1142 WINE 



(c.) Langucdoc. Under this name are included all the wines of the Herault, Audo, 

 and a part of Gard. The most important of these districts is that of Herault, 

 producing two kinds of wine ; those for conversion into spirit and ordinary wines, 

 which may be subdivided into red and white ordinary wines, fine red wine, white 

 wines, dry and sweet, and Muscats. 



Aude. This district produces a red wine at Limoux, and a white wine known by 

 the name of Blanquette, which is nearly double the value of the preceding. Herault 

 is the most important wine country in the south of France ; it is the largest producer 

 of raw spirits in Europe. The red wines of Herault are produced in the vineyards 

 of St.-Georges-d'Orquos ; these are generally heady. 



The -white wines of Picardan include both dry and sweet. 



Muscat, Frontignan, and Lund, The cultivation of these wines has considerably 

 diminished of late years ; they have less flavour and do not keep so well as those of 

 Eivesaltes. 



The vineyards of St.-Gilles (Gard) produce a less delicate wine than those of 

 Eoussillon, but which serves to bring up the colour of other wines. 



(d.~) Provence. The wines of Provence have not the importance of those of Eous- 

 sillon or of Languedoc. The chief growths of the region are : 



1st. In the Var, that of Gande producing a fine wine, at first highly coloured and 

 heady, but becoming dry with age. 



2nd. That of Malgue, producing a wine which does not mature, but that bears the 

 sea well. 



3rd. That of Bandol, an excellent wine for export, improving much with age : it 

 is sent to India, Brazil, and California. 



In the Basses-Alpes, the vineyards of Mees yield a generous wine. In the Bouches- 

 du-Ehone, Cassis produces the finest -wines in the region, both red and white, much 

 sought after by foreigners. The sour and flat wines of Eoquevaire are little appre- 

 ciated. The methods of cultivation are nearly the same in all the districts of the 

 south of France. The soil is generally dug up before the vines are planted ; in Eous- 

 s^llon only is this omitted, when the ground has been previously cultivated. In the 

 latter, the operation of planting is carried on in January and February ; in Languedoc 

 it is put off until April. 



With those varieties of the vine which produce the Muscat, it is the custom to rub 

 off" part of the buds. The vines are dressed four times during the first year, but 

 afterwards only twice. They commence bearing in from three to four years. The 

 grapes are pressed by the feet or between channelled rollers without being picked off 

 the bunches. The wine is slightly sprinkled with lime or plaster-of-Paris when it is 

 intended for commerce. It is allowed to ferment for ten, twenty, or even thirty days. 



2nd. The south-eastern, including Gard, Vaucluse, Ardeche, Drome, and Rhone. 

 This region embraces all the lower part of the basin of the Ehone ; the wines produced 

 are generally known as wines of the C6te-du-Ehone. 



(a.) That part of Gard which is included in this region produces, 1st, the red 

 wine of Tavel very dry, and improving much by age and the red wine of Lirac. 

 2nd. The sweet wines of Chusclan, wines of the finest quality, and those of Orsan 

 and St.-Geniez, of the second. The Gard also produces the ordinary wines of St.- 

 Laurent-des-Arbres and Roquemaure. 



(b.) Vaucluse. The chief growths are the Chdteau-Neuf-du-Pape, a very celebrated 

 wine, and the growth of La Nerthe, which is decreasing both in quality and quantity ; 

 it is sent to Bordeaux and Burgundy, for the purpose of colouring other wines. In 

 Vaucluse also are the vineyards of the Ckdteau- Vieux, of Nettes, and of Etrct. 



(c.) Ardeche includes the famous vineyards of St.-Pcray. This white wine, when 

 in a state of effervescence, almost equals Champagne, which, however, lias more 

 lightness, delicacy, and softness. It is sent to England, Germany, Belgium, and 

 Holland. The best sparkling sort sells at 2 francs 50 centimes the bottle. There 

 are also the vineyards of St.-Jean, Comas, and St. -Joseph. The sparkling wine of 

 St.-Peray is produced in the same way as Champagne. 



(d.) Drome. The Hermitage, the most famous vineyard in the C6te-du-Eh6ne, 

 consists only of 140 hectares. It produces red wine, white wine, and ' vins de paillo ' 

 (straw-coloured) ; the other vineyards are Larnage, Rochegude, Crozes, and Mcrcurol, 

 all of which wines are esteemed. 



(e.) Rhone. The southern part of the Rhone produces wine very similar to the 

 preceding. The best known are of those of Condricux and St.-Michcl. 



Tho vineyards of the Hermitage are managed with great care ; the soil is dry to the 

 depth of a meter (39 inches) ; the leaves are picked off the vine, and it is dressed and 

 tended five times a year during the first two years; the grapes are stripped off the 

 stalks, and the fermentation lasts ftom fifteen to twenty days. 



3rd. Tho eastern region is formed principally of tho Valley of the Snono. 





