Discover Southwest France’s hidden gems
New York, NY, October 30, 2017 – Stuck in a rut? Get your groove back by tasting something new. Gaillac, home to Southwest France’s oldest vineyards, has been making wines for over 2,000 years. Authentic and distinctive, the appellation demonstrates its uniqueness through its diverse soils and terroirs, as well as its wide range of grape varieties, including indigenous grapes found nowhere else in the world. This results in an incredibly rich palette of colors and taste profiles. Whether you are a lover of sweet whites, sparkling wines, lively rosés or lush red wines, Gaillac offers it all to delight your palate.
“Be on the lookout for Gaillac’s exciting new generation of wine producers,” suggests Andre Compeyre, Sommelier at Aldo Sohm Wine Bar. “They combine over 2,000 years of know-how with a modern approach that allows for the extraction of the region’s best terroir and native grapes. Today, wines in Gaillac are fruit-driven with a strong regional identity.”
A unique terroir, home to ancestral grape varieties
Anchored along each side of the Tarn River, the Gaillac Valley enjoys ideal conditions for viticulture, both in terms of climate and geography. The warm Mediterranean air combined with Bordeaux’ oceanic influence provides the perfect weather conditions to grow healthy vines, while the myriad of soils found in the Gaillac appellation, including clay, limestone, sand, and silex, explains why so many grape varieties have thrived there.
Gaillac’s large portfolio of grape varieties include indigenous ones, such as Duras and Prunelart for red wines, and Loin de L’Oeil for whites:
- Red grapes: Also known as Fer Servadou, Braucol is Gaillac’s predominant red grape, producing wines with original and distinctive flavors such as blackcurrant and raspberry. Duras and Prunelart are unique to the Gaillac vineyards. Duras yields deep red wines with fine tannins and spicy flavors, while Prunelart, (considered Malbec’s father) offers rich, structured wines with a dark color and fruity notes. Other red grapes in the region include classic and well-known grapes, such as Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, but remain a very small part of blends.
- White grapes: Mauzac, the main white grape grown in the region, introduces tastes of quince, honey and candied fruit. The native grape Loin de l’Oeil can be found in both the driest and sweetest wines of Gaillac. The third and rarest grapes, Ondenc, native to Southwest, gives dry wines a very subtle and refined taste. Gaillac also produces white wines from well-known grapes such as Sauvignon and Muscadelle.
A range of styles for everyone’s taste
- Red Wines: Red wines are characterized by red fruits and spices, with aromas of black fruit, pepper, and licorice.
- Rosés: These play on the finesse and flavor of red berries such as strawberry, raspberry, and gooseberry.
- Dry Whites: These wines combine freshness and elegance, offering aromas of green apple, pear, and citrus.
- Sweet Whites: These late harvest wines express their sensuality through aromas of quince, dried figs, honey, and candied fruit.
- Sparkling Whites: Made from the Mauzac grape using the méthode ancestrale, these wines have fine bubbles and fresh aromas of green apple
Today, the Gaillac wine-growing region maintains a qualitative dynamic. Winegrowers strive to increase the reputation of their appellation and their wines’ typicity. Their work was recognized in 1938 by the INAO, the French organization charged with regulating and identifying the quality and origins wines (AOC). Changes to the regulations of the Gaillac appellation were recently instilled to continue pushing Gaillac wines’ regional identity. As one of them, main principal varieties such as Braucol, Duras, Prunelart and Syrah, must now account for at least 70% of any blend, instead of 50%. Another change is that Braucol, Duras, Prunelart can now be used to produce mono-varietal red wines, whereas they could only be used in blends previously. The permitted proportion of the secondary varieties can now only go up to 30% of the blend.
About Gaillac Wines
Home to Southwest France’s oldest vineyards, the Gaillac appellation (AOP) is located between the cities of Toulouse and Albi and belongs to a long line of “Southwest France Wines” which bring together 17 AOC and 12 PGI wines. The appellation covers more than 8,200 acres on both sides of the Tarn River. Gaillac’s three largest winegrowing areas are zoned as Les Terrasses de la Rive Gauche (left bank), Les Coteaux de la Rive Droite (right bank), and Plateau Cordais (the northernmost zone above the left bank). Today, one hundred independent wine producers and two cooperative wine cellars together produce 20 million bottles of wine annually. The Wines of Gaillac are unique and offer the widest range of color and tastes.
Follow @VinsdeGaillac or visit http://www.vins-gaillac.com for more information.
