Fitou

Fitou is a red wine appellation in the Languedoc inside the boundaries of Corbières where it meets Roussillon. Fitou is the oldest wine appellation of Languedoc, founded in 1948 and it consists of two enclaves; the coastal, clay/limestone-rich Fitou Maritime, and the mountainous, schistuous, qualitatively more significant Fitou Montagneux.

Co-operatives continue to be the dominant players in the local wine scene, with the Mont Tauch co-operative in Tuchan, the oldest in the Languedoc, standing head and shoulders above the rest in terms of quantity and quality (half of total regional production).

The principal variety is still Carignan, which must not exceed 70% of the blend. It is complememted by Grenache, its relative Lladoner Pelut, Mourvèdre (in Fitou Maritime), and Syrah (in Fitou Montagneux) (a minimum of 10% for the latter two, imposed since 2008).