Tucked into the southwest corner of France, away from the bright lights of Bordeaux, is a patchwork quilt of wine regions worth exploring.
Bergerac, Cahors, Gaillac, Irouléguy, Jurançon, Madiran – these are among the regions producing a diversity of styles of wine, including sparkling wines made by ancient methods that predate Champagne.
Southwest France is located between the Pyrénées Mountains and Spain to the south, Bordeaux to the north and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. Though it is the fifth largest wine region in France, this area is also the least populated part of the country.
Maybe you’ve heard of the “black wine” of Cahors, based on Malbec, or the Tannat produced in Madiran.
On the other hand, if you’re on the hunt for wines made from Bordeaux-grown grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, you can find them (often at lower prices) in southwest France, too, along with Syrah, Gamay and a host of reds that may sound unfamiliar: Fer Servadou, Prunelard and Négrette.
Whites offer their own intrigue, with grapes like Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng, Mauzac and Arrufiac to stir one’s curiosity and whet the appetite.
Winemaking in southwest France dates to 125 BCE. That’s a lot of history behind each glass of wine. (Source: Society of Wine Educators)
The French Winophiles are delving into the wines of southwest France in May and chatting about them on Twitter May 21 at 8 am PT/11 am ET. Would like to join us? It’s easy. Here’s what to do:
- Provide your title, blog name and blog url by Tuesday, May 17, to be included in the preview post. Either leave a comment with this info for Linda via My Full Wine Glass or drop it in the designated post thread on the Facebook event in the #Winophiles Coordinating Group. We’ll be posting updates to this event, including chat questions and links to other blogs. Need to join the group? Great! Let me know and I’ll connect you with the site administrator.
- We ask that blog posts for this event be published either on Friday, May 20, or Saturday, May 21, prior to the chat. Please use the #Winophiles hashtag in your title. If you’ve already written about one of these regions, why not choose another?
- Join the live Twitter chat on May 21 at 8 am PT/11 am ET. Don’t have a blog or post? No worries! Everyone is welcome. We’re all about learning and sharing. Simply tune into the #Winophiles hashtag during the hour we’re chatting.
Check out this Wine Folly webpage for a deep dive into southwest France subregions. Hope to see you May 21!