I think it is a lovely area. The temptation is to head on to the Pyrenees or Spain and in fact there is some lovely scenery, some great roads and some fairly isolated places.
We rode a triangle from Beziers to Saint Pons to Bedarieux. A lovely day's riding.
Apart from the attractions of the Med, the coast is not particularly enticing. There are some nice towns, but typically anything ending in "plage" is a new holiday village while the real town in inland a bit. Marseillan, on the lagoon, is a nice little town and has the Noilly Prat factory which does a good trip round with free tasting afterwards. It tastes lovely there, never quite the same at home though.
Carcassone is an amazing sight from a distance btu you have to remember it is not a castle or ruins, it is still a proper town inside. Tourism seems to be its only purpose, so it is a bit touristy inside the citadel (and pricey too) but despite that, it is absolutely worth a visit just for the grandeur of the place.
But just pick a road and ride - it'll be lovely. I'm envious!
Oh, the wine: maybe no famous names or critical acclaim, but the vin de pays is just fine.
