The marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry II of England brought Aquitaine into the Plantagenet Empire. A flourishing wine market developed from the port of Bordeaux. The winegrowers of Bordeaux obtained the Bordeaux privilege from King Henry III of England in 12416: wines from the high country could not enter the port of Bordeaux before Christmas6. By then, navigation was more difficult and many ships had already left loaded.
This privilege allowed the Bordeaux winegrowers to sell their production. The King of France became the suzerain of Bordeaux after the battle of Castillon in 1453. To gain the respect of his New subjects, he renewed the privilege. It was finally Louis XVI who settled the conflict more than five centuries later in 17736, by setting up a mediation between the wine growers.
Ondenc is a white grape variety from the southwest of France, particularly present in the vineyards of Bergerac, Duras, Montravel and Gaillac, and is very sensitive to disease, but vigorous and fertile. Pruned short, this variety resists very well to the autan wind. ondenc gives dry or sweet white wines of a beautiful finesse. To gain in complexity, alcohol content and aromatic expression, it is often blended with other white grape varieties. When distilled, it is also the source of high quality perfumed eaux de vie. It is often used in the composition of AOC Côtes-de-Bergerac, Bordeaux, Côtes-de-Duras, Gaillac, etc. Ondenc accounts for less than 10 hectares in France, but is very present in Australia.
wines from the region of Haut-Pays go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or poultry such as recipes of cataplana with seafood, lamb tagine with prunes or chicken curry with coconut milk and cashew nuts.
On the nose in the region of Haut-Pays often reveals types of flavors of oak, pear or raspberry and sometimes also flavors of cranberry, cassis or cinnamon. In the mouth in the region of Haut-Pays is a powerful with a nice balance between acidity and tannins.
Decanter is very excited to announce the launch of the Decanter 360 Academy, which is now open for applications. Find out more and apply here. We’re looking for our first Decanter 360° Academy Trainee – somebody with a real enthusiasm for taking the first steps in their wine industry career. If you’re interested in the world of wine but don’t know where to start, this might just be the opportunity for you. We recognise that the wine industry can seem daunting from the outside and we want to do ...
Celebrated Soave producer Pieropan is due to unveil its new winery in April 2022. Dubbed ‘Leonildo Pieropan‘ after the estate’s pioneering late owner, the winery is considered groundbreaking for its eco credentials and use of materials – and is largely hidden under a hill, with just the frontage visible. Pieropan’s project began in 2015, when the family realised they had outgrown the existing winery in the centre of Soave town, and subsequently acquired a site in th ...
Latour was the 11th generation of his family to lead Maison Louis Latour (and the seventh named Louis Latour). The house of Latour was formally founded in 1797, although the roots go back to the first vineyards purchased in 1731 by Denis Latour. The Latour family originally worked as coopers, and Denis’ son Jean moved to Aloxe-Corton to set up an independent cooperage and later to found Maison Louis Latour, naming the business after his son. The house of Latour remains closely associated with th ...
