The grape varieties of the South take the lion's share of the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) of the Languedoc. The Indications Géographiques Protégées (IGP) Sud de France are the field of expression of grape varieties from all over France and the world. The PDO imposes majority grape varieties and proposes accessory grape varieties, all of which are essential identity markers of the region. Ampelography is the science of grape varieties; its specialists are Languedoc scientists: Henri Bouschet in the 19th century, Pierre Viala and then Pierre Galet in the 20th century, have contributed to making the Languedoc the ampelographic sanctuary it is today. The Vassal estate, in Marseillan in the Hérault, has no less than 5,000 of the 6,000 grape varieties known throughout the world. Its owner, the Institut National de Recherche sur l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE) in Montpellier, is a center for the development of grape varieties through crossbreeding, while throughout the region, collections of old grape varieties are multiplying by taking samples from the oldest vines in the appellations to preserve this unique genetic heritage. Red grape varieties occupy three quarters of the vineyard.
Grenache noir and carignan are the masters of the place, flanked by syrah, an improver that has found its feet (see below). In white, the Languedoc offers some very fine specialties: piquepoul, clairette, bourboulenc, grey and white grenache and carignan, but also chardonnay in the appellation, and sauvignon in the IGP. It takes everything to make this world of wine, summarized in a single region in all its appellations, capable of responding to all desires, to all consumer trends.
