Vin de Pays d'Oc is something most of us will have seen on a bottle of wine at some point, usually at the cheap and possibly nasty end of the wine spectrum. However for many people, this phrase means very little other than a mark of cheapness. This opinion is overdue a rethink though, with wines of great quality and character emerging from what was once the wine lake of Europe. Ever improving Appellations such as Faugeres, St Chinian and Corbières, as well as dynamic winemakers who work outside the Appellation rules so that they can craft individual and different wines (which must therefore be labelled 'mere' Vin de Pays), mean this must be one of the most exciting wine producing areas in the world at the moment.

The traditional grape varieties of the South (Carignan, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Grenache Noir)are still form the core of Appellation wines, but are nowadays liked with greater winemaking skill and better techniques to create more consistent wines. There are also plantings of varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon which are now maturing and being used to great effect, as well as some of the best Viognier outside the Northern Rhone. So try experimenting with the Languedoc - there are some real gems to be discovered.