South West France Flashcards
what is the massive IGP to the south east of Bordeaux that is pretty important and what is the main grape variety grown there?
Cotes de Gascogne. The most important grape grown is Ugni Blanc, making white wines with flavours and aromas of green apples.
What is the AOC just to the south of Cotes de Gascogne and what types of wines are made there?
Madiran. Red wines are made here from blends where the dominant grape is Tannat. They are deeply coloured, high tannin wines that usually benefit from aging to soften the tannins.
What is the region to the south of Madiran in the foothills of the Pyrenees, what types of wine are made there?
Jurancon. Dry and sweet wines are made here. The Petit Manseng grape is the most important variety. The sweet wines made from this grape are complex with apricot and grapefruit aromas sometimes accompanied by new Oak. The grapes to make these sweet wines undergo Passerillage to concentrate the sugars.
What is the AOC directly to the east of Bordeaux? what types of wine are made there?
Bergerac. Simple red and white wines are made here from the same varieties found in Bordeaux.
What AOC within the Bergerac AOC makes sweet wine?
Monbazillac. Botryised sweet wines are made here from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, they tend to be good value.
What is ‘Passerillage’?
The process of drying grapes while still on the vine to concentrate their sugars. Warm and dry autumns are needed to achieve this or else gray rot can develop. Wines made in this way tend to have an over ripe fruit character and are sometimes labelled late harvest.
What is Botrytis?
Botrytis cinerea is a fungus. It is used in the production of some of the best sweet wines in the world, and is sometimes referred to as ‘noble rot’. It is the same fungus that causes gray rot but under certain conditions it can be beneficial. These are: fully ripe grapes before the development of the rot. The grapes must be grown in a region that has humid and misty mornings but sunny and dry afternoons.
The fungus punctures the grape skin with its mysillium and the warm and sunny afternoons slow the development of the rot while allowing water to evaporate from the grape, consentrating it’s sugars, flavours and acids. Wines made from noble rot tend to have honey, marmalade and dried fruit aromas.
