Pays d’Hérault is the IGP title for wines made in the Hérault department of Languedoc-Roussillon on the southern coast of France. The IGP catchment area encompasses the whole department regardless of terroir, and includes everything from mountains to coastal plains. Hérault is one of the most viticulturally productive departments of France, and makes both IGP-level wines and AOC-level wines such as Faugères and most of the Languedoc vineyards.
Hérault is located on the Mediterranean coastline, bordered by the Aude department to the southwest. Its northern and western sides are dominated by the Cévennes mountains, notably in the form of the Montagne Noire hills in the far west. It is on the lower slopes of these hills – and on the coastal plains below – that the majority of Hérault's vineyards are located.
© Wikimedia/Christian Ferrer
The terroir on this south-facing amphitheater is classically Mediterranean, and the landscape is dominated by garrigue-covered limestone hills and plateaus. Mild winters are followed by hot, dry summers with rainy periods over spring and autumn. During the growing season, the temperatures are moderated by refreshing sea breezes from the Mediterranean that sweep through the vineyards, cooling the grapes and slowing ripening.
The Pays d’Hérault IGP exists to give producers options on both grape varieties and land outside of the AOC appellations. Internationally known grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are permitted for use in Pays d’Hérault wines, which – increasingly – are varietally labeled. Many of these grape varieties have proved themselves in Hérault’s high quality terroir, but are not permitted for use in any of the AOC appellations here. As a result, some of Hérault’s best wines are classified under the Pays d’Hérault title.
There are a number of other IGP titles that cover land within the Hérault department, including Côtes de Thau IGP, Vicomté d'Aumelas IGP and Haute Vallée de l’Orb IGP. The Pays d’Hérault IGP law also specifies 16 delimited areas under the IGP that can be appended on labels as further geographical indicators: Bérange, Bénovie, Pays de Bessan, Cassan, Pays de Caux, Cessenon, Collines de la Moure, Coteaux de Bessilles, Coteaux de Fontcaude, Coteaux de Laurens, Coteaux de Murviel, Coteaux du Salagou, Côtes du Brian, Côtes du Ceressou, Mont Baudile and Monts de la Grage.
Pays d’Hérault IGP wines were previously classified under the Vin de Pays category of French wine. However, as this category has been discontinued since 2009, the wines now come under the Indication Géographique Protégée: the European Union equivalent.
