Wine region: France, South-West
The South West is not so much of a region as a concept. Years ago, a group of growers were identified by a famous French writer called Pierre Casamayor and formed under a banner called “Les Vingt du Sud-Ouest” (The twenty of the south west). There were actually more than 20, but that doesn’t matter. The idea was to create a banner uniting the disparate regions of this largely unheralded part of France and to get the growers to exchange ideas about vineyard practice and vinification.
Until recently as we have said these wines were virtually unknown outside of their particular region, but have acquired an international recognition due to a passion on the part of the vignerons for regionality combined with a desire to constantly improve quality and challenge themselves (and each other). The south west is not one homogenous region but a mosaic of diverse wine styles and grape varieties as well as unique local geographies, micro-climates, cultures, cuisine and personalities.
So what do we call the South West France? Well, notionally, it begins just outside Bordeaux on the Dordogne with the various appellations of Bergerac making Bordeaux style reds and white.
If we move to the Garonne, the other tributary of the Gironde, we find the wines of Buzet, Duras and Marmandais. These tend to dominated by their particular co-operatives and are more rustic wines.
The great vineyards of Cahors from the Malbec are located on the terraces above the Lot river which carves its way towards Aveyron and the rarely seen wines of Marcillac and Entraygues made from the Mansois (or Fer Servadou grape)
Historic Gaillac on the River Tarn has been producing wines since Roman times. This was where the first sparkling wines were made. White grapes including Mauzac and the intriguingly named Len de l’Eh, red grapes include the earthy Fer Servadou and Duras (not to be confused with Cotes de Duras)
Fronton wine is drunk enthusiastically by the natives of Toulouse. It is made from the indigenous Negrette, Syrah and sometimes Gamay.
In Gascony and Madiran we find fruity aromatic whites and powerful tannic red wines, the latter made from the Tannat grape with support from Cabernet Sauv & Cab Franc.
Jurancon, in the shadow of the Pyrenees, is home of the historic Manseng grape. These wines (dry and sweet) are becoming very popular on restaurant wine lists.
Irouleguy comprises several communes in the pays Basque. Mainly red and rose are made (Tannat and the two Cabernets are the grapes) with a little white from Manseng and Courbu
The wines of the South West share a few things in common. Each one has a regional identity. Vineyards are small; everything tends to be done by hand and as naturally as possible. All the growers we deal with respect nature and the environment. These are all also wines that are meant to be drunk with food. They tend to have high acidity and tannin which is perfectly suited to a cuisine that majors in duck and goose fat and meaty products. These are not commercial wines: you never see them in the supermarket and hardly, if ever, on the high street. It is not just that they are not produced in sufficient quantity, but the wines are not about compromising to fit a customer profile
There are now two styles of made. The everyday drinking wines (known as vins de Plaisir, vin de copains – wines of pleasure, wines for friends) and the powerful oaked versions intended for ageing (vin de garde – a wine for keeping)
Whichever you drink we would say enjoy the food and enjoy the wine for what they are. Our company is now called Les Caves de Pyrene, but it used to be called Santat. Santat is the Occitan (the famous dialect of the southern France) for Santé – your health. So we say Santat! and enjoy the meal!
The torrefying travails of the 2003 are well documented; in the great heat, grapes were literally roasting on the vines. From Pau to Toulouse this was a vintage of enormous difficulty. 2005, conversely, seems to be yet another supervintage for white wines; with so many growers working from low yields and on the lees, gone are the days of thin, acidic wines. A succession of belting vintages for the reds from 1998 (’03 excepted) onwards, although with growers like Didier Barré you can almost name any year in history and he will smile seraphically as if to suggest that all Madiran is good Madiran. 05s are exceptional by any standard, marked by grace, rippling with sweet fruit. Enhanced by technological savvy in the winery (new oak, microbullage) the Godzillas of Gascony can be expected to drink comparatively young, although ageing them will obviously reap glorious rewards.
Not all wines from the South West are designed to realign the molecular structure of your palate. Ch. Plaisance, from the Fronton, is, as one might infer from the name, pleasing on the gums, as are the more structured wines of Ch. Le Roc. Look at wines from Négrette, Duras & Gamay for alternative summer quaffing. For those of you who aspire to speak in “russet yeas and honest kersey noes” our range of Gaillacs (five) & Marcillacs (two) will drink happily in your idiom. Two Marcillacs?! As Lady Bracknell might have animadverted: “To have acquired one Marcillac may be regarded as good fortune; to have acquired two looks like careless obsession.” (I’ve been told to leave that line in again.) Big can be beautiful though especially if you enjoy tannin on your tusks or lees in your lungs. Contrast the jawdropping Escausses Vigne de l’Oubli – another “semi” Sauvignon in the Moulin des Dames bracket (lots of lees contact, new oak, thick with flavour – we second that emulsion!) with the more traditional ethereal qualities of a Plageoles Mauzac-inflected Gaillac.
The red versions pit pure extract of black night against paleperfumed subtlety: the Escausses reds eat Saint-Emilions for breakfast; the Plageoles wines are in their own palely loitering uncompromising idiom. David Fourtout’s whites (Chateau Les Verdots) are a revelation, unctuous and exotic, a necessary addition to our Dordogne section. And don’t forget Monsieur Luc de Conti, aka Monsieur Mayonnaise, aka Le Vinarchiste. With lower yields and greater fruit extraction the wines from Bergerac are an impressive reminder of what can be achieved with Bordeaux grape varieties for under £10.00. But this is all so mundane, you cry…
A trip to Malbec-istan the other year yielded our xithopagi, (lots of scrabble points) most notably the wines of Clos de Gamot whose bottles might bear the ancient Roman warning “exegi monumentum aere perennius” (I have reared a monument more lasting than brass) - translated into modern winespeak as don’t forget your toothbrush. Creosote them gums or lay down for a millennium or two. The “classic” wines from Chateau du Cèdre, Chateau Paillas and Clos Triguedina are, relatively speaking, much more amenable beasts; they slide down your throat like the Good Lord in red velvet breeches to quote Frederic Lemaitre (Pierre Brasseur) in Les Enfants du Paradis – not! This year the big boys are jousting to make the supreme super cuvee for squillionaires. Step forward “Le Grande Cèdre” from Chateau du Cèdre and “Le Pigeonnier” from Chateau Lagrezette. Never mind the hilarious prices – these are wines made with meticulous care from minuscule yields and are to be sipped rather than supped. To coin a phrase we’ve copped (the Cot) in the Lot.
Milton described “a wilderness of sweets” in Paradise Lost. Check out your quintessential nectar options with Jean-Bernard Larrieu’s Jurançons, Pacherencs from Brumont and Barré, the wondrous Vin d’Autan from Plageoles and finally the honeydewsome twosome from Tirecul-La-Gravière and discover the glories of nature and the wild winemaker’s art.
Wine region: Spain
Spain = Rioja!
Wine region: France, Languedoc-Roussillon
D’OC FILLED PLATITUDES…
From the Camargue to the foothills of the Pyrenees, from the rugged barren escarpments to the lagoons of the Mediterranean, the Languedoc and Roussillon vineyards throw up a rainbow spread of spectacular geologies and intimate human histories. The wines bear voluble testament to a landscape inhabited formerly by Greeks, Romans, the Knights Templar, Cistercians and Cathars, amongst others. The rich mosaic of terroirs allied to the scent of the garrigue: thyme, lavender, rosemary, sage and savoury grow wild on the hot chalk heath and scrubland, whilst parsley, fennel and annett thrive in the more permeable soils; these lend their subtle perfumes to the wines from this region. Before one is accused of rose-spectacled romanticism such aromas and flavours can be (and are) obfuscated by the nouvelle vogue for extraction; raw earthiness and fragrant subtlety too often masked by sweet charred oak.
Fitou, like other appellations, has a wonderful variety of landscapes, climbing from the sea and lagoons to the white schistous escarpments. The wines show potential, although have yet to garner the critical plaudits of Minervois and Corbières, for example. Gnarled Carignan and wizened Grenache rule the cépage roost here, with Syrah and a tad of Mourvèdre adding spike and length to the typical blend. Expect wines with red fruits, woody notes, hints of leather and prune. The Corbières massif, crowned by Cathar castles, is a wild, arid landscape speckled with tiny villages, ranging from sandstone and marl to the ubiquitous limestone and schist outcrops in the higher zones. Once again Carignan and Grenache are vital, delivering the intensity and spicy warmth to the reds, but Syrah is increasingly used to pep up the more garagiste wines. These wines can age developing mature aromas of old leather, coffee and cocoa, undergrowth and game. The rich and unctuous white wines (which may be made from Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Vermentino or Maccabeu) are Mediterranean in character i.e. oilier than thou, bearing pungent medicinal-herbal flavours. The quality of this appellation is continually improving with promotion envisaged for the best terroirs: Boutenac, Durban, Lagrasse and Sigean. Vines have been a feature of the Minervois countryside for more than 2,000 years. The vineyard, on mainly limestone terrain, runs down in a series of terraces from the foot of the Montagne Noir to the river Aude. Minervois-La-Livinière, granted a separate cru status recently, comprises five communes producing exclusively red wines from low-yielding Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Aromas of blackcurrants and violets dominate the reds in their early years, especially those based on Syrah, whilst secondary scents of spice, vanilla, truffle and cinnamon are bestowed with time.
Saint-Chinian and Faugères are contiguous appellations in the northwest part of the Hérault. The former (a corruption of Saint Anian – the ‘t’ pronounced ‘ch’ in Occitan) encompasses twenty communes with the vines planted on the southeast facing slopes of the Montagne Noire all the way down to the Bitterois plain. The terrain to the north of the Vernazobre (a tributary of the Orb) is predominantly schistous, and the south mainly argillaceous limestone, producing the two styles of red wine. The schist expresses the darker, more extracted wines with smoky notes which, in riper vintages exhibit mellow-mature notes of roasted coffee and cocoa, low acidity and ripe tannins, whereas the limestone gives lighter coloured wines, perfumed with fresh and floral notes (violets, crystallised berries), garrigue tones of bayleaf and spice, vanilla and liquorice on the oak-aged versions. Faugères has a higher proportion of schist with the resultant wines acquiring that toasted/roasted character. They tend to be full-bodied, rounded and powerful, with summer fruit compote flavours, and with age tend to develop leathery, animal undertones. As well as Grenache, Syrah and Carignan, the late-ripening Mourvèdre gives distinctive flavour and texture to many Faugères reds.
The Coteaux du Languedoc is France’s oldest wine growing region, situated between Narbonne and Nimes. The land is an amphitheatre open to the Mediterranean with Mistral and Tramontane winds to each side. 75% of the wine produced is red, the rest split between rosé and white. The best-known designations are La Clape, Pic Saint Loup and Montpeyroux and, for white wines alone, the endlessly drinkable salt-sharp Picpoul de Pinet.
ROUSSILLON
Greek traders planted the first vines in the 8th century BC in this region close to the border with Spain, nestling between Corbières and the Pyrenees. Today the wines are produced in 118 communes of the Pyrenees-Orientales. The region contains the most southerly and sun-drenched vineyards in France on a network of ancient terraces overlooking the picturesque fishing villages of Collioure (summer home to Fauvists such as Matisse and Derain), Port Vendres, Banyuls and Cerbère. The vines, pruned in the gobelet fashion, are well adapted to the dry climate, wind and variable soils (limestone, schist, granite, gneiss etc.). Here, along the steep slopes of the Cote Vermeille, the full-bodied table wines of Collioure and the famous vins doux naturels of Banyuls have been produced since antiquity (and even praised by Pliny). The reds may be from Carignan, Grenache Noir, Syrah or Mourvèdre. More vineyards are to be found at the base of the Albères massif, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Here castles and medieval watchtowers dominate the scarped landscape. To the west, between the rivers Tech and Tet, the vineyards of Aspres spread over the tumbling hinterland of the Pic de Canigou (the Mount Fuji of the Roussillon). Here, on the edge of the great fertile plain around Perpignan some excellent red, white and rose wines are made. Finally, to the north of the department along the Agly river valley, the vineyards that back up against the Corbières massif, that separates the Roussillon from the Languedoc, produce a wide range of wines including the vin doux of Maury and Rivesaltes as well as the full-bodied reds of the four Cotes-du-Roussillon-Villages appellations.
The Languedoc-Roussillon, described as “the largest vineyard in the world” by Liz Berry M.W., is a laboratory of innovation where the best of the old is being given a healthy technological makeover. The wine culture of centuries (vines were introduced by Greek traders as early as the eighth century BC) has been revitalised in the last thirty years, particularly after the significant reduction in the Aramon, a variety bogging down the image of the wines from this region. Soils and climate have historically combined to create an environment that is exceptionally well suited to growing vines; grape varieties are matched to their most appropriate terroir. When the wines hit top form, you would look in vain for equivalent value for money in the Rhone or Bordeaux. To highlight this fusion between traditional quirkiness and newfangled expertise look particularly at our two estates from Minervois: Domaine Pierre Cros and Clos de l’Azerolle. Both wines fully reflect the terroir of the region, yet they retain their individual identities. The grape varieties (or blends) are different, the use of oak is different and the vinification methods are different – the wines are homogeneous only in their respective excellence.
Mas de Daumas Gassac, invariably described as the first “grand cru of the Languedoc”, is an estate for which we have a strong affinity. The wines have charm and subtlety; every glass seems to express the history and terroir of this remarkable estate. Because of its early notoriety it endured a period of critical reverse snobbery. Those bored with garage-brewed Shiraz soup will enjoy Gassac’s more refined eloquence. The terroir of Aniane has spawned other bespoke wines, notably Domaine de Montcalmès and La Terrasse d’Elise.
And who needs clunking claret after all when you can fill your mouth with epic taste sensations from southern France at a fraction of the cost? It is not only, however, against the traditional French areas that one should be measuring the phenomenal progress of the Languedoc-Roussillon, rather it is countries like Spain and even Australia that could do with a quality/price ratio lesson.
Someone once wrote: “Far from despising the word ‘peasant’ wine, these appellations embrace it with pride and give it due nobility”. Respect due.
One cannot mention the wines without paying respect to the food. The underrated white wines are perfect with brandade de morue, monkfish bourride, red mullet and stuffed squid. Or try curried loin of pork, poached eggs à la mézoise, sole meunière… The rosés work with shellfish, crab flan, grilled peppers and aubergines, onion tart and country salads. Lighter reds are delicious with charcuterie, young partridge and guinea fowl, rillettes, and lamb cutlets cooked with garrigue herbs; the more full-bodied style with lamb casseroles, grilled beef, game (wild boar, venison), jugged hare, truffle risotto. Think wine and you think food – and vice versa.
The potential of this heterogeneous region is only just being tapped. Making great wine consistently is still a struggle, but great wines are undoubtedly being made. Every year we hear accounts of triumphs and disasters as the fickleness of the weather determines the nature of the vintage. It is nevertheless important to recognise the improvement in the wineries themselves and the drive of new generations of aspirational young growers who have injected dynamism into old enterprises and used scientific methodology to create a more polished product. However, the inherent diversity of the Languedoc is its real strength: the fact that many of the best small growers still embrace a polyculture (olives, orchards, beekeeping) contributes to their understanding and respect for the capabilities of the land; the fact that traditional grape varieties have been reassessed and revitalised (how trendy is Carignan now?) by the compelling desire to rediscover the flavour of the terroir; the consequent blending of varieties to display those discrete subtle accents of terroir; and, not least, the human factor – having met the growers I can attest that the wines mirror the personalities of the vignerons! Intuition, flair, bloody hard work coupled with Natures’s gift, a warm, dry climate with fantastic variegated terroirs and a tradition dating back a couple of thousand years: in the Languedoc wine truly lives as much in the blood as in the soil, the sun and the air.
Wine region: France
France is (currently) the largest producer of wine in the world.
Click on one of the links below for a more detailed appraisal of that region’s qualities.
Alsace
Beaujolais
Bordeaux
Burgundy
Champagne
Corsica
Jura & Savoie
Languedoc-Roussillon
Loire
Portugal
Provence
Rhone
South West
Wine region: Italy
Italy’s wine regions:
Abruzzo
Campania
Emilia-Romagna
Friuli
Marche
Molise
Piemonte
Puglia
Sicilia
Toscana
Trentino-Alto-Adige
Umbria
Valle d’Aosta
Veneto
Wine region: Argentina
Argentia - lovely deep reds
Wine region: Australia
Australia
Wine region: Chile
Chile
Wine region: Portugal
Portugal
Wine region: Germany
Germany
Wine region: Morocco
Morocco
Wine region: Lebanon
Lebanon
Wine region: New Zealand
New Zealand
Wine region: South Africa
A couple of years ago I wrote: “If you had to hold up a country as an example of how not to do it, vis-à-vis wine, then South Africa would be in pole position.” Most of the reasons were historical. During the eighties, before apartheid came to an end, other countries were able to invest heavily in vines and technology, whilst South African growers were left out of the loop. Secondly, the co-operative system which for so long determined prices and production, although it established security for the industry, neither promoted quality nor encouraged innovation. There had to be a major undertaking to abandon the age-old habit of growing as many vines as possible on the same estate on easy-to-cultivate land. Sensible measures, such as planting higher up on hillsides in search of cooler climates, are only a comparatively recent phenomenon. Having said all that there are encouraging signs: the Coastal Region has an ideal climate to produce quality grapes and there are some fascinating examples of Pinotage. And the IPW (Integrated Production of Wine) system officially launched in 1998 has set benchmarks for quality that are beginning to bite. My sneaky feeling is that more growers should experiment with Rhone and Italian grape varieties rather than adding to the world’s brimming reservoirs of Chardonnay and Cabernet.
And so to 2008. That chomping noise you hear is me eating my air-dried words liberally barbecued with humble grape pie. Within the past couple of years strong identification of terroir allied to a sensitive organic approach to winemaking has driven quality of South African wines remorselessly forward. I’ve tasted great Cabernet, Merlot (and blends thereof), Shiraz is improving and Grenache, especially where there are old vines, is a star. Synergistic (yes, it’s the revival of that buzzword) blends are in fashion, oak is being used to highlight rather than obliterate the fruit, the approach to winemaking is certainly more considered at every stage of the process.
All is not rosy, however, and there have been critical murmurings of a discernible greenness in South African red wines. Is it a winemaking fault, a characteristic of the region (or certain grape varieties) or something else?
The (Fun) Winery team encompasses everything characteristic about the ‘New South Africa’. A diverse cultural and racial mosaic, combining indigenous South Africans with Northern Hemisphere adoptees - a blending of ideas, of values and of purpose, creating a natural dynamic for innovation and success. The Winery’s distinctive range reflects entirely separate styles. Each range has its own raison d’etre, independent of the others, though complementary to the bigger picture. The wines have a pleasing restraint from the Burgundian Radford Dale Chardonnay to the very mineral wines from Black Rock and Vinum.
The Winery is a winery to watch, so to speak. This year they have been recognised by the respected John Platter which garnishes virtually all the offerings with plentiful stars – and quite right.
If The Winery covers many bases extremely capably then Niels Verburg’s Luddite is a one off speciality. This is a knock-your-socks-off-and-marinate-your-toes-in-it-Shiraz, a wine so generous you’ll be smiling for days.
Wine region: USA, California
California, USA
Wine region: France, Alsace
Alsace
Wine region: France, Beaujolais
France - Beaujolais
Wine region: France, Bordeaux
France • Bordeaux
Wine region: France, Burgundy
France • Burgundy
Wine region: France, Champagne
France • Champagne
Wine region: France, Corsica
France • Corsica
Wine region: France, Jura & Savoie
Jura & Savoie
Wine region: France, Loire
France • Loire
Wine region: France, Rhone
France • Rhone
Wine region: France, Provence
France - Provence
Wine region: Italy, Abruzzo
Italy • Abruzzo
Wine region: Italy, Emilia-Romagna
Italy • Emilia-Romagna
Wine region: Italy, Campania
Italy • Campania
Wine region: Italy, Friuli
Italy • Friuli
Wine region: Italy, Marche
Italy • Marche
Wine region: Italy, Piemonte
Italy • Piemonte
Wine region: Italy, Molise
Italy • Molise
Wine region: Italy, Puglia
Italy • Puglia
Wine region: Italy, Sardegna
Italy • Sardegna
Wine region: Italy, Sicilia
Italy • Sicilia
Wine region: Italy, Umbria
Italy • Umbria
Wine region: Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige
Italy • Trentino-Alto-Adige
Wine region: Italy, Toscana
Italy • Toscana
Wine region: Italy, Veneto
Italy • Veneto
Wine region: Italy, Valle d’Aosta
Italy • Valle d’Aosta
Wine region: USA, Oregon
USA • Oregon
Wine region: USA
United States of America:
Wine region: France, Bergerac & Dordogne
Bergerac & Dordogne
Wine region: France, Cahors
Cahors
Wine region: France, Fronton & Villaudric
Fronton & Villaudric
Wine region: France, Gaillac
Gaillac
Wine region: France, Gascony
Gascony
Wine region: France, Madiran & Pacherenc
Madiran & Pacherenc
Wine region: Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Wine region: Georgia
Georgia
Wine region: France, Middle Garonne
Middle Garonne
Wine region: France, Marcillac
Marcillac
Wine region: France, Pyrenees
Pyrenees
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