Wines from South West France

Just when I think I’m getting up to speed with traditional French grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Chardonnay, Semillon to name a few – along comes a regional tasting to introduce me to some names I hadn’t even heard of far less tasted.

At the Wines of South West France tasting held in London this week, I came across Negrette, Duras, Fer Servadou, Mauzac, Arrufiac, Petit Corbou and Len de l’El. It’s hard enough remembering the different names for the same grape such as Malbec which is actually Lot in the SW of France.

I spent much of the tasting at the stands of Vinovalie and Producteurs Plaimont who both had a wide range of wines from AOC regions such as Gaillac and Fronton, or Vin de Pays regions such as Cotes Du Tarn or from VDQS such as Saint Mont. It really is a strength of these larger co-operatives that they bring together growers from various regions and are able to market such an extensive range.

The grape I wanted to taste that surprised me most was the Tannat which has such a reputation for producing long lived and unapproachable wines. I was very surprised. Even the 2001 AOC Madiran Plenitude I tasted from Producteurs Plaimont was drinkable, although only with something rich and meaty. Their VdP Cotes de Gascogne Rive Haut Tannat 2006 was very approachable. However the agent did explain that the winemakers are consciously trying to change the style of wines made from Tannat and they are doing this through techniques such as micro-oxygenation and the growing of the grapes in sandy soils which tends to give a lot of expression to the fruit. It worked for me.