Vins Doux Naturels: Expanding the possibilities of Languedoc-Roussillon value wines

The sweet wines of the Midi, known as Vins Doux Naturels, face a dwindling demand these days. Though there is a rich heritage behind them, these unique wines are losing out to the vast production of red, white and rosé wine from Languedoc-Roussillon. So it's a bit of a paradox that these specialized wines, which expand the possibilities for the adventurous wino, eventually limit options. That's because of their obscurity. "Why not just have a Port or a Madeira?" is what you might often end up hearing.

This is a classic catch-22. Port wine -- which was invented using the same technique that was innovated for Vin Doux Naturel -- steals away many potential drinkers of Maury or Banyuls, for instance.

Just last night, I had some Port after dinner rather than a Midi Muscat. While I got to taste some Muscat de Rivesaltes on the weekend, it can be hard to find friends interested in sharing a bottle of Vin Doux Naturel. As is the wont these days, one turns to the Internet when such is the case...

My virtual drinking buddy in Brooklyn who runs Brooklynguy's Wine and Food Blog can share his experience tracking down some Banyuls in the greater metropolitan area of New York. He'll tell you it's all about location, location, location, but more importantly, he also reviews the Domaine du Mas Blanc Banyuls that he eventually finds. B'guy also talks about Maury's sweet wines and garners a lot of interesting feedback in the comments. All in all, another fine post from Brooklynguy and some really helpful reading material for WBW 33. Thanks B'guy! Your hard work and fine effort are always rewarding.

So Vins Doux Naturels are obscure wine products because they typically do not get exported and distributed widely like the more popular styles of wine do. Since we're on the topic of economics, I'll admit that these sweet wines are not likely the Langudoc-Roussillon wines most associated with the best values for your everyday, typical wine drinker.

Though these are interesting and historic wines of the Midi, they were not what I originally had in mind for the theme of WBW 33. Nevertheless, you should feel free to check them out. And if you haven't tried any Vins Doux Naturels before, why not open a bottle instead of Port next time you get the chance?

UNVEILING THE MASTER LIST FOR WBW 33

With all this talk of new, off-the-beaten-path wines and obscure appellations, the time has come to update my original listing of official wine designations of Languedoc-Roussillon -- the only designations that are allowed for the WBW theme of Mid-priced wines from the Midi. (After all, I did promise I would add the missing appellations to my "top ten" ones.)

This means that all the sweet wine called vin doux naturel, all the country wine of the vin de pays ilk, and all the officially recognized appellations of the Languedoc-Roussillon region are now committed to a single nicely alphabetized list of eligibility for WBW 33. I call it the Master List...

... see if your potential WBW 33 bottle makes the cut!