BLANQUETTE DE LIMOUX

'Blanquette' is a French sparkling white wine produced in the Languedoc-Roussillon. In 1938, 'Blanquette de Limoux' became the first AOC established in the Languedoc region. While the classification is still young, the drink itself is a long-standing traditional apperitif or dessert accompaniment in the area.

Contents

Geography and Climate

History

Varieties

Vinification

See Also

Geography and Climate

The classified vineyards are all in l'Aude, in the general vicinity of Limoux, west of the Corbières. The soil in the area is clay-like and rocky.
The climate is dominated by the strong winds of the region, the dry, Atlantic vent Cers and the warm, Mediterranean vent Marin. It's relatively sunny year round and annual rainfalls are very reliably consistent.

History

It is considered to be the first sparkling white wine, with the first textual mention of 'blanquette' appearing in 1531. These papers were written by Benedictine monks at an abbey in Saint-Hilaire, and they detail the production and distribution of Saint-Hilaire's 'blanquette' flasks. Local lore suggests that Dom Pérignon invented sparkling white wine while serving in this Abbey before moving to the Champagne region and popularizing the drink.
Records show that Livy traded in non-sparkling white wines from Limoux as far back as the Roman occupation of the region.

Varieties

'Blanquette de Limoux' can contain three grape varieties:

★ Mauzac which most constitute a minimum of 90% of the wine

★ Chardonnay

★ and Chenin

Vinification

The grape varieties are vinified separately before being assembled and bottled. Just before bottling, a ''tirage'' is added to the blend so that a second fermentation will take place in the bottle. The carbon dioxide produced during this second fermentation is trapped in the bottle and gives the wine its effervescence. After nine months, the bottles are opened and sediment is filtered out before a final corking.
An alternate process exists in which only Mauzac grapes are used, the fermentation is entirely natural, and the bottling occurs on a day of astrological significance. This version typically contains less than 7% alcohol.

See Also

★ Languedoc wine

★ List of appellations in Languedoc-Roussillon