Like Cinsaut, Carignan is a red grape variety experiencing something of a revival, or a reawakening, in the South of France. True, and conversely, for years its popularity has been in decline here, its tendency to produce a plentiful supply of low quality grapes making it synonymous with Europe’s wine lake – out with the old, in with Syrah. However, more recently, winemakers in Languedoc and Roussillon (the latter calling the grape the Pinot of the South) have turned reflective, seeking it out as part of the region’s heritage rather than dismissing it entirely. As with many things in life, a shift in emphasis leads to reappraisal, a new appreciation of the value of something and, of course, remarkably different results.