Of all the wine production in the world it is always to French and Italian wines that I keep on returning. This is undoubtedly in part because of the sheer extent of wine production in these two countries which leads to an endless variety of wines to explore. Nevertheless, even in a country like France I have a passion for certain regions and will happily return to their wines time and time again. (the Loire and Alsace should you be interested). But I also have to admit a certain fascination for another, possibly less celebrated, wine growing region of France - what the French sometimes refer to as the 'Pays d'Ovalie', the 'oval ball country' and a reference to the area around the city of Toulouse where rugby is king. More prosaically the wine world refers to it as simply South West France. I want to trace the incredible success in recent times of Côtes de Gascogne white wines and then explore the potential of local grape varieties to create wines of character here and in surrounding AOPs (Appellations d'Origine Protégées).
Côtes de Gascogne
Côtes de Gascogne is a wine 'Protected Geographical Indication', a category below AOP, that covers vineyards within the ancient province of Gascony. This is in the present-day department of Gers centred on the town of Auch 50 miles west of Toulouse. The region really owes its phenomenal success in recent times to two main factors; the worldwide popularity of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and the willingness of Gascon winemakers to invest in modern production methods. With the world completely won over since the late 90s by the intense flavour and aromatic profile of Sauvignon and New Zealand unable to plant vines quick enough to meet demand the Côtes de Gascogne has stepped in to provide the ideal substitute. And although growers here have hastily been planting Sauvignon too it is traditional local varieties such as Colombard, Gros Manseng and Ugni Blanc they have so successfully exploited to replicate the zesty, tropical and refreshing flavours drinkers so desire. All the major supermarkets sell decent sub £8 bottles of Côtes de Gascogne white -
- Asda Extra Special Côtes De Gascogne,
- Tesco Finest Cotes De Gascogne,
- Sainsburys Plaimont Côtes De Gascogne Colombard Sauvignon Blanc, and
- Pujalet Côtes De Gascogne (at Waitrose).
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| Côtes de Gascogne L-R: Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsburys |
Producteurs Plaimont
The importance of this particular enterprise in the success of today's wine scene cannot be overestimated. This area of France, traditionally associated with the production of Armagnac brandy, by the late 1970s this was in serious decline. Its revival was almost by chance when local wine maker, André Dubosc, came across the grape variety 'French Colombard' at a wine tasting in New York. From this discovery his determination and energy to create wines out of the traditional grapes of the Gers region led directly to the amalgamation of three local wine growers' cooperatives in 1979. These cooperatives were in Plaisance, Aignan, and Saint-Mont with the new union taking its name from their respective initials to produce PLAIMONT. Their founding mission was to preserve the knowledge of historic grape varieties and the winemaking traditions of the area. Over time this goal has been extended not only to maintaining wine production with local grapes but also to reviving and nurturing long forgotten varieties. On this basis over recent decades Plaimont has not only built the reputation of winemaking in the Gers department but also introduced a whole range of long forgotten varieties to modern drinkers. Fortunately there is a wonderful example of this innovation we can recommend which, for the moment at least, does not even break the £10 price barrier.
Tesco Plaimont Saint Mont Grande Cuvée - £9.50 (Clubcard price £8.50)
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| Tesco Plaimont Saint Mont Grande Cuvée |
Once again Gros Marsang leads on this wine with 60% of the blend but is complemented by two other indigenous grape varieties - Petit Courbu 30% and Arrufiac 10%. Reviews highlight flavours such as passionfruit, grapefruit, ripe nectarine and pineapple and are keen to point out the bright acidity that characterises all of the Plaimont wines. Unlike the basic Côtes de Gascogne whites above this wine has been aged for some months on the lees to give it a little more body.
There is, incidentally, a dry Saint Mont white wine from Plaimont at The Wine Society under the Les Vignes Retrouvées range: Saint Mont Les Vignes Retrouvées 2021 - £9.95 It is a blend of the same three varieties and could well be the same cuvée. But I haven't tasted them side by side so this still needs to be tested. Both wines are AOC Saint Mont.
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| Saint Mont Les Vignes Retrouvées 2021 |
The Red Wines
Nine out of ten Côtes de Gascogne wines are white therefore it is the area north and east of Toulouse (i.e. in the other direction) that particularly interests me with regard to red wines. Just as the Côtes de Gascogne vineyards have built a reputation on traditional indigenous grapes for white wine production the winegrowers in the Fronton and Gaillac appellations are making interesting red wines from historic red varieties. And in another parallel there is another large cooperative of growers here driving sales. The cooperative Vinovalie was created in 2006 with the merger of 4 smaller cooperatives and now has a presence in the vineyards of Fronton, Gaillac and Cahors. While these are fairly close together geographically their terrains and some of the grape varieties they use are quite distinct. For example, Négrette is a variety almost unique to Fronton and Braucol (aka Fer Servadou) is the prominent red grape in Gaillac.
Vinovalie Le Chant du Côt à la Négrette, AOP Fronton
Although some time ago Sainsburys had a Fronton Négrette wine in their small-batch Discovery Collection I came across this wine in France. David Williams recommended it in the Observer in Sept 2024 describing it as a "brilliant steak-frîtes-ready red". He also noted that it was available in Booths supermarkets in the north of England. Négrette is typically blended with Syrah, Cabernet or Malbec and here it's blended with Côt (aka Malbec). It's an easy-drinking wine, low in tannin, fruity and with distinct aromas of violets and liquorice.
Domaine Le Roc, Les Petits Cailloux 2020 - The Wine Society £10.95
Well done to The Wine Society for maintaining availability of this other Négrette in the UK. The producer's tasting note (Vinovalie) comments "the bouquet is dominated by very ripe dark berries with floral notes of poppy and violet. In the mouth it has tremendous flavour with a creamy, very ripe background. The finish offers smooth liquorice tannins".
And so to Gaillac reds .....
Once again, mainstream availability is very sparse in the UK at the moment. A couple of years ago Sainsburys were selling a very accessible Gaillac Rouge from a blend of local grapes and until very recently The Wine Society had a Braucol Les Plaines Sauvages IGP Comté Toloson 2023 which gave a very clear idea of the perfumed Braucol / Fer Servadou grape. Vinovalie make a 100% Braucol wine called Rebus but although availability in the UK is scarce other than in Booths stores in the north. So the only realistic recommendation at the moment is Co-op Hidden Vines Braucol 2023 - £8.85 which is 85% Braucol with 15% Gamay. I suspect even this will be short-lived being part of the regularly-changing small-batch Hidden Vines range but, having tasted it, I can confirm it was a fascinating experience: aromatic as expected, fruity, silky and smooth and with a lingering sweetness.
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