Sommieres is a sub-appellation of the Coteaux du Languedoc, southern France. It is named after the village of Sommieres, but covers the wines of several villages on the Coteaux du Languedoc's north-eastern edge.
The most northerly of the sub-appellations, Sommieres is located among a patchwork of terraces, small plateaux and twisting hillsides on the Massif Central foothills. Sommieres has long been an important crossroads between the Rhone and Languedoc-Roussillon regions, and between the mountains and the coastal plains. Initially planted as a viticultural area in the Middle Ages, it was further developed during the 19th century, following improvements in transportation between the wine producers of the Languedoc and the wine consumers of the north.
Sommieres wines are made predominantly from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre grapes – the local cepages ameliorateurs ('improver' varieties). More usually associated with the wines of the Rhone region, these three varieties are being widely used across the Languedoc region to make the traditional Carignan-based wines more complex and approachable. Carignan is now limited to a relatively small representation in Sommieres wines.
White wines made in the area are sold under the IGP (formerly Vin de Pays) titles IGP Pays d'Oc and IGP Gard.
The soils here are stony, based on limestone bedrock of varying thicknesses. In the lower-lying areas, the soils are marl – based on marine limestone boulders deposited here many millennia ago. The climate is considered to be more like that of the southern Rhone Valley, midway between the Mediterranean and continental climate types.
