🥃 Languedoc wine spirit (Eau-de-vie de vin originaire du Languedoc)

Languedoc wine spirit (Eau-de-vie de vin originaire du Languedoc), called Fine du Languedoc in France, is a grape spirit from the wines of Languedoc and Roussillon. The name has been protected in the EU since 1989, and as a regional designation since 1942. It comes clear or aged in oak, and the bottled strength is from 40% ABV.

Region and raw material. The zone covers communes in the departments of Aude, Hérault, Pyrénées-Orientales and western Gard: a Mediterranean amphitheatre from the Pyrenees to the Cévennes. The wines must meet the Languedoc appellation rules, but the yield may be up to 100 hl per hectare; the wine has 9–15% ABV and low acidity.

Distillation. A simple pot still of up to 40 hl with a copper helmet is allowed, as is a column, and in practice column distillation prevails. The fresh spirit is up to 72% ABV, with less than 5 g of butan-2-ol and less than 300 g of ethyl acetate per hectolitre of pure alcohol. Today only four distilleries make it from wine.

Aging and history. The clear spirit rests at least six months in vats of inert material; the aged one matures at least a year in oak casks of up to 600 l, with aromas of vanilla, cinnamon and liquorice. The art of distillation developed here from the 13th century around the medical school of Montpellier; in 1804, 500,000 hl of spirit were shipped from the port of Sète.

Why this matters to you. The clear version has no wood aging, so you can tell a young spirit from an aged one by colour. Do not confuse it with marc du Languedoc, which is made from pomace. The WHO reminds us: there is no safe level of alcohol.