This Monday, June 6th, marks the launch of the Sud de France Festival in New York. The month-long festival, now in its third year, encourages attendees to experience the spirit of the Mediterranean lifestyle, complete with fine wine, foods and entertainment from the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It allows people the opportunity to learn more about the culture and specialties of the region through a convivial approach of tastings and experimentation, all at exciting venues with welcoming ambiance and alongside local winemakers and artists.

For a region with so much to offer, the concept behind the annual festival couldn’t be more appropriate. Check out some more of the event details here. But, this is an area of France that, despite being the largest wine-producing region in the world, many people are not familiar with and certainly would have difficulty differentiating between the various AOCs.

Producers and promoters of the region are optimistic that the new classification system agreed upon in August 2010 (read our article here) will help to clear things up for many consumers. Rankings based on familiar buzz words like Grand Cru and Grand Vin will hopefully provide a bit more insight and value to the wines of each appellation, prompting consumers to learn more about their favorites.

But there’s little better to help people form connections with new wines than having them taste for themselves. Add to that the food and cultural elements of the Sud de France way of life and it’s almost like being transported to the region itself, idyllic Mediterranean lifestyle and all. The greater association between a wine and its sense of place helps consumers to feel comfortable since they understand where it is coming from, what it’s made of, the kind of people who produce it and why they enjoy drinking it.

Many of the wines are fantastic, and the options to try them are plentiful throughout the festival at various events and tastings at venues of all types. Visit festival-suddefrance.com for more information or browse the full schedule of events here.

Also be sure to check out reviews for wines from the South of France in our Buying Guide at buyingguide.winemag.com or by clicking here.

Are you currently familiar with any Sud de France (Languedoc-Roussillon) wines? Which are your faves now, or what are you hoping to discover from the region in the future? What part of the festival sounds the best to you?

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