Transport Yourself to the South of France With Wine

There are few travel luxuries in life that top a visit to the South of France. From beautiful vistas to charming villages and steep vineyards plunging into the Mediterranean Sea, there is no shortage of enchantment that can be found in this part of the world.

Unfortunately, with the ongoing pandemic and related travel restrictions, it may not be easy to make the journey and experience the sights, smells and tastes of France firsthand. I had the pleasure this summer of visiting myself, and am now sharing how you can bring the South of France lifestyle to South Florida – with a little imagination and a few bottles of wine!

The Languedoc region of France is located on the country’s southwestern Mediterranean coast and is situated between mountain ranges to the west and the coastline to the east. Administratively combined with Roussillon to the south, it is one of the largest wine-producing regions in France, with a rich winemaking history and valued traditions. Known primarily for blends, the main grapes used in red or rosé wines include carignan, grenache, syrah, cinsault and mourvèdre. White wines can contain a multitude of grapes, from grenache blanc to chardonnay, viognier, vermentino (rolle), marsanne and roussanne, to name a handful.

When it comes to capturing a place and time, one man has built an empire by encapsulating this region in each bottle produced from one of his many vineyard sites located in the region. Third-generation winemaker Gérard Bertrand is arguably the most iconic vintner of this area, making a name for himself over several decades through his biodynamic wines that can be found in wine shops and on restaurant lists around the world. In fact, his Côte des Roses has been a top selling rosé year after year in the U.S. You may recognize the emblematic rose at the bottom of the bottle when shopping for wines.

Bertrand’s philosophy of winemaking incorporates nature with viticultural practices, and relies only on natural products and processes to cultivate the vines. Since 2002, he has been committed to biodynamic agriculture, which also means following a biodynamic calendar that signals specific days when it is appropriate to manage the vine with actions such as pruning and even harvest, or days when the vine should remain untouched. His commitment to preserving the biodiversity and interconnectedness of the vineyard is why each bottle of his wine reflects a piece of the land from where the grapes are grown.

Are you ready to experience the South of France through wine? Here are some of the bottles you can find here in Miami that will transport you to its storied Mediterranean coast.

Orange Gold ($19.99) is a wine with a color reminiscent of a summer sunset’s heart. This is an orange wine from the Gérard Bertrand collection, and it is a blend containing chardonnay, grenache blanc, viognier, marsanne, mauzac and muscat. The orange color is created when these white grapes are vinified with extended skin contact, allowing the clear juice to mix with the colors from the skins. The resulting wine is fresh, with body and balance. Peach and apricot flavors dominate, and the tannins from the skins give the wine some weight and complexity. It can easily be enjoyed as an aperitif or with a white fish dish accompanied by a tropical fruit salsa.

One of Bertrand’s beautiful properties – and where I stayed during my visit – is the Château L’Hospitalet Wine Resort, which is surrounded by vineyards and vistas overlooking the Mediterranean. The château is located in the La Clape AOC between the city of Narbonne and the sea, and hosts the annual Jazz à l’Hospitalet music festival each summer. This is one of the hottest and driest locations in the Languedoc, but the grapes enjoy reprieve from the heat by the moderation effect from the sea and the altitude at which the vines are planted.

Coming from this region is the Château L’Hospitalet Grand Vin Rouge ($39.99), a traditional red blend of syrah, grenache and mourvèdre. The wine presents as bold but with smooth tannins. Aromas and flavors include some spice and savory notes of black olives, along with a balance of blackberries, black plum and red fruits from the grenache. Grand Vin is a perfect wine for a feast of meats.

Bubble lovers are not left out of this experience. In fact, the Languedoc has a long history of making sparkling wine. Monks in this region discovered sparkling wine when making Blanquette de Limoux in 1531, nearly 150 years before the famed Dom Pérignon did the same in Champagne.

Bertrand pays homage to this regional history with his Heritage An 825 Crémant de Limoux Brut & Heritage An 825 Crémant de Limoux Brut Rosé ($17.99/$19.99). Both wines are a blend of chardonnay, chenin blanc and pinot noir, with the light pink salmon color of the rosé created by the pinot noir grapes, which are vinified first like a red wine, before a percentage is blended with the juice from the white grapes. Make sure to serve these wines well chilled. Then, savor them as a celebration of how exciting it is to discover sparkling wines from the South of France.