South-west France

The region (French: Sud-Ouest) is one of the oldest wine-growing areas in France. Geographically, it includes the area between the Massif Central, which forms the eastern border, and the Atlantic coast in the west, as far south as the Pyrenees on the border with Spain. Administratively, it comprises the former regions of Midi-Pyrénées and Aquitaine, which existed before the territorial reform in 2016.

History

Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) first referred to the Roman province he conquered between the River Garonne and the Pyrenees as Aquitaine (French: Guyenne). Emperor Charlemagne (742-814) incorporated it into the Frankish Empire. After a chequered history as an independent county, the addition of Gascony and then under English rule from the middle of the 12th century, the region only finally became part of France in 1453.

In the Middle Ages, the Catholic orders cultivated vines here, with the Catholic Cistercian order in particular making a name for themselves. The Dutch demand for brandy and sweet wines from the 17th century onwards characterised the wine style. At this time, the name Haut-Pays (upper country - upstream from Bordeaux) came into common use. For a long time, however, the wines were overshadowed by the Bordelais. Wine was sold from the harbour in Bordeaux and all other regions had to wait until all the wine had been shipped from there.

Climate & soil

The huge area of south-west France has great climatic differences, which are strongly characterised by the distance to the Atlantic, the proximity to the Pyrenees and the river valleys of the Dordogne, Garonne and Adour. The west is dominated by a maritime climate with mild winters, humid springs and moderate summers, while the eastern, higher areas on the edge of the Massif Central are increasingly continental in character, with colder winters and hot, dry summers. In the south, the Pyrenees provide foehn effects and warm, dry winds.

The soils are characterised by great diversity. The river valleys are characterised by gravel and sandy soils, while limestone, slate, marl and sometimes loamy loess soils dominate the slopes and higher altitudes. This geological diversity enables the cultivation of a wide range of indigenous and classic grape varieties which, in combination with the climate, produce very different wine styles full of character.

Viticulture and grape varieties

South-west France is also known as a "vine museum", as there are many very old autochthonous grape varieties that are increasingly being cultivated again. These include Arrufiac, Baroque, Duras, Fer, Lauzet, Len de l'El, Mauzac Blanc, Manseng Noir, Négrette and Tannat. These give the wines a distinctive, typical flavour. However, the classic Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon are also represented.

Appellations

The wine-growing region includes all the wine-growing areas of south-west France with the exception of Bordeaux. The vineyards cover a total of 160,000 hectares. That is as much as Germany and Austria combined. The region is divided into five major sub-areas that produce different styles of wine with their own unique character. In the centre is the famous Armagnac brandy region, much older than the better-known Cognac. The north is dominated by the large Bergerac region, to the south of which lies Cahors. To the east lies Gaillac, which is steeped in history. And in the south-west corner on the edge of the Pyrenees are the two areas of Jurançon and Madiran:

• Armagnac (AOC)
• Atlantique (IGP)
• Béarn, Béarn-Belocq (AOC)
• Bergerac, Côtes de Bergerac (AOC)
• Blanquette de Limoux (AOC)
• Buzet, Côtes de Buzet (AOC)
• Cabardès, Côtes du Cabardès et de l'Orbiel (AOC)
• Cahors (AOC)
• Charentais (IGP)
• Comté Tolosan (IGP)
• Corrèze (AOC)
• Coteaux du Quercy (AOC)
• Côtes de Gascogne (IGP)
• Côtes de Duras (AOC)
• Côtes de Millau (AOC)
• Côtes de Saint-Mont (AOC)
• Côtes du Brulhois (AOC)
• Côtes du Marmandais (AOC)
• Côtes du Tarn (IGP)
• Floc de Gascogne (AOC)
• Fronton - until 2004 Côtes du Frontonnais (AOC)
• Gaillac, Gaillac Doux, Gaillac Méthode Gaillacoise, Gaillac Prèmieres Côtes (AOC)
• Irouléguy (AOC)
• Jurançon (AOC)
• Lavilledieu (IGP)
• Madiran (AOC)
• Marcillac (AOC)
• Monbazillac (AOC)
• Montravel, Côtes de Montravel, Haut-Montravel (AOC)
• Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh (AOC)
• Pécharmant (AOC)
• Rosette (AOC)
• Saint-Sardos (AOC)
• Saussignac (AOC)
• Tursan (AOC)
• Vins d'Entraygues et du Fel (AOC)
• Vins d'Estaing (AOC)

Map: by DalGobboM¿!i? - Eigéne's work, GFDL, link