Gascony - South West France Flashcards
Where is Gascony?
West=Atlantic,
East=Massif Central
South=Pyrenees
North=Bordeaux.
What are the sub-regions of Gascony
1=The Bergerac and Dordogne River
2=The Garonne, Tarn and Lot
3=The Pyrenean foothills
What are the two French administrative regions in which South-West lies
Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie
What are the main cultural identities of the South-West
Basque influence
Literary works(The Three Musketeers and Cyrano de Bergerac.)
Food (duck, goose, foie gras, chestnuts, truffles, wine and Armagnac).
Catholic pilgrimage (Lourdes, Santiago de Compostela.)
Describe the leading roles of the co-operatives in the South-West wine industry
Vinovalie co-operative (amalgamation of four co-operatives)
trains people to work in the wine industry. partnered with 11 other co-operatives around France to collectively promote all of their top cuvées under the Marques & Coop umbrella.
Cave de Fronton is now the leading producer of rosé in South-West.
What is the general climate of the South West
Continental (but regional influences)
What influences the climate of the Bergereac and Dordogne sub-region
maritime influences with slightly warmer temperatures and more sun than Bordeaux.
What influences the climate of the Garonne, Tarn and Lot sub-region
maritime and Mediterranean influences. The exact location of each A.O.C determines which weather pattern dominates
What influences the climate of the Pyrenees sub-region
maritime influences but are impacted by the Pyrenees and benefit from the rain shadow provided by that mountain range as well as its foehn winds and cool air masses.
Which are the major river systems of South-West
Much river traffic through the area
Clockwise from 12….
Dordogne,
Lot
Tarn
Garonne
Gers
Adour
(Garonne again)
Match the river to the AOC
Cahors Dordogne
Gaillac Lot
Armagnac Garonne
Bergerac Tarn
Cotes de Marmandais Ardour
Madiran Gers
Cahors=Lot
Gaillac=Tarn
Armagnac=Gers
Bergerac=Dordogne
Cotes de Marmandais=Garonne
Madiran=Ardour
Which are the major soil types of South-West France
- Limestone
- Marls composed of clay, sand and limestone
- Ancient alluvial river terraces deposited during various periods of glacial melt; largely comprised of pebbles, gravels, quartz and sand
- Wind-blown loess
- Flysch (thin beds of shale or marl interspersed with sandstone)
- Shale, granite and mica sch
What soils would you find in the Bergereac and Dordogne sub-region
Near Massif Central
Clay and Limestone
What soils do you find in the Garonne, Tarn, Lot sub-region
Gravelly alluvium
Gravelly clays, limestone clays and sandy clays (boulbenes)
What soils do you find in the Pyrenees sub-region
Limestone rich clays
Sandy clays with galets (or poudingues)
Sand, Limestone, clay
Why did the South-West became a crucible of grapevine crosses?
Native and imported varieties were planted side by side in pre-phylloxera vineyards and ended up influencing both local and global viticulture through the spontaneous crosses they produced.
What are the important crosses of South West France
- Merlot= Cabernet Franc (Basque) x Magdeleine Noire des Charentes (local)
- Cot (Malbec)= Prunelard (local) x Magdeleine Noire des Charentes (local)
- Carmenere = Cabernet Franc (basque) x Gros Cabernet….. plus
4 Tannat = local variety
What has influenced the evolution of South-West viticulture over the past 70 years,
- Co-operative influence
- Oenotourism and organic farming
- Local grape varieties (good with climate change)
- Changing food tastes (less foie gras, sweet wines)
- Popular alternative crops (corn=maize, wheat)
- Micro-oxygenation
What were the historic barriers to international trade
Overshadowed by Bordeaux trade (Bordeaux takes priority up to 18C)
Who was Patrick Ducournau?
Invented a technique for softening wine - micro-oxygenation - in 1991 in Madiran (with Tannat)
What is micro-oxygenation?
micro-oxygenation=microbullage=‘microx’= ‘mox’,
vinification technique by winemaker Patrick Ducournau in madiran 1991 to control the aeration of wines in tank..
The micro-oxygenation apparatus consists of a system of two chambers and valves connected to a cylinder of oxygen. The gas is moved into a first chamber that is calibrated to the volume of wine. It then moves into a second chamber and is delivered into the wine, a timer controlling the periodic injection of a predetermined dose. The gas passes through a small polyamide tube into the tank and diffuses through a porous ceramic stone hung near the bottom of the vessel.
What are the benefits of micro-oxygenation?
Makes tannins more gentle (mirrors the effects of oxygen on wines treated to barrel maturation)
=> softer taste and more stable colours
Less green/stalky flavours
Builds healthy yeasts (avoids stuck fermentation)
What are the top ten planted grapes in the South West
Merlot
Colombard
Sauvignon Blanc
Cot
Gros Manseng
Semillon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc
Ugni Blanc
Tannat
Describe Merlot
Cross of Cabernet Franc (Basque) x Magdeleine Noire des Charentes (local)
Moderate tannins, pigment
High alcohol
Low acidity
Blueberry, cherry, plum
Bordeaux and South West
AOCs of Bergerac and Dordogne sub-region