Recently, I had the opportunity to ask 10 questions of winemaker Laurent Miquel, who is based in the Saint Chinian appellation in the South of France where his family has been making wine since 1789. While Laurent comes from a long tradition of winemakers, I think he is an outstanding example of how a new generation of winemakers is affecting the wine industry in France. His Viognier and Syrah are part of my Top Picks list and as you can see from his website (www.laurent-miquel.com), he makes a number of other wines that you would do well to search out.

1. What is your favorite thing about being a winemaker?

The conviviality and the international nature of the wine world. Through my work I have met such a variety of great personalities and philosophers from all over the world. From young New Zealander and Australian winemakers who worked the harvest with us here, to Japanese wine geeks met in Tokyo, to the old hacks at the local wine festivals, almost everyone I have ever met through my work became involved for the love of wine.

Also the sense of heritage that following on from eight generations of family in the same line of business brings. My father is still very active in the vineyards and, although we do not always see eye to eye on everything, working with him on a daily basis is a privilege.

2. If you could make wine in another region in the world, where would it be and why?

There are so many amazing terroirs I would love to make wine in. I admire the very elegant, mineral styles of the whites from Sancerre and Chablis and recently I visited the exciting Rias Baixas DO in Galicia. The climate there is very different from that of the Languedoc with a lot more rain and the Atlantic influence, but I love the energy in the area and the passion they have for their indigenous grape. Their DO is similar in age to our AOC so it would be exciting to work in a similar emerging area for quality wines. 

3. Do you have one grape variety that you enjoy working with more than the others?

I really enjoy working with Viognier. We have worked really hard to develop a unique style and gained great recognition for it. Viognier is not an easy grape to grow or to work with in the cellar. It is fickle and so easy to overdo. So when we achieve a good wine it is all the more satisfying.

4. What is a food and wine pairing that you greatly enjoy?

I cannot resist a great cheese selection and particularly the farmhouse cheeses from the mountains such as comté and reblochon. The perceived pairing with these is a hearty red wine like a Saint Chinian but I love to surprise our guests by serving our Vérité, a selection of oak fermented Viognier.

5. What are your observations of the 2008 harvest?

2008 was the latest in a series of atypical harvests. This time around early summer was very cool meaning that we really had to push back the harvest date, particularly on our Syrahs. For me, this was a fantastic year for producing more elegant wines with better balance. This obviously benefitted the whites, but also the reds. They will be more understated than the fruity 2007s but I am quietly confident.

6. What is one of your greatest challenges as a winemaker?

Getting it right in the vineyard is the biggest challenge. A lot of our vineyard techniques were copied from Bordeaux and Burgundy, but our terroir and climate are totally different here and different techniques must be invented. My father has been growing vines for over 35 years and he is still learning about the best way to cultivate here in the Languedoc hills.

7. What is the most difficult part of the winemaking process for you?

The moment the grapes arrive at the winery, they are so fragile and one false move at that stage can be fatal for the quality of the wines.

8. How important do you think packaging (the label, the bottle) is for the American consumer and how do you see packaging changing over the next few years for your wines?

Very important! The choice of labeling and bottle type is our first opportunity to tell a prospective buyer about our wines. It must be attractive and informative at the same time; I believe back labels are very important in giving the background of the wine and telling the story of its origins.

We have recently changed our labeling in an effort to make the wines look more reassuring and even more ‘French’ in style. American consumers are definitely interested in French wines, particularly from more approachable regions like ours which can also feature the grape variety on the labels.

It is also important to feature ‘sustainable viticulture’ and other elements that reflect our environmental philosophy. We try to keep our bottle choices reasonable as very heavy bottles mean wasted energy for production and transport.

9. What do you think makes your wines different from other producers in your region?

I concentrate on achieving balance in my wines through growing perfectly ripe fruit that maintains higher acidity levels. Languedoc has a Mediterranean climate and some of the wines from here can be a little rough around the edges and overripe or over extracted. I am determined to show that we can also produce elegant wines from our terroir and that if we put in the hard work in the vines and adapt our planting our wines can show good acidity and balance.

A famous chateau owner in Bordeaux once told me scathingly that wines from Languedoc would never have the ‘finesse’ of his wines. That was like a red flag waved before a bull and for the last decade I have been striving to prove him wrong!

10. How is Syrah (Laurent’s dog) progressing in her training as a truffle-hunting dog?

Syrah is getting on well. This year was the best year for truffles in the Languedoc since the late 90’s due, we think, to winter rainfall. Syrah is very greedy and loves the finer things in life like fillet steak and doggy chocolate drops. This is the perfect temperament for a truffle hunter as when she finds a truffle she gets some cheese as a reward – the bigger the truffle, the more pieces of cheese she demands.