Blanqueta de Limós

The Blanqueta de Limós —blanquette de Llimós, or blanquette de Limoux in French— is a wine sparkling wine originating in the Aude, with Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) by decree since February 18, 1938, becoming the first wine created in the Languedoc vineyard and one of the first AOC of France. There are two varieties: the "Blanqueta de Limós brute" and the "Blanqueta de Limós ancestral method", and it is considered the oldest sparkling wine in the world.

As the name suggests, this sparkling wine is produced in the area of u200bu200bLimós, in Occitania. In fact, its creation is attributed to the nearby abbey of Sant Hilari.

. This minimal percentage is combined with a touch of chardonnay and white chenin. The name Blanqueta comes from the whitish color typical of the underside of the leaves of the Mausac grape.

Titus Livius already praised the white wines of the Aude and specifically those of Limós in ancient Rome, despite not they were still effervescent; in fact, the Roman historian defined them as "wines of the light", white, fine and fruity. Since then several writings attest to the manufacture and export of bottles of white wine from the region, and throughout the Middle Ages, it is noted that sometimes some wines spontaneously became effervescent. This phenomenon was noted by the Benedictine monks of Sant Hilari Abbey in 1531 from the transformation of the traditional white wine of the region, which would make Blanqueta de Limós the oldest sparkling wine in the world.