The 'South of France' wine brand, covering thousands of producers in France's biggest wine region, is set to hit supermarkets next year as winemakers look to regroup against the New World onslaught, reports BeverageDaily.com.

It has taken several months of bureaucratic wrangling, long by even French standards, but a promotion campaign for 'South of France' wines has begun. The brand, also known as 'Sud de France' at home, brings together both Appellation Controlée (AOC) and vins de pays producers across the Languedoc region for the first time.

The first wine bottles bearing the blue South of France banner are set to hit France's big supermarket chains by next year, according to Thierry Mellenotte, who works for a new cross-industry association called Inter Sud de France.

"It is about one message and one region with the same values," said Mellenotte, adding that uniting wine producers in the region meant that "we can avoid having two people waiting for the same ball."

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