From October 10th until November 14th
experiences the wines of the Languedoc at four Vancouver wine bars. The Wine Bar, Brix, Siena, and Seasons in the
Park are all pouring between two and four feature wines from this region of
foothills and sea in the South of France.
By eating and sipping at each location you can enter to win gift
certificates and a fantastic prize of a limousine for two visiting all four
wine bars for wine and appetizers. Take
a selfie with a glass of Languedoc wine at each location for even more chances
of winning and post it to Twitter and Facebook using the hash tag #LangeudocVan
@Languedocwines.
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| Take a Selfie & Tweet @LanguedocWines to win prizes including a limo wine bar crawl Stephen Bonner & Joy Metcalfe |
What to know about the Languedoc? It’s a wine region made up of
four departments, the Eastern Pyrennes, the Aude, the Herault, and the Gard
covering 40,000 ha over a large range of
climate and soil types. The Langeudoc
produces a full roster of wine types from still whites, sparkling, rose, reds, and dessert
wines. Winemaking focuses on Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre,
Cinsault and Carignan for red and rose production; along with Grenache blanc,
Clairette, Bourboulenc, Viognier, Picpoul, Marsanne, Roussanne, Vermentino and
Ugni Blanc for whites.
Languedoc is rich in food and wine; bridging the French, Spanish, and North
African cultures. Spice markets, cafés, canals, rolling foothills, as well as
castles and abbeys dot the landscape. This is home to the Mediterranean
lifestyle and diet and an array of wine styles ideally suited to the cuisine.
Vancouver is the perfect
North American city to promote and taste this region’s wine. With our Pacific
rim, farm to fork, and market-oriented restaurants the wines of Langeudoc are
natural partners. Try a Limoux with oysters or sushi, a Minervois red with a herby goat
cheese or a burger, a GSM with bbq’d meats or a curry, and a Muscat with chocolate or nut based dessert.
Look for bottles and end caps with the Occitan Cross “The
Langeudoc Cross” representing the twelve signs of the zodiac and the months of
the year is found on all bottles of wine from this region. An ancient symbol
re-interpreted for a classic wine region and wine.
Wines tasted on my recent wine bar crawl
Sieur d’Arques Premiere Bulle Limoux
Pale yellow colour with decent mousse. Aromas of brioche
and flower petals, Light to
medium-bodied with crisp apple and white peach notes. Refreshing and round mouth
feel. ***
Chateau Pech-Celeyran Cinquieme Generation La Clape 2011
Yellow straw colour with aromas of flowers and mild tropical
fruits. Medium-bodied, nice unctuous texture on the mid palate and flavours of
peach, honeysuckle, and guava. Good length and acidity. ***
Domaine Delso Picpoul de Pinet 2012
Pale straw green with aromas of lime and subtle rose notes. Light-bodied,
refreshing acidity, and flavours of
pear, citrus, and flower petals. ***
Gerard Betrand Terrior Minervois 2010
Dark garnet colour with a bouquet of smoke, blackcurrant, and
briar. Medium-bodied with garrigue notes, cherry, and plum. Good length with
soft tannins. ***
Domaines Paul Mas GSM Coteaux du Languedoc 2011
Ruby purple colour. Aromas of blackberry, voilets, and mineral.
Medium to full-bodied with plum, blackberry, licorice, tobacco, with a finish
of spice and savoury herbs. Good value. ****
Saint-Saturnin Le Clocher Languedoc 2010
Garnet red with black plum aromas. Medium-bodied with soft
tannins, and flavours of earth, strawberry, and plum. ***
Domaine de Babio Minervois 2009
Ruby red with complex aromas of spice, liquorice, and red
fruits. Medium to full-bodied, with youthful tannins, mineral, fruit compote,
and meaty undertones. Good complexity and length. ****
Antech Cuvee Expression Cremant de Limoux 2009
Pale straw yellow with good mousse. Aromas of biscuit, nut,
brioche, and granny smith apple. Medium-bodied, creamy textured palate, and
flavours of honeyed apple, lime, nuts,
brioche, and a hint of sweet pear. ****
Restaurants participating in the Languedoc Wine Bar Crawl
Provence/The Wine Bar 1167 Marineside Crescent @TWB_TheWineBar
Brix 138 Homer Street @brixvan
Seasons in the Park QE Park @SeasonsinQEPark
Siena 1485 West 12th @SienaVancouver
