The respected British-based wine magazine,Decanter, visits Limoux, the “unheralded Languedoc AC” where it “unearths whites of real interest”, in a regional profile published in its February issue.

They describe Limoux as “an island of white in the Languedoc’s sea of red”, saying that “the best of the fizz offers outstanding value” while “good dry white wines offer a freshness and complexity not easily achieved in the warm south”.

Both a fizz (Blanquette de Limoux) and a ‘good dry white’ (Occitania) with the Rives-Blanques label were included amongst Decanter’s choice of the best wines from Limoux. Both are based on the indigenous local grape, Mauzac.

James Lawther, MW, who wrote the article, attributes Limoux’s singularity – “an island of white in the Languedoc’s sea of red” – to its climate. He also said that the region has “something of a liberal air”, attributing this to the outsiders from abroad such as Rives-Blanques and their neighbour Begude, as well as the outsiders from other regions, such as Mouscaillo and Denois, from the Loire and Champagne respectively.