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French Wine Scholar > Southwest France > Flashcards

Southwest France Flashcards

1
Q

Describe the historical relationship between the Bordelais and the producers of SW France

A
  • Back in the Middle Ages wines would travel along the Dordogne and Garonne Rivers to be sent to market from the Port of Bordeaux
  • The Bordelais soon considered these wines as direct competition between the 3rd and 14th centuries, wine merchants imposed taxes and other protectionist policies against these wines
  • This resulted in the wines of SW France only being able to be sold in their local market so never gained international recognition.
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2
Q

What are the names of the 4 sub-regions?

A
  • Dordogne/Bergerac Rivers
  • Garonne & Tarn Rivers
  • Lot River
  • Pyrénées
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3
Q

What are the 3 distinct climate zones?

A

1) Bergerac and Dordogne Rivers
- Maritime climate with slightly warmer temps than Bordeaux

2) Areas surrounding the Tarn, Lot and Garonne Rivers
- Continental climate with maritime influences from both the Atlantic and Mediterranean

3) Pyrénéan foothills
- Maritime climate with alpine influences

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4
Q

What major AOCs are located within the Dordogne/Bergerac Rivers sub-region? Which styles of wine do these AOCs make?

A
  • Bergerac (red & rosé)
  • Bergerac Sec (dry whites)
  • Cotes de Bergerac (red & semi-sweet whites)
  • Saussignac (sweet whites)
  • Rosette (semi-sweet and sweet whites)
  • Monbazillac (semi-sweet and sweet whites)
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5
Q

What major AOCs are located within the Garonne & Tarn Rivers sub-region? Which styles of wine do these AOCs make?

A
  • Gaillac (red, rosé, dry, sweet & sparkling whites)

- Gaillac Premieres Cotes (dry whites)

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6
Q

What major AOCs are located within the Lot River sub-region? Which styles of wine do these AOCs make?

A
  • Cahors (red)
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7
Q

What major AOCs are located within the Pyrénéan foothills sub-region? Which styles of wine do these AOCs make?

A
  • Jurancon (dry, semi-sweet and sweet whites)
  • Irouléguy (red, dry white & rosé)
  • Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec (dry whites)
  • Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh (semi-sweet and sweet whites)
  • Madiran (reds only)
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8
Q

What are the synonyms for the following red grapes?

  • Cab Franc
  • Fer Servadou
  • Malbec
  • Mérille
  • Négrette
A
  • Cab Franc (Bouchy)
  • Fer Servadou (Braucol, Mansoi/Mansois Pinenc)
  • Malbec (Côt, Auxerrois)
  • Mérille (Périgord)
  • Négrette (Petit Noir)
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9
Q

What are the synonyms for the following white grapes?

  • Chenin Blanc
  • Len de l’El
  • Saint Côme
A
  • Chenin Blanc (Rouchelein)
  • Len de l’El (Loin de l’Oeil)
  • Saint Côme (Rousselou)
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10
Q

What are the main varietals in Bergerac?

A
  • Cab Sav
  • Cab Franc
  • Merlot
  • Malbec
  • Fer Servadou
  • Mérille
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11
Q

What are the main varietals in Bergerac Sec?

A
  • Sémillon
  • Sauvignon
  • Muscadelle
  • Ondenc
  • Ugni Blanc
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12
Q

What are the main varietals in Cotes de Bergerac? What are the RS levels for semi-sweet?

A
  • Same as Bergerac

- 4-54g/L

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13
Q

What are the main varietals in Saussignac? What are the conditions of grape picking? What are the RS levels?

A
  • Sémillon, Sauvignon & Muscadelle
  • Late harvest and/or botrytised
  • > 45g/L
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14
Q

What are the main varietals in Rosette? What are the RS levels?

A
  • Sémillon, Sauvignon & Muscadelle

- 8-54g/L

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15
Q

What are the main varietals in Monbazillac? What are the conditions of grape picking? What are the RS levels?

A
  • Sémillon, Sauvignon & Muscadelle
  • For semi-sweet: late harvest and/or botrytised. RS > 45g/L.
    For sweet: only botrytised grapes. RS > 85g/L
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16
Q

What are the main varietals in dry white production in Gaillac?

A
  • Mauzac
  • Mauzac Rose
  • Muscadelle
  • Len de l’El
17
Q

What are the main varietals in sweet white production in Gaillac? What are the RS levels?

A
  • Len de l’El and Ondenc

- >45g/L

18
Q

What are the two methods of sparkling wine production in Gaillac and how are they labelled?

A

Traditional method
- Gaillac

Ancestral method
- Gaillac Méthode Gaillacoise

19
Q

What grapes are used in Gaillac Méthode Gaillacoise production and what are the RS levels?

A
  • Mauzac and/or Mauzac Rose
  • > 17g/L
  • Wines labelled doux: >50g/L
20
Q

What are the main varietals used in red and rosé production in Gaillac?

A
  • Syrah
  • Duras
  • Fer Servadou
21
Q

What is Gaillac Primeur and how is it made?

A
  • 100% Gamay grapes that are hand-harvested and vinified by carbonic maceration. These wines must undergo MLF.
22
Q

What are the main varietals used in dry white production in Gaillac Premieres Cotes?

A
  • Len de l’El
  • Mauzac
  • Mauzac Rose
  • Muscadelle
23
Q

What are the main varietals used in red production in Cahors?

A
  • Min 70% Malbec

- Rest is Tannat/Merlot

24
Q

What are the main varietals used in the production of Jurancon Sec? What are the RS requirements?

A
  • Petit Manseng & Gros Manseng

- <4g/L

25
Q

What are the main varietals used in semi-sweet or sweet white production in Jurancon? What are the grape picking requirements? What are the RS requirements?

A
  • Petit Manseng & Gros Manseng
  • Harvested late in season with at least 2 passes through the vineyard
  • > 35g/L
26
Q

What are the main varietals used in Vendange Tardive production in Jurancon? What are the grape picking requirements? What are the RS requirements?

A
  • 100% Petit Manseng or Gros Manseng
  • Harvest can’t begin until 5 weeks after first day of Jurancon AOC harvest
  • At least 2 passes through the vineyard
  • > 35g/L
  • Wines must be held for 18 months before being submitted to a tasting panel for AOC status approval
27
Q

What are the main varietals used in dry white production in Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec? What are RS requirements? Which other AOC does it share the geographic location with?

A
  • Courbu, Petit Courbu, Petit Manseng and/or Gros Manseng
  • <3g/L
  • Madiran AOC
28
Q

What are the main varietals used in semi-sweet and sweet white production in Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh? What are RS requirements? Which other AOC does it share the geographic location with?

A
  • Courbu, Petit Courbu, Petit Manseng and/or Gros Manseng
  • > 35g/L
  • Madiran AOC
29
Q

What are the main varieties used in Madiran AOC production? How must the grapes be processed?

A
  • Tannat

- Destemmed

30
Q

When was micro-oxygenation experimented with and in which AOC? What did it show?

A
  • In 1991 in Madiran
  • 02 bubbled through a vat of wine causes the tannins to bond with other tannin molecules causing them to lose their aggressive edge on the palate.
31
Q

What are the 2 most important IGPs?

A
  • IGP Côtes de Gascogne

- IGP Comté Tolosan

32
Q

Which region shares their zone of production with IGP Côtes de Gascogne?

French Wine Scholar (15 decks)

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