Occitanie raises profile with online films

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 03 November, 2020

The Occitanie region of France is about to be much better known in the UK.

The region’s wine bureau has launched a new series of 11 films offering an immersive tour of Occitanie’s diverse landscapes and terroirs, which will be free to view on its YouTube channel and website.

Occitanie comprises the vineyards of Languedoc-Roussillon, most of south west France and a small section of the south-west Rhône valley. Appellations covered by the brief masterclasses include Limoux, Picpoul de Pinet, Lirac, Cahors and Pays d’Oc.

Each film will last between five and 10 minutes and will include suggestions for wine styles to taste that illuminate the characteristics of each area.

The target audience ranges from experienced sommeliers and wine merchants to consumers looking to expand their knowledge of an under-explored region.

The series, titled An insight into the wine regions of Occitanie, is hosted by Matthew Stubbs MW. Stubbs is a leading authority on the region and runs his own wine school near Carcassonne which offers courses and seminars worldwide.

Stubbs said: “Occitanie is like the wine world condensed into one region. Within a two-hour drive you will find every style of wine in one place from a multitude of terroirs, grape varieties and over 20,000 individual growers and producers.

“It is a never-ending source of fascination, interest and excitement and it was an absolute pleasure to present a personal insight into some of the major areas in this region.”

Isabelle Kanaan, executive director for Bureau de la Région Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée, said: “Occitanie is the largest and fastest-selling French wine region in the UK. It is a must-have of any restaurant or wine shop as it offers value for money that is one of the best in the world and hard to beat.

“We hope that the new videos will add something fresh and inspiring to everyone’s experience of selling and enjoying Occitanie wines.”

The films can be watched in any order, but those who follow the series as each film is released will have the chance to win a bottle of wine at the end of each episode by answering a quick questionnaire.

The first two episodes of the series will be released on 3 November. Weekly released will then follow until mid-January 2021.

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