It is relatively little known outside of the French borders, but the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the South of France, is one of the very biggest wine regions in the world.
In fact, this area along the French Mediterranean coast is the biggest wine-producing area with designated indication of origin in the world.
Of course Languedoc-Roussillon is lesser known than other French wine areas like Bordeaux, Champagne, Rhone, or Burgundy. But you might one to put it on the map once and for all after you’ve considered some of the facts below.
Some wine growing zones, like in Australia or in China might in fact pump out bigger volumes of plonk, but they haven’t done such a good job at forging an identity for themselves as Languedoc Wines have, probably due to its long History of winemaking.
Indeed, Languedoc does not only produce quantity of wine, but the quality has also been increasing very consistently of the past 20 years to now reach very solid levels. See further below for some great examples of Languedoc wines I’ve tasted and approved.
Here are a few interesting, and perhaps surprising key facts about the biggest wine-producing region in France, if not the world:
5% of the World’s Wine is Produced in Languedoc-Roussillon
The fact that 5% of all the world’s wine output would come from a single wine region of France is rather staggering!
I guess it has to be remembered here that France alone accounts for about 18% of the total worldwide wine production.
Fun Facts: Languedoc-Roussillon produces:
- 1.36 billion litres of wines every years
- That’s equivalent to 1.8 billion bottles
- About 1/3 of all French wine
- 40% of France’s total exported wines.
Most of the best Languedoc-Roussillon wines are produced under the 36 AOCs or AOPs designated appellation of Languedoc, that account for 11% of the regions’ total wine production.
Other wines are labeled under the less restrictive various IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) or the more generic Vin de France.
€450 Million Worth of Wine
These protected-appellation wines alone account for nearly half a billion euros ($1.07 billion USD) in wine sales every year.
Key Statistics in this category:
- 93% are still wines
- 5% are sparkling wines
- 76% are red
- 14% rosé wines
- 10% are white wines
If you haven’t had much of an opportunity to try many quality Languedoc wines and you still wonder what they taste like, I’ve selected below a few great examples, red and white.
Some Languedoc Wines I’ve Loved
Browse the Languedoc wines I have tasted and approved below and access their detailed wine reviews by clicking on the images below.
Please let me know your thoughts