Languedoc wine to unite under one AOC
Appellation Contrôlée banner are set to be officially adopted at a
regional industry conference Friday.
An agreement to unite Languedoc's 11 Appellation Contrôlée (AOC) regions, as well as those in neighbouring Roussillon, is expected to be approved at the Inter-Professional Committee for Languedoc Wines conference on Friday (17 November).
It was recently cleared by France's National Appellations Institute (INAO).
Like many grand ideas, deliberations over an AOC zone have taken many months to mature. But wine officials in the area believe it will help the region, France's biggest for wine production, to become more accessible to consumers at home and abroad.
"The decision taken recently by INAO is the fruit of 10 years work by different commissions," Jean Clavel, head of the Coteaux Languedoc AOC region, told BeverageDaily.com..
"I voiced the idea in 1976, taking a lead from professor Milhau, who created Coteaux Languedoc. But I never thought about extending it to Roussillon."
It is hoped AOC Languedoc can be in place by 2008, although winemakers in Coteaux Languedoc may not have to come on board for five years, under current proposals.
Winemakers in Languedoc have been among the worst hit by France's 'wine crisis', which has seen prices tumble and producer debts mount in the wake of falling consumption and the country's shrinking share of world markets.
Some in the industry have expressed concern, however, that one AOC to cover all of Languedoc Roussillon may hide several up and coming wine areas by placing everything under one banner.
See the BeverageDaily archives for on-the-ground reporting of the French wine crisis from Languedoc Roussillon.
