Languedoc-Roussillon

The still-lean former captain of the Stade Français rugby team is talking passionately about his plans to turn wine drinkers on to the charms of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, which despite its 30,000 growers is one of the least revered regions in France, where Bordeaux and Burgundy hold sway.

New wines from the old world bring cheer to hard-pressed retail sector 2011

There have been stints at numerous French vineyards, including in the regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Bordeaux, as well as the Loire village of Sancerre.

Cultivating Pinot Noir Will Lyons 2011

French winemaker Gérard Bertrand, who is promoting wines from the lesser-known Languedoc-Roussillon region of France.

New wines from the old world bring cheer to hard-pressed retail sector 2011

French winemaker Gérard Bertrand, who is promoting wines from the lesser-known Languedoc-Roussillon region of France.

New wines from the old world bring cheer to hard-pressed retail sector 2011

The still-lean former captain of the Stade Français rugby team is talking passionately about his plans to turn wine drinkers on to the charms of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, which despite its 30,000 growers is one of the least revered regions in France, where Bordeaux and Burgundy hold sway.

New wines from the old world bring cheer to hard-pressed retail sector 2011

I'd head to Nîmes (just over the border in Languedoc-Roussillon), preferably between 8-13 June for the Féria (viva-la-feria.com), and either buy a ticket for the bullfighting at the Roman arena of Les Arènes (4 rue de la Violette, arenesdenimes.com) or settle for some gardiane, a bull casserole.

Classic France: the insiders' guide 2011

Carcassonne is the largest medieval citadel in Europe - a breathtaking UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site less than three hours' flight from London in the heart of the Languedoc-Roussillon - and a crossroads between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, with the Pyrenees just a blue haze in the distance.

Richard Powell: PHOTOS: A Holiday Spent Amongst The Wineries Of Languedoc Richard Powell 2011

Carcassonne is the largest medieval citadel in Europe - a breathtaking UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site less than three hours' flight from London in the heart of the Languedoc-Roussillon - and a crossroads between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, with the Pyrenees just a blue haze in the distance.

Richard Powell: PHOTOS: A Holiday Spent Amongst The Wineries Of Languedoc Richard Powell 2011

In fact, Mr. Engerer grew up in a family of wine merchants from the Languedoc-Roussillon and spent his summers working in his grandfather's cellar.

A Towering Bordeaux Jay McInerney 2011

Centraco is located on the grounds of another nuclear site, Marcoule, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region near the Mediterranean Sea.

France Nuclear Site Explosion: Marcoule Waste Site Rocked By Blast 2011