The white wine of the Thau lagoon shore, made from picpoul blanc on six communes behind Pinet. Lean, high in acid and faintly saline, it is treated locally as the automatic partner to a plate of oysters.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Picpoul, literally lip-stinger, has grown on the coastal plain since long before the appellation existed, surviving the phylloxera replanting because it suited the sandy soils close to the lagoon. It won its own AOC in 2013, carved out of the wider Coteaux du Languedoc. The vineyards sit within sight of the oyster tables, which is the whole point: the wine is bottled at low alcohol with sharp acidity precisely because that is what the local shellfish demands. Every Montpellier wine bar keeps one open, and every oyster counter in the city pours it by the glass.
Common allergens: Sulphites
La Part des Anges keeps its kitchen open with the bar until 01:00 on Rue Collot in Montpellier, focaccias and churro waffles beside the glasses.
Signature drink: Gin-tonics and wine by the glass
Food: Focaccias and roasted camembert
Tip: Order the octopus carpaccio before the kitchen's late rush; plates stay between 7 and 17 euros all night.
Les Canons pours natural wine through the afternoon near Saint-Pierre cathedral in Montpellier, 150 references and 10 euro corkage at the tables.
Signature drink: Natural wines off the shelf
Food: Market lunches
Tip: An afternoon bar as much as an evening one, and Wednesday's late close is the night to settle in for a long session.
Tôt ou Tard works as the Écusson's square-side wine bar in Montpellier, organic and natural Languedoc bottles with tapas on Place de la Chapelle Neuve.
Signature pour: An organic Languedoc glass on the terrace
Wine focus: Organic, natural and local Languedoc bottles
Food: Bistro plates and tapas boards
Tip: Sunday evening pours are rare in this city; the plane-tree terrace holds the last sun in the old town.
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