Côtes du Marmandais is a satellite district of the Bordeaux wine region in Southwest France. It owes its name to the town of Marmande at its centre, which Lies on the North bank of the Garonne. The appellation AOC Côtes du Marmandais covers red, white and rosé wines produced from grapes grown in defined areas of the parishes around Marmande. The Garonne River divides the Marmande district into two Parts, the north and the south, which are eastern extensions of the Entre-deux-Mers and Graves regions respectively.
The northern part has the clay-limestone soils of Entre-Deux-Mers, in which Merlot grows well, while the gravels provide excellent growing conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The alluvial silts of the plateaus are also suitable for wine growing. The quality of the wines produced in the Côtes du Marmandais has steadily improved over the last few decades, with the prestige of Bordeaux having reached its current peak and the region having obtained its own appellation contrôlée in 1990. Previously, its wines were labelled with the less prestigious VDQS designation.
A couple of weeks ago, I was looking up at some terraced vineyards in St-Joseph with an Australian friend. He remarked that he’d never seen a steep vineyard like this in his home country. Who could afford to rip out the trees, build the access roads, construct the terraces, and plant the vines, without being certain beforehand that the resulting wine could be sold at prices high enough to recoup the investment? It might not be the most romantic way of looking at it. But that’s the modern reality ...
Prices in the fine wine market have been increasing across all major regions in 2021, according to a new report by Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade. Its Liv-ex 1000 index, tracking some of the world’s most sought-after wines, rose by 2.4% in November to reach a new all-time high. The index, seen as an important bellwether for secondary market trading, has been rising consistently for about 18 months. ‘All previous records set in 2020 have been broken and surpassed in 2021, markin ...
The announcement of the National Restaurant Awards 2022 again confirmed London’s supremacy in the British dining scene. The capital occupies 60 out of the 100 best restaurant spots, as well as seven of the top 10. The two leading restaurants, however, will require London foodies to travel and attest to the vibrancy of the British scene as a whole: Ynyshir in Machynlleth, Powys (Wales) and Moor Hall in Aughton, Lancashire, occupy the first and second spots respectively. Led by chef Gareth Ward, a ...
