Languedoc-Roussillon, the Wines of Southern France

Languedoc-Roussillon, the Wines of Southern France is a paean to the wines of the southern French Mediterranean coast. It is one of the few books to cover both these districts (and the first one in Swedish), the Languedoc, which is the northern part, and Roussillon, which borders Spain. Languedoc-Roussillon is an exciting wine region, where lots of things are happening these days, one that has many young and ambitious wine producers. There are plenty of excellent wines made there. This book is written for those who want to discover some of the very best producers in Languedoc-Roussillon, France’s biggest wine region.

Ten years ago we wrote the first Swedish book about the wines from the Languedoc. Perhaps it contributed to making the outstanding wines from this region popular in Sweden.

A lot has happened in ten years. This is a completely new book. Many new producer profiles, all are new or fully updated. There are around 320 producers mentioned in the book, almost 100 with longer profiles, others with shorter descriptions or just mentioned as new names to discover.

The book also covers the Roussillon, the often overlooked wine region at the border to Spain. There you can find both rich red wines and surprisingly elegant and deep white wines.

The book is unfortunately currently only published in Swedish (but it has plenty of pretty pictures). Enquiries for foreign editions are welcome.

Languedoc-Roussillon södra Frankrikes viner, Omslag Full Size
Languedoc-Roussillon södra Frankrikes viner, omslag

The book was awarded first prize, an OIV Award, in the prestigious wine book competition organised by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, alternatively L’Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin.

It is the third time that one of our books is awarded an honour by the OIV Jury. The only Swedish wine books ever to get an OIV Award.

OIV logo

OIV logo prix de l oiv 1080x732

The book has also been named ”Book of the Year – Best in all categories” for books about drinks, including wine, in the Gourmand Awards in Sweden 2019. It has thus been nominated to the finals of the Gourmand International Book Awards 2020.

Gourmand Awards Winner
Gourmand Awards Winner

Languedoc-Roussillon is a region that has long been a pioneer for organic wines. The weather is warm and sunny. It is comparatively easy to be organic. Many of the producers in the book are organic and some are even biodynamic, others are more conventional.

The book also talks about other attractions of the Languedoc-Roussillon. The lovely local gastronomy with, for example, plenty of fish and seafood. The beautiful often wild landscape where aromatic herbs grow wild in what is called la garrigue, exuding aromas that are often also found in the wines. On the history of the region and much, much more.

During a large part of the 20th century, this region was dominated by the production of simple bulk wine. It was at the time when the people drank up to a litre of wine a day. Today all has changed. The region can proudly show many small producers who work with traditional methods and traditional grape varieties, often supplemented with modern technical knowledge and equipment.

Today, Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the most exciting wine regions in France. It is also a region where you can find world-class wines at very reasonable prices.

Be inspired to discover more of this with the book Languedoc-Roussillon, the wines of southern France.

The text on this video is in Swedish, but you can see how the book looks, inside and out:


Here’s what the publisher says about the book:

“ ‘We who wrote this book have long been fascinated by the wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon. We have followed the development, and spent much time there, the extraordinary quality revolution that has been going on in the region since the 1990s.’ That’s how the three wine connoisseurs write at the beginning of this book on the wine, the vineyards and the wine producers. Many new producers have been attracted to this region thanks to the wonderful climate, the lively wine sector, the wild and beautiful nature and the mountainous borderland.

Here, herbs and spices grow wild; the low bush vegetation can be found in many places – all important for “le terroir”. Still, this is perceived as a “new” wine region and there are not yet any of the traditional prestigious vineyard names as can be found in Bordeaux or Burgundy. Many positive surprises can be found here, and, as a bonus, usually very affordable. The region is a part of France that has its very own history, of poetry and love, of troubadours and of Cathars. The wine history, too, extends more than 2,000 years back in time. This is the world’s largest wine-growing and wine-making region. Languedoc is really the cradle of French wines. From once having a focus on quantity, now all is about quality.

The book is a veritable source to find reliable facts, based on thousands of wine tastings, in-depth interviews and conversations with growers and producers, many travels, even having made it one’s home for many years in this beautiful landscape.

Britt Karlsson and Per Karlsson have, through their books, established themselves as internationally renowned wine writers, and they have won many awards for their books The Creation of a Wine, Organic, Biodynamic and Natural Winemaking, France, the Country of Wine and Champagne. Some books have also been translated. They live in Paris. Bengt Rydén, well-known economist journalist and wine connoisseur, has previously co-authored a wine book about Languedoc with among others Britt and Per Karlsson. Rydén has for many years lived part of the year in the region, and now lives in Stockholm.”

Book facts

The book is currently only published in Swedish. We welcome inquiries for publication in other countries.

Title: Languedoc-Roussillon, södra Frankrikes viner (Languedoc-Roussillon, the wines of Southern France)

Author: Britt Karlsson, Bengt Rydén, with contributions by Per Karlsson

Photographer: Per Karlsson

Maps: André Devald

Design: Petter Antonisen

Publisher: Carlsson Bokförlag

Format: Hard-cover, richly illustrated

Published: 2019

Size: 250 x 170 x 25 mm, 308 pages, weight 908 g

ISBN: 9789173319263

More books by BKWine

Here is an overview of all the wine books that we written.

Languedoc-Roussillon södra Frankrikes viner, Omslag Full Size
Languedoc-Roussillon södra Frankrikes viner, omslag

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