The wine-growing region Some 100 km from the sea, the Aude valley benefits from a Mediterranean climate with just a touch of Pyrenean chill. The gently sloping hills scattered with cypress trees are covered in a light, stoney limestone soil. 14,000 hectares produce wine of four different labels (appellations). There are three sparkling wines -the famous Blanquette de Limoux, Blanquette using an ancestral method (Blanquette Méthode Ancestrale) and Crémant-de-Limoux- and still dry white wines known simply as Limoux.

Vine varieties Whether sparkling or still, Limoux wines are produced from three varieties: Mauzat, Chardonnay and Chenin. It is the high sugar content of Mauzat and specific climatic conditions which put the sparkle in Limoux.

		A brief history... Roman historian Titus Livus was already waxing lyrical in the 1st century about the "illuminating" wines of Limoux. In 1531, a Benedictine monk noticed that his wine, kept in a corked bottle in the cellars of Saint-Hilaire abbey, was bubbly. The first world's first brut was born! From the day of this chance discovery, wine makers worked hard to discover the secrets of and to control this effervescence.		The Limoux wine-growing region
		The traditional method applied to Blanquette de Limoux requires pressing the grapes, blending the wines then making them ferment again once bottled. The "ancestral" method, as it is known, remains a complete mystery: only bottling the wine during the old moon in March or when the moon is waning will produce a sparkling wine. Scientists remain perplexed...

		A wine waiter's tips... Pale yellow Limoux with its golden tones offers a bouquet of flowers and fruit hinting of green apples and honey (Blanquette) or citrus fruits and toast (Crémant).... Blanquette de Limoux, slowly cooled down to 6 to 7°C, is tasted within two years of production. The dry (brut) version can accompany a whole meal. Prefer a medium dry (demi-sec) wine for desserts. Blanquette Méthode Ancestrale: sweet and light, cool it down for a few hours upright before accompanying a dessert or cakestuff. Crémant-de-Limoux (serve between 6 and 7°C) is a dry wine used as an aperitif or to accompany fish or white meat. The dry white wines of Limoux AOC (certified origin) are tasted at no more than 7°C with fish, seafood, foie gras and certain cheeses such as mature cantal or goat.

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