When it gets cold outside sometimes its fun to stay in and play games. In college it was beer or wine pong, catchphrase, or drunken Jenga. Now that I am way out of college, I still like to play drinking games but now they’re a bit more sophisticated while still being a whole lot of fun. I recently was sent a fun game by the Wines of Languedoc that was so fun and a great way to refresh my Languedoc knowledge while doing some “professional drinking”. I invited hubby and my neighbor and we made some cheese boards, and enjoyed three awesome wines from this region ranging from Picpoul to a Rosé, and even a Red Blend.

The game consisted of some playing cards with descriptions of a wine on them. The goal of the game is to match the cards with each wine, without looking up any information prior and simply using your wine knowledge and process of elimination skills. Luckily this game involves tasting, so that was great and really captured everyone else’s attention. Languedoc-Roussillon aka “The Languedoc” is a historical region in the South of France extending to the border of Spain, and is a major wine producing region. They make many styles of wine including sparkling, white, rosé, and red wines and three of them we got to taste for this game. I have written about many of the sparkling styles on the blog because Crémant is one of my favorite styles of sparkling wine. Crémant from Languedoc would be Crémant de Limoux!

There are some emotion behind the wine cards too, and those are to be assigned according to your feelings on the wine. We had to play a few rounds with this one to really get it right we think, but overall it was a fun time and really made me want to refresh my knowledge of the region because the wines are just so stunning and versatile.

The Picpoul de Pinet 2020 is a white varietal from this region. The wine, Domaine Reine Juliette, Terres Rouges means red soil and refers to the color of the rocks the vines are planted in. I haven’t had Picpoul in a while so this was a treat, especially with some nice cheeses. This wine can also be enjoyed with pork and shellfish, because of it’s grassiness, herbaceous notes, as well as the minerality and citrus it expresses.

The rosé is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, and is certified organic. I love rosé wines from France, and just rosé in general; I drink it year round. This wine is dry with hints of fresh berries and wild flowers, it’s a beautiful wine that everyone loved and we learned that the estate of Terre des Dames, Le Rosé has the same structure as it did 200 years ago! These grapes are still harvested by hand too, and that I think makes it extra special.

The red blend, made from Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre, and Syrah is fresh and clean with ripe red fruit flavors and a lingering finish. The tannins are soft, so it was delightful with our meats and cheeses, but also complimented some bbq meatballs due to the wines savory herb notes. A fun fact about Domaine La Madura, Classique Rogue is that the owners were so convinced that Languedoc was the best region for producing the wines they wanted to make, that they left Bordeaux to pursue Languedoc! This is amazing and they are doing an incredible job.

If you’re looking to learn more about these wines and try some for yourself, there’s a ton of great information HERE! I loved this game and learning a bit more about these three wines I have not tasted until now. I will absolutely be learning more about this great region and I encourage you to as well. Taste your way through France and make an evening of it!

Always remember eat what you like and drink what you love. Please pair responsibly.