Going, going, not quite gone...

However you measure rarity in terms of a grape variety, Ribeyrenc is undoubtedly among the most notable examples. If it were an animal, it would be on the critically endangered list. At the latest reckoning (and even that is no more than an educated guess), there are probably only three people growing this grape commercially in France.

Two hundred years ago, it was, with Oeillade and Picpoul, one of the staple grapes of Languedoc wine production. The devastation wrought by the phylloxera pest led to varieties like Cinsaut and Carignan being planted in huge swathes across the region and in time, Ribeyrenc was largely forgotten.

Ribeyrenc produces a gentle red wine with a bouquet of fresh red fruit and, interestingly, a definite hint of cherry. Not the fat, dark red or black cherry you might expect to associate with the aroma or flavour of a red wine but a lighter pink, perhaps like the Rainier variety.

Thierry Navarre in Roquebrun has almost single-handedly brought Ribeyrenc back to life. Spurred by family memories of this grape he scoured his land, and that of several neighbours, in search of  the elusive pieds (feet) from which he could replant. His own persistence and some technical help from INRA (France's national institute for agricultural research) now means he can produce a modest amount of this fascinating wine.

In the maddeningly complex world of grape variety nomenclature, Ribeyrenc has several synonyms, one of which - Aspiran -  is still a named variety permitted in the production of some Minervois AOP wines. Whether anyone produces wine under this name is hard to establish, but if they do, it will add no more than a trickle to this gentle stream of a reviving variety.

If you're interested in exploring this and other neglected or forgotten grape varieties in the Languedoc I offer tours for small groups (3-4 people), talking and tasting with the winemakers. Please contact me for more information.

A nudge, a wink and other rare grapes

Back in sixteenth century France if you cast someone 'un oeillade' you were guilty of a lustful glance. Nowadays the meaning has become less egregious - it's more like a wink. By a remarkable coincidence there is a rare French grape variety called l'Oeillade, whose etymology has no apparent connection to its cheeky homonym. It seems to me that this rare and neglected grape variety would once have had a perfect opportunity to exploit the marketing potential of a name with such rich associations: the 1960s or '70s would have been the ideal era to launch a wine tied in with cheesy sexual politics.

L'Oeillade may be a harder sell in the 21st century, but there is at least one winemaker trying to keep it alive. Thierry Navarre, based in Roquebrun in the Haut Languedoc, makes a vin d'Oeillades rosé which won rave reviews in a recent issue of the influential French wine mag, La Revue de Vins de France. The Oeillade grape, which according to Thierry, is a cousin to Cinsaut, creates a wine that has quite a savoury and full-bodied feel to it. The magazine reviewer described it as 'autumnal', which for a rosé is quite unusual. Overall it's very satisfying and definitely moreish - with or without food.

Lip-stinging, thirst-quenching...Picpoul de Pinet

Picpoul de Pinet is not rare, or even lesser-known any more, but it's a fantastic example of what a little official recognition can do to the profile of a grape, wine or region.

Recognised as a separate appellation within the Languedoc barely a decade ago, it's already established as a firm favourite amongst those who like a fresh, oak-free white wine experience. The area covered by the Picpoul appellation is between Pezenas (famous for its spiced mutton pies and Moliere's theatre group) and the coastal town of Meze. The area close to the coast is flat, but as you approach from the north you pass through some geologically ancient gently rolling hills which are rich in fossil deposits. It's possible this complex geology accounts for the extraordinary variations identified in the aroma and flavours of the wines, which are all from just one grape variety.

The first I remember tasting was bought from a supermarket near Valras Plage about fifteen years ago and it had a lemon-lime zest flavour. Last year I tasted one which had definite honey notes.
Last week I enjoyed a white peach-redolent example. The official website of the appellation is not bashful about either the range of flavours you can expect, or the possible food pairings. You are told that it can be enjoyed with a range of seafood or indeed with cheese or chocolate. You'd be forgiven for thinking this is just bold marketing puff for a wine striving to achieve the broadest possible appeal. But if you get green apple, pepper, hawthorn blossom, acacia and white pear on your palate then I suppose it's not stretching credulity too far to imagine it as a wine for all courses!

You can still find decent Picpoul for about 3 euros a bottle and it's hard to pay more than 12. There are a few big producers like Domaine Felines Jourdan (popular in the UK) and the Cave de l'Ormarine in Pinet (judging by the shop popular everywhere) but my current favourite is Domaine Reine Juliette (which until last year was labelled as Domaine Montredon - a well-known supplier to local restaurants)