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The Southwest

Introduction
Regional Best
The Bordeaux "satellites
The Garonne and its tributaries
The Landes, Gascogne and the Pays Basque
Regional cuisine

Choose Sub-Region:   Select Option Bergerac Jurancon

Choose winery:   Select Option Alain Brumont, Madiran Chateau Bellevue-La-Foret Chateau Cahuzac Chateau Colombiere Chateau Ferran Chateau Joliet Chateau Montauriol Chateau de Bachen, VDQS Tursan Chateau de Triguedina, Cahors Chateau le Roc Clos Uroulat Domaine Brana, Irouleguy Domaine Cauhape, Jurancon Domaine de Callory Domaine de Moureou, Madiran La Tour de Gendres Plaimont Cooperative, Madiran

Introduction

The vineyards of southwestern France are dispersed over a wide area, stretching from the edge of Sauternes in Bordeaux to Toulouse in the southeast and the Spanish border in the far southwest. They encompass a wide variety of environments, including the Atlantic-influenced mesoclimates of the Dordogne and the Landes, the warmer river gorges of the Cevennes and the sheltered valleys of the Pyrenean foothills. There are around 30 appellations in all, but most form isolated pockets of vineyards, and the region has nothing like the vine monoculture found in Bordeaux. However, it does produce some of the most distinctive French wines, often using grape varieties found nowhere else.

Among the local white varieties are the petit manseng and gros manseng of Jurancon; petit courbu from Irouleguy, Jurancon and Pacherenc du Vic Bilh; mauzac from Gaillac; and loin-de-l'oeil, also from Gaillac. The reds include duras from Gaillac; fer servadou, found in Madiran, Cotes de St-Mont, Irouleguy and several other appellations; and the negrette of the Cotes du Frontonnais. The once-rare tannat is the leading variety in Madiran, and has now spread overseas to Argentina and Uruguay. Malbec is the most significant variety in Cahors, where it is known as auxerrois.

Bordeaux's influence is particularly strong in neighboring appellations such as Bergerac and Buzet, and has had a significant and not always positive impact on the Southwest's wine production throughout history. In the Middle Ages, for example, Bordeaux merchants imposed taxes and shipping restrictions on the wines of Bergerac, Cahors and Gaillac, or the Haut Pays as they were then known, to advantage their own sales. Furthermore, more robust wines from Cahors were used to give color and body to weedy clarets, enhancing claret's reputation at the expense of Cahors'.

It could be said that Bordeaux continues to exert a negative influence, as many wine buyers judge the quality of local vintages by those of Bordeaux, failing to realize that what occurs in Bordeaux does not necessarily occur in neighboring regions. Indeed, as a result of variations in climate and the timing of the harvest, there is often a considerable difference in quality between bordeaux and wines from the Southwest. The 1987 and 1994 vintages, for instance, were considerably better in Madiran than in Bordeaux.

The Southwest can be divided into three main areas: the so-called "satellite" vineyards of Bordeaux; the vineyards of the upper Garonne and its tributaries; and the southern appellations of the Landes, Gascogne and the Pays Basque.

From "Encyclopedia of Wine"
©Global Book Publishing Pty Limited 2000