arles, is still in use today.

For more tourist information and history, see Premier Pages