Saint-Chinian AOC

The Saint-Chinian is a French wine, from the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region of France. It is usually a blend a several grape varieties, and produced in red, rosé, and white versions. Since 1982, the name is protected by an appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC, "controlled designation of origin"). Its terroir was named after the nearby village of Saint-Chinian.

It is considered to be the oldest winemaking area in the old Languedoc region of France (now known as the Languedoc-Roussillon and the Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France) as the vineyards have been cultivated since ancient times. The vineyards were developed during the Roman presence in France, notably at the time of the development of the Via Domitia, the first Roman road to link Gaul and Hispania. The wines produced at the time were exported in ceramic vases known as amphoras, across the Mediterranean Sea, and were very much appreciated in Rome. They are mentioned by Cicero and Pliny the Younger in their stories.

During the Middle Ages, the monks saved a part of the vineyard as at the time, wine was produced by abbeys and monasteries. Towards the 18th century, the Benedictine monks developed the vines in the Vernazobres valley, a tributary of the Orb River, near Saint-Chinian.

The vineyard in Languedoc developed as a result of the opening of the Canal du Midi at the end of the 17th century. The wine could then be exported towards the north of France and the rest of Europe. In the region of Saint-Chinian, the decline of smaller industries has worked in favour of the wine-making industry. The profits and workforce have been transferred to this industry.

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