when the super dynamic people of sud de france invited me to join their worldwide synchronized tasting, i was curious with the project and also thrilled to be involved with such an up and coming wine region as what languedoc-rousillon has become.

covering half of france's coast with the mediterranean sea, the region has a dazzling history extending back to the greeks, a wonderful diversity and richness of soils, all kinds of climates and grape varieties and an extraordinary natural beauty.

over 40 wines have achieved aoc status which include red, rosé and white wines, naturally sweet wines and sparkling wines. but beyond the wines of appellation, the region has an extremely rich heritage of vin de pays offering the adventurous wine lover an exciting diversity of vinous experiences.

today is a worldwide synchronized wine tasting which is to take place at 11 am wherever the participants are located. as i understand, 90 bloggers and journalists were sent the same wines as i received and all these people will taste and comment at the same time depending on their time zone.

the wines and impressions as follow:

1- sparkling: sieur d'arques, aoc crémant de limoux, grande cuvée 1531:

1531 refers to the year benedictine nuns in a neighbouring village invented the world's 1st sparkling wine: "la blanquette de limoux".

intense lemon, floral with fresh croissant notes on the nose. creamy but slightly aggressive mousse, balanced, good length. a wine best served ice cold for an aperitif on a hot summer day...

2- white: cigalus gérard bertrand, vdp d'oc, cuvée 2008

bright lemon color, rich & intense nose of peach, apricot with hints of citrus. smooth, round & full on the palate, balanced, floral & vanilla finish. good length of the after-taste. would serve it with barbecued white meats or fish...

3- rosé: fruité catalan, aoc côtes du roussillon

bright candy pink color, an explosion of fruit on the nose: strawberries, raspberries, cherries, fruit drops, bananas and tropical fruits. touch creamy, fresh. the palate is balanced, light, crisp, and explosively fruity with a spicy refreshing finish. definitely a wine to sip around the swimming pool...

4- red: dromadaire 30670, cdp vin de pays d'oc, cuvée 2006

the name here refers to the postal code of the village where the wine is made...

deep purple color. medium intensity dark berries, pure blackcurrant, black berries with a hint of cherries. the palate is very firm, with jammy fruits and a spicy finish. definitely a wine that begs for roasted meats on a bbq...

5- sweet wine: mas de madame, aoc muscat de frontignan, cuvée 2006:

bright yellow with golden hues. rich and intense aromas of orange blossom, ripe peaches, apricot, and white lilies of the mountains. sweet, round, and smooth on the palate with peachy and baked apple finish. a wine to serve with a rich fruit tart or simply to enjoy cold after dinner.

all in all, an interesting experience. the sheer diversity of the wines of languedoc-roussillon should be enough to make any wine lovers curious to explore this fascinating region.