Saint-Chinian AOC
Encyclopedia
Saint-Chinian is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée
(AOC) in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region in France
and is named after Saint-Chinian
.
region of France (now known as the Languedoc-Roussillon
and the Midi-Pyrénées
in the south of France) as the vineyards have been cultivated since ancient times. The vineyards were developed during the Roman presence in France, notably at the time of the development of the Via Domitia
, the first Roman road to link Gaul
and Hispania
. The wines produced at the time were exported in ceramic vases known as amphora
s, across the Mediterranean Sea
, and were very much appreciated in Rome
. They are mentioned by Cicero
and Pliny the Younger
in their stories.
monks developed the vines in the Vernazobres valley, a tributary of the Orb River
, near Saint-Chinian.
at the end of the 17th century. The wine could then be exported towards the north of France and the rest of Europe.
In the region of Saint-Chinian, the decline of smaller industries has worked in favour of the wine-making industry. The profits and workforce have been transferred to this industry.
The 19th century saw the vineyard size of Languedoc reach its peak. Thanks to the development of rail transport and the increase in railroads, the wine of Hérault can be efficiently dispatched towards the north of France and Europe. The large wine producers are often have wine-producing châteaus known as "folies". Béziers
claims to be the "wine capital of the world".
In 1951 Saint-Chinian was classified as a Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS), the second highest category of French wine.
In 1982 the area was awarded an Appellation d'origine contrôlée, AOC Saint-Chinian. The application for the appellation was supported by Raoul Bayou, parliamentarian from Hérault and past mayor of Cessenon.
At the turn of the millennium, the Languedoc region went through a serious wine-making crisis: overproduction, bad sales and competition with wines from the New World
and the Southern hemisphere on the international market. A number of co-operative wine-makers have found themselves in great financial difficulty and have received help from the French State or the European Union. There has been a number of demonstrations in the region, some violent, with support for elected locals often coming from wine-making communes. Some wine-growers are constricted to picking only their own vines.
In 2004, the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine
recognised the existence of two under-appellation communes: Saint-Chinian-Berlou and Saint-Chinian-Roquebrun. 2004 also saw the introduction of the Saint-Chinian Blanc appellation.
, the plateau of Espinouse, to the west of the department of Hérault, between Béziers
and Saint-Pons de Thomières. It is exposed towards the Mediterranean Sea. To the North, it is bordered by scrubland. To the South, it goes past the wine-producing plain of Béziers. It is crossed by the Orb River, and its two tributaries, which provide the water for the Saint-Cinian vines, and the Lirou River, which provides the water for the Puisserguier vines.
area. The wines produced on these schists are of a deep colour, very expressive in the mouth, fruity and a little acidic. It is these wines which are reminders of the scrubland and are preserved for quite some time. To the south of the appellation, beyond the village of Saint-Chinian, the soils are quite clayey and chalky. The ground is even chalkier towards the villages of Assignan
and Villespassans
; whereas the marl
clay-chalky soils dominate in the villages of Cazedarnes
, Puisserguier
, Creissan
and Quarante
. The wines produced on this type of soil are weaker and less robust.
, about twenty kilometres west of Béziers
.
, Babeau-Bouldoux
Berlou
, Causses-et-Veyran
, Cazedarnes
, Cébazan
, Cessenon-sur-Orb
, Creissan
, Cruzy
, Ferrières-Poussarou
, Murviel-lès-Béziers
, Pierrerue, Prades-sur-Vernazobre
, Puisserguier
, Quarante, Roquebrun
, Saint-Chinian
, Saint-Nazaire-de-Ladarez
, Vieussan
and Villespassans
.
, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre
and Syrah. Syrah (used to ameliorate the wines), Mourvèdre and Grenache represent approximately 70% of the grapes grown on the land.
The Carignan grape is used in the making of red wines, while the Cinsaut grape is better for the making of fruity rosé wines. Certain wine-growers offer 100% Carignan vines, but as Vin de Table as these products, which are not blends as required by the AOC regulations, cannot be sold under the Saint-Chinian AOC designation.
, Coteaux du Languedoc and Minervois
.
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
(AOC) in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and is named after Saint-Chinian
Saint-Chinian
Saint-Chinian is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-Saint-Chinian wine:Saint-Chinian has given its name to Saint-Chinian wine, which is classified as Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée and covers several communes around Saint-Chinian itself.-References:*...
.
Prehistoric and antiquity
It is considered to be the oldest winemaking area in the old LanguedocLanguedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
region of France (now known as the Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is...
and the Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity...
in the south of France) as the vineyards have been cultivated since ancient times. The vineyards were developed during the Roman presence in France, notably at the time of the development of the Via Domitia
Via Domitia
The Via Domitia was the first Roman road built in Gaul, to link Italy and Hispania through Gallia Narbonensis, across what is now southern France. The route that the Romans regularised and paved was ancient when they set out to survey it, so old that it traces the mythic route travelled by Heracles...
, the first Roman road to link Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
and Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
. The wines produced at the time were exported in ceramic vases known as amphora
Amphora
An amphora is a type of vase-shaped, usually ceramic container with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body...
s, across the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, and were very much appreciated in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. They are mentioned by Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
and Pliny the Younger
Pliny the Younger
Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo , better known as Pliny the Younger, was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate him...
in their stories.
Middle-Ages
During the Middle Ages, the monks saved a part of the vineyard as at the time, wine was produced by abbeys and monasteries. Towards the 18th century, the BenedictineBenedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monks developed the vines in the Vernazobres valley, a tributary of the Orb River
Orb River
The Orb is a 145 km long river in the Herault département of Southern France that flows into the Mediterranean Sea, in Valras-Plage. The river flows through the towns Bédarieux and Béziers, where it is crossed by the canal du Midi on the Orb Aqueduct. In ancient times, the Orb was crossed at...
, near Saint-Chinian.
Modern times
The vineyard in Languedoc developed as a result of the opening of the Canal du MidiCanal du Midi
The is a long canal in Southern France . The canal connects the Garonne River to the on the Mediterranean and along with the Canal de Garonne forms the Canal des Deux Mers joining the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. The canal runs from the city of Toulouse down to the Étang de Thau...
at the end of the 17th century. The wine could then be exported towards the north of France and the rest of Europe.
In the region of Saint-Chinian, the decline of smaller industries has worked in favour of the wine-making industry. The profits and workforce have been transferred to this industry.
The 19th century saw the vineyard size of Languedoc reach its peak. Thanks to the development of rail transport and the increase in railroads, the wine of Hérault can be efficiently dispatched towards the north of France and Europe. The large wine producers are often have wine-producing châteaus known as "folies". Béziers
Béziers
Béziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
claims to be the "wine capital of the world".
Contemporary times
After the Second World War, and since the 1970s in particular, the Languedoc region has regularly suffered from the problem of overproduction. It therefore has had to try to change its wine-making policy and promote quality over quantity. An improved variety of grapes is used, which are taken from other French regions.In 1951 Saint-Chinian was classified as a Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS), the second highest category of French wine.
In 1982 the area was awarded an Appellation d'origine contrôlée, AOC Saint-Chinian. The application for the appellation was supported by Raoul Bayou, parliamentarian from Hérault and past mayor of Cessenon.
At the turn of the millennium, the Languedoc region went through a serious wine-making crisis: overproduction, bad sales and competition with wines from the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
and the Southern hemisphere on the international market. A number of co-operative wine-makers have found themselves in great financial difficulty and have received help from the French State or the European Union. There has been a number of demonstrations in the region, some violent, with support for elected locals often coming from wine-making communes. Some wine-growers are constricted to picking only their own vines.
In 2004, the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine
Institut National des Appellations d'Origine
The Institut National des Appellations d'Origine is the French organization charged with regulating French agricultural products with Protected Designations of Origin . Controlled by the French government, it forms part of the Ministry of Agriculture...
recognised the existence of two under-appellation communes: Saint-Chinian-Berlou and Saint-Chinian-Roquebrun. 2004 also saw the introduction of the Saint-Chinian Blanc appellation.
Location
The Saint-Chinian AOC is situated at the foot of the edges of the Massif CentralMassif Central
The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaux....
, the plateau of Espinouse, to the west of the department of Hérault, between Béziers
Béziers
Béziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
and Saint-Pons de Thomières. It is exposed towards the Mediterranean Sea. To the North, it is bordered by scrubland. To the South, it goes past the wine-producing plain of Béziers. It is crossed by the Orb River, and its two tributaries, which provide the water for the Saint-Cinian vines, and the Lirou River, which provides the water for the Puisserguier vines.
Geology
The ground of the AOC Saint-Chinian is split into two distinct sides. To the north of the appellation, the soil is composed of schists, just like the soil at the FaugèresFaugères
Faugères may refer to the following places in France:* Faugères, Ardèche, a commune in the department of Ardèche* Faugères, Hérault, a commune in the department of Hérault** Faugères AOC, an Appellation d'origine contrôlée wine from Faugères, Hérault...
area. The wines produced on these schists are of a deep colour, very expressive in the mouth, fruity and a little acidic. It is these wines which are reminders of the scrubland and are preserved for quite some time. To the south of the appellation, beyond the village of Saint-Chinian, the soils are quite clayey and chalky. The ground is even chalkier towards the villages of Assignan
Assignan
Assignan is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
and Villespassans
Villespassans
Villespassans is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France....
; whereas the marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
clay-chalky soils dominate in the villages of Cazedarnes
Cazedarnes
Cazedarnes is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France....
, Puisserguier
Puisserguier
Puisserguier is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France....
, Creissan
Creissan
Creissan is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France....
and Quarante
Quarante
Quarante is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France....
. The wines produced on this type of soil are weaker and less robust.
Vineyards
The vineyards are situated in the department of HéraultHérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, about twenty kilometres west of Béziers
Béziers
Béziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
.
Introduction
The vineyards stretches over the communes of: AssignanAssignan
Assignan is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
, Babeau-Bouldoux
Babeau-Bouldoux
Babeau-Bouldoux is a commune in the Hérault department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
Berlou
Berlou
Berlou is a commune in the Hérault department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France.-Population:...
, Causses-et-Veyran
Causses-et-Veyran
Causses-et-Veyran is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.-See also:*Communes of the Hérault department...
, Cazedarnes
Cazedarnes
Cazedarnes is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France....
, Cébazan
Cébazan
Cébazan is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France....
, Cessenon-sur-Orb
Cessenon-sur-Orb
Cessenon-sur-Orb is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.- External links :*...
, Creissan
Creissan
Creissan is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France....
, Cruzy
Cruzy
Cruzy is also a commune in the Hérault department in southern France....
, Ferrières-Poussarou
Ferrières-Poussarou
Ferrières-Poussarou is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.-See also:*Communes of the Hérault department...
, Murviel-lès-Béziers
Murviel-lès-Béziers
Murviel-lès-Béziers is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-References:Based on the French Wikipedia....
, Pierrerue, Prades-sur-Vernazobre
Prades-sur-Vernazobre
Prades-sur-Vernazobre is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-External links:**...
, Puisserguier
Puisserguier
Puisserguier is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France....
, Quarante, Roquebrun
Roquebrun
Roquebrun is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-See also:*Communes of the Hérault departmentENTRY FOR WIKIPEDIA- ROQUEBRUN FRANCE 34460LOCATION...
, Saint-Chinian
Saint-Chinian
Saint-Chinian is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-Saint-Chinian wine:Saint-Chinian has given its name to Saint-Chinian wine, which is classified as Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée and covers several communes around Saint-Chinian itself.-References:*...
, Saint-Nazaire-de-Ladarez
Saint-Nazaire-de-Ladarez
Saint-Nazaire-de-Ladarez is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-References:*...
, Vieussan
Vieussan
Vieussan is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon southern France....
and Villespassans
Villespassans
Villespassans is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France....
.
Grape varieties
The grapes used at Saint-Chinian are Carignan, Cinsault, GrenacheGrenache
Grenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively...
, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre
Mourvèdre
Mourvèdre , Mataró or Monastrell is wine grape variety used to make both strong, dark red wines and rosés. It is an international variety grown in many regions around the world....
and Syrah. Syrah (used to ameliorate the wines), Mourvèdre and Grenache represent approximately 70% of the grapes grown on the land.
The Carignan grape is used in the making of red wines, while the Cinsaut grape is better for the making of fruity rosé wines. Certain wine-growers offer 100% Carignan vines, but as Vin de Table as these products, which are not blends as required by the AOC regulations, cannot be sold under the Saint-Chinian AOC designation.
Cultivation methods
Particularly in the South, the vines are trained using metal wires and are attached to them, whereas in the North, they use the “goblet” vine training system on sloping vineyards.Marketing
With regards to the volume of wine, the Saint-Chinian AOC is the fourth in Languedoc, behind CorbièresCorbières
Corbières is a municipality in the district of Gruyère in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. On 1 January 2011 the former municipality of Villarvolard merged into the municipality of Corbières.-History:...
, Coteaux du Languedoc and Minervois
Minervois
Minervois is an AOC in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region. The red wines of the Minervois appellation are produced from Carignan , Grenache, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvedre, and Syrah grapes...
.