Wines from the Languedoc

Imagine yourself sitting in an elegant restaurant, the kind where the wine list seems to start at about a hundred dollars, and goes up to three thousand dollars for a bottle of First Growth Bordeaux. You are there for a great meal, yet would like to pair your cuisine with a well-crafted wine. How can you choose without breaking the bank?

I posed this question to several sommeliers at five-star restaurants over the years, and the answer was always the same: choose a wine from the Languedoc region of France.

Today, the Languedoc AOC (renamed in 2007 to incorporate the Roussillon region) offers delicious wines from new producers with modern technology and a devotion to the region and its potential. Geographically the region stretches along the Mediterranean coast from the Spanish border to Nimes, and extends north to the foothills of the Montagne Noire and Cevennes areas.

Recently in New York, Andre Compeyre, Director of Wine & Service at Les Halles Restaurant Group, spoke to journalists and educators about the wines of the region. Mr. Compeyre is from the region, and has a passion for its wines. Over a private lunch at the new Bar Boulud near Lincoln Center, we tasted through several of the region's wines, which were paired with charcuterie, scallops, and delicious braised flat iron steak.

What was notable about the wines is how easily they paired with a wide variety of food. For example, one might not ordinarily pair a red wine with scallops, but the red cabbage marmalade and Orleans mustard paired beautifully with the red wine from Corbieres. As charcuterie is somewhat heavy, one does not think it would pair with a white wine, yet the Ollieux Romanis white from Corbieres was substantial enough to hold up to the meat and contrast with its flavors.

These wines are all reasonable in price (most under $20) and available from several wine shops and online at Wine Searcher.

Paired with St. Jacques Scallops with Red Cabbage Marmalade, Chateau Saint Martin de la Garrigue, Coteaux Du Languedoc (white) 2006 Chateau Ollieux Romanis "Cuvee Classique" Corbieres Red 2005

Paired with Boeuf Aux Carottes, La Croix Belle, Coteaux du Languedoc, Red, 2004, Hecht & Banier Faugeres, Red, 2003

Pamplemousse Et Violette, Cave des Vignerons, Muscat de Saint Jean De Minervois "Les Petits Grans," Sweet, NV

Saint-Hilaire, Blanquette de Limoux, semi-sweet, sparkling, 2004