Roussillon is the name of an ancient province of France now merged in the depart ment of the Oriental Pyrenees. There are here more than 50,000 hectares of vineyards in which three kinds of wine' are produced—liqueur wines, dry wines, and wines largely used for the manufacture of factitious port -and other wines.' The most celebrated vineyards of the those of BanyUls-sur-Mer, Collioure, Port-Vendres, Rive saltes, and Perpignan. The prevailing wines are the Grenache noir and the Carignan. Large quantities of the Banyuls, Coltioure, and Port-Vendres wines are sent to the United States to be there manufactured into liqueur wines, and to the Brazils to be drunk as dry wines. The vineyard of Rivesaltes is the most important on account of its size, having 10,500 hectares. It makes what is called specialties which have a limited repu tation. Such arc the Muscat, the Maecabeo, the Malvoisie, the Grenaehe, and the Rancio.
Languedoc, like Roussillon, is the name of an ancient province in France, and com prises the essential parts of the departments of the Aude, of the Herault, and a portion of the Gard. The wines in this part are rich in color,*and distinguished by much body and spirituosity; they are the objects of a vast and increasing commerce, as no country can compete with the united advantages of climate, soil, and situation, by means of which great quantities of cheap and salable wines ars produced. The surface occupied by vineyards in the three departments mentioned, comprises 258,192 hectares. The wines are divided into two categories, wines for the distillery, and wines of commerce, and are known generally under the name of vins du midi. The vines cultivated are the Carignan, the ferret-noir, the Grenache, the Monrastel, the Aspiran, the (Eillade, and its variety the Sinsaou, the black Picpoule, the white Picpoule, and the Clairette. For the distillery wines only two vines are cultivated, namely the Aramon and the Terra bourret ; they cover the whole of the plains of Herault and of St. Guithem upon the sea, the plain of Lune], of 'Orbe, and a part of that of Aude. The remarkable growths in the department of the Gard are the Ledenon, Langlade, and St. Gilles; in the depart: ment of Herault. the St. Georges D'Orques, St. Chrystol, and St. Drezery (red wines), the Picardans (white wines), the Frontignans and Lunels (muscat wines). The best wines of the RhOne valley are produced on the right bank of the Rhone, in the com munes of Laudun, Chusclan, Tavel, Roquemaure, which belong to the department of the Gard; in the St. Percy district, department of the Ardeehe, and at Condrieu and Ctite•rOtie, department of the RhOne. A much smaller quantity of wine is °Town on
the left bank of the Rhone, but this includes the products of department Vaucluse, mid of L'Ermitage, department of the Drome. The vineyards of Croyes, Larnage, and Mercurol, in the same department, produce wine which in quality follows immediately after Ermitage. Of these wines those grown in the Gard have the general character of the wines of the Midi; the black grapes grown in this district are the Terret, Picpoule, Piran, Camaneze, Grenache, or Alicante, and in some localities the Uni and the Bourboulenque are grown on a small scale with the others. Of the white grapeS the Clarette and Calitor form about a fifth part; the others are Uni blanc, Picardan, and several unimportant varieties. The wines of Chateau-neuf-du-Pape owe their trade value and export to Burgundy to their spirituosity and color. The most remarkable are the vineyards of La Nerthe, Fortia, Vandieu, and the Cru de Condorcet. The most celebrated growths of St. Percy are Mean-Gaillard, Solignacs, Thioulet, kind Hongrie; after these range Savoie-les-Sapettes and Malayon. The dominant vine is the Grosse Rous6ette. The white St. Peray has a character of its own, particularly in the effervescent state. The vineyards of the Ermitage are of three kinds, according to rho soil, granitic, constituting, the so-called " Mas des Bessas," alluvial, forming the "Mas du Meal," and alluvial clayey, forming the, " Mas de Greffieux." The high quality of the Ermitage wines depends upon the combination of these three vineyards, the produce of which is always sold mixed. Red Ermitage is used largely for adulterating Bordeaux wines. When genuine it is distinguished by great richness, a lively purple color and a special bouquet; it becomes by these united qualities the best wine of the south of France.
The vineyards of Crozes, Larnage, and Mercurol take rank next to that of Ermitage. The wine of the vineyards of Laroliere and Die is a sweet, syrupy drink. Under the name of white wines of Condrieu are comprised the Wines grown in that locality and also those of St. Michel in the department of the Loire. The wine of these districts is a kind of imperfect champagne. The vineyard of Cote-Reitie is situated in the com mune of Ampuis, and is divided into five parts by the two principal growths, Cote Brune, where the Terine noire is more prevalent, and the Cote-Blonde, which has more Vionniers. The wine is fiery and heady, but has great fineness and bouquet.