South West Flashcards
How many grapes are permitted in South West?
300
120 grapes are indigenous
What is the overall climate of South West?
Continental
What geographical feature borders the east of the South West region?
Massif Central
The majority of South West’s vineyards lie where?
The Aquitaine Basin
Why did wine production stagnate in South-West in the 19th and 20th centuries?
Two world wars
Blocked by Bordeaux
Downy Mildew
Phylloxera
What was the main export hub for South West wine?
Bordeaux
What are the most famous AOCs of the Dordogne/Bergerac sub-region?
Bergerac
Monbazillac
The Tarn and Lot are tributaries of what River?
Garonne
What are the famous AOCs of the Garonne, Tarn, and Lot sub-region?
Cahors
Gaillac
What are the most famous AOCs of the Pyrenees sub-region?
Madiran
Jurançon
Which of the 3 South West sub-regions is the most spread out?
Garonne, Tarn, and Lot
Merlot is a cross between what two grapes?
Cabernet Franc
Magdeleine Noire
What native South West grape is the principal grape of Madiran?
Tannat
What technique was introduced in Madiran in order to soften the hard tannins of Tannat?
Micro-oxygenation
What is the French word for micro-oxygenation?
Micro-bullage
What is a parent grape of both Merlot and Côt?
Magdeleine Noire des Charentes
What is the largest dessert wine appellation by size and volume in France?
Monbazillac
What are the primary grapes of Monbazillac?
Sauv Blanc
Sémillon
Muscadelle
Sauv Gris
What are the main soils of Bergerac?
Clay and limestone
Which river flows through Bergerac AOC?
Dordogne
What white grape is popular for dry and sweet white wines in Gaillac?
Len de l’El / Loin de l’Oeil
What grape is important for sparking wines produced in Gaillac?
Mauzac Blanc
What are the secondary white grapes used for dry wine in Garonne/Tarn/Lot?
Saint-Côme
Fel
Wines from Fronton AOC must be made from 50% of what grape? (But are often 100%)
Negrette
Which two native South West grapes have found success in New World vineyards?
Côt (Malbec) in Argentina
Tannat in Uruguay
What is the origin of the term Gascony?
The Vascones, a pre-Roman tribe from which modern day Basque culture originated
What is the most important IGP in the South West?
Côtes de Gascogne
(second in production only to Pays d’Oc)
What was the most planted grape in SW before phylloxera?
Côt
Which sub-region of SW has Mediterranean influences?
Garonne, Tarn and Lot
What is boulbène?
Sandy clay soils found in the SW AOCs of Fronton and Buzet
Which AOC makes red and rosé wines from Négrette?
Fronton
Which appellation of SW may use the term SGN?
Monbazillac
What is méthode gaillacoise?
A term used in Gaillac for sparkling wine made in the ancestral method
Bergerac produces what style of wine?
Dry white, red, and rosé
Which SW region is affected by the Foehn winds?
Pyrenees
What is passillerage?
The act of twisting the stalks of grape bunches to stop the flow of sap; this dessicates the grapes and concentrates the sugars
What AOC is the largest dessert wine producer by size and volume in France?
Monbazillac
What are the two styles of sweet wines made in Gaillac?
Vendages Tardives
Doux
Madiran lies of the left back of what river?
Ardour
What are the 3 types of sparkling wines made in Gaillac?
Methode ancestrale
Traditional method
Blanc Sec Perlé
What is the local Jurançon name for galets?
Poudingues
What are the two primary red grapes of Irouléguy?
Tannat
Cab Franc
What are the two most important grapes of Jurançon?
Petit Manseng
Gros Manseng
Gaillac Primeur wines are made using what vinification method technique?
Semi-carbonic maceration
What does “liquoreux” refer to?
Sweet wines made from botrytized grapes
What is micro oxygenation and who developed the technique?
Patrick Ducourau developed the technique in Madiran to tame tannins. Minute amounts of oxygen are bubbled through must or wine
