The South-West is a large territorial area of France, comprising the administrative regions of Aquitaine, Limousin and Midi-Pyrénées. However, as far as the French wine area is concerned, the South-West region is a little less clear-cut, as it excludes Bordeaux - a wine region so productive that it is de facto an area in its own right. The wines of the South West have a Long and eventful history. The local rivers play a key role, as they were the main trade routes to bring wines from traditional regions such as Cahors, Bergerac, Buzet and Gaillac to their markets.
The last Trading post before the wines left for the lucrative markets of Britain was the wine town and port of Bordeaux. Britain has been a historic trading partner for the region, which was nominally British for a period following the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry II of Britain. However, Bordeaux businessmen saw the wines in transit as competition for their own local products and took strong measures to ensure their financial security. The result is the French wine map we know today, with Bordeaux being promoted and the other wine regions of the South West struggling to gain recognition for the diversity and Character of their wines.
This history also explains why the Bordeaux Grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc are now three of the best-known grape varieties in the world, while traditional South West grapes such as Fer Servadou, Len de l'El and Tannat are relatively unknown.
Pinot noir is an important red grape variety in Burgundy and Champagne, and its reputation is well known! Great wines such as the Domaine de la Romanée Conti elaborate their wines from this famous grape variety, and make it a great variety. When properly vinified, pinot noit produces red wines of great finesse, with a wide range of aromas depending on its advancement (fruit, undergrowth, leather). it is also the only red grape variety authorized in Alsace. Pinot Noir is not easily cultivated beyond our borders, although it has enjoyed some success in Oregon, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
pink wines from the region of South West go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, game (deer, venison) or lamb such as recipes of fillet of beef with morels, rabbit with green olives or tajine of mutton.
On the nose in the region of South West often reveals types of flavors of red fruit, strawberries or spices.
China was previously Australia’s leading export market, with sales worth $1.2 billion in the year to September 2020. However, Beijing then imposed a 212% tariff on imported wine from Australia as a retaliatory measure after Canberra called for an international investigation into China’s handling of the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan. Trade minister Simon Birmingham called it ‘a very distressing time for many hundreds of Australian wine producers, who have built in good faith a sound market in China’ ...
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 ...
Altos de Pinto Bandeira, located in Brazil’s southern Serra Gaúcha wine region, has been recognised as a DO for traditional method sparkling wines. The new DO, which is the first in the New World that’s exclusively for sparkling wines, was announced on 29 November 2022. The first wines labelled DO Altos de Pinto Bandeira will arrive in the market this year. The move follows 10 years of campaigning and research by the Pinto Bandeira Wine Producers Association (Asprovinho). It worked with bodies i ...
