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Glossary of terms
After the Phylloxera crisis, a vast campaign of replanting created a situation of over production; with large amounts low quality wine made from high yielding vineyards planted on fertile plains, mainly in the Languedoc. The price of wine collapsed and in desperation, the growers revolted. During strikes of unprecedented scale in the towns of Narbonne, Béziers and Montpellier, 5 protesters were shot by armed troops. In Béziers, 500 soldiers joined the protesters, refusing to shoot on the crowd.
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Wild boar hunting is a very popular sport in many countries. The animal is hunted to limit the damage it can cause to crops, but also for its delicious meat. The hunting season starts in August and ends at the start of the mating season in early spring. Hunters will meet two to three times a week and, with their hunting dogs, they will track down whole groups of wild boar.
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Carbonic maceration is a wine making process in which the grapes are fermented whole, without crushing. The juice is fermented while still inside the grape and will make a wine to be drunk young. In blended wines, such as Fitou, part of the wine is vinified separately by carbonic maceration before assembling with the rest of the wine which has undertaken traditional fermentation.
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This red grape variety is originally from the town of Carinena, near Saragosa in Spain. It is now mainly found in the Languedoc-Roussillon. The grapes from old, low yielding vineyards on the hills make up a good part of the blend for Fitou and Corbières. Other more productive Carignan plants are more commonly used for Vin de Pays.
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The so-called ‘Cathar castles’ are medieval fortresses built in the Languedoc to protect the local population from invaders. For instance, the area around the city of Carcassonne was garded by its “five sons”, the castles of Aguilar, Quéribus, Peyrepertuse, Termes and Puilaurens. In 1208, the pope called a holy crusade – the Albigensian Crusade – against a dissident group called the Cathars, which for the most part lived in isolation in the hills between Toulouse and Narbonne. The local nobility protected the Cathars and welcomed them in their fortified castles.
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In the wine industry, a cooperative is a group of growers who have come together to produce and commercialize their wine in common. The cooperative movement first appeared at the turn of the 20th century, and was instigated by generally small producers seeking to sustain a livelihood.
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Destalking or crushing is the process where the grapes are crushed and the stalks are removed before fermentation.
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Garrigue is the natural vegetation which grows in the South of France and is characteristic of the Mediterranean landscape. The garrigue is the result of arid weather conditions typical of the area, but it is also due to intense deforestation. The plants that grow are mostly small shrubs and thistles, small oak, juniper, rosemary, thyme and lavender.
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The Languedoc regroups four departments: Aude, Hérault, Gard and Lozère. The Languedoc was once a semi-independent county and regrouped all people speaking the Oc language, it only came under the direct authority of the king of France in the 13th century after the Albengensian Crusade. The Languedoc is the largest wine producer in France.
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Originally from Spain, Maccabeu is one of the main white grape varieties in AOC Rivesaltes. Renowned for its sweet wines, it can also be blended to make some very good dry white wines.
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Marselan is new grape variety, made with a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache Noir. It is grown throughout the South of France and mainly in the Languedoc.
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Merlot covers the largest planted area of the French vineyards. This red grape is usually found in Bordeaux where it is blended with Cabernet-Sauvignon. In the Languedoc, it can be used as a varietal Vin de Pays.
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Microclimate is when the climatic conditions are specific to one particular area and can encourage the growth of certain plants. At Mont Tauch, the climate is dictated by the landscape. Its situation in an isolated valley, between the Pyrenees mountains and the Mediterranean sea, creates a microclimate that adds authenticity to the wine.
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Mont Tauch is the name of the wine Cooperative in the village of Tuchan. (The name is taken from the mountain behind the village, which rises to 900m.) The cooperative’s vineyards, and hence growers, are to be found in the villages of Tuchan, Paziols, Villeneuve and Durban.
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This sweet grape variety can be red or white. It makes sweet white wines and is also a very good eating grape. There are several different varieties of Muscat, but Muscat d’Alexandrie and Muscat petit grain are the most common ones within the Muscat de Rivesaltes appellation, which Mont Tauch is entitled to.
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In the 19th century the entire French vineyards were decimated by an insect called phylloxera which was is found on American vines. The insect attacked the root stock and the only way to eradicate it was to graft the vines onto American roots.
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The Roussillon is also the department of the Pyrénées Orientales and is administratively attached to the Languedoc. Situated in the southern most part of France, the Roussillon is the French Catalonia. For a long time, the area was integrated in the Spanish kingdom and was only definitely attached to France in the 17th century. The appellations Rivesaltes and Muscat de Rivesaltes are the only appellations from the Roussillon to spread to the neighboring Aude department.
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In the South of France, most villages have their rugby team. It is a very popular sport and local towns such as Perpignan, Toulouse or Narbonne are amongst some of the top teams in the country.
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Syrah is a red grape variety which first originated in the Cotes du Rhone. More than half the Syrah in France is to be found in the Languedoc-Roussillon, where it has often been planted instead of Carignan. Added to the blend for Fitou, Syrah gives the wine its balance.
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Terroir is a specific geographical area, soil type, natural environment and climatic conditions. It can be applied to a single vineyard or two an entire region. A wine that reflects terroir, is an authentic expression of the particular characteristics of the area from which the wine is produced.
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Traditional fermentation: Once destalked, the grapes are allowed to ferment with maximum contact with the skins, in order to release the tannins. Yeast is added to the fermenting juices and transform the sugar into ethanol – alcohol. The wine is made from the must, which is the pulp of the grapes.
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Vignerons is the French term for wine grower. The skill for winegrowing is unique to each wine region and sometimes to each village and is passed on from one generation to the next. This implies not just work practices, but a way of life, a culture.
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Vin de Pays de la Vallée du Paradis
The ‘valley of paradise’ is situated in the hilly region of the Corbières around the 11 villages of Albas, Cascastel, Embres-et-Castelmaure, Fraisse, Durban, Quintillan, St Jean de Barrou, Villeneuve, Villesèque, Fontjoncouse et Coustouge. The small vineyards doted around the countryside blend in with the wild and untamed natural environment.
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Vin de Pays du Torgan is produced in the three villages of Paziols, Tuchan and Davejean. The grapes come from the hills, where the Torgan river meanders through rocky valleys.
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Wild boar is probably the most common wild animal in France. It is a strong beast that can reach up to 200kg and is armed with tusks. Wild boars live in woods and by river beds and will eat pretty much anything from roots and nuts, to insects and small reptiles.
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