📍 South West France
A patchwork of small zones between Bordeaux and the Pyrenees.
South West France is a large historic wine area between Bordeaux and the Pyrenees. It is not one zone but a mosaic of many small areas, each with its own character. What unites them is that they lie in the south-west of the country and are not part of Bordeaux.
It includes Bergerac, the Upper Country (Cahors, Gaillac, Fronton), Gascony and the Pyrenean foothills with Béarn and the Basque Country. Well-known names include Madiran, Jurançon, Côtes de Duras, Buzet, Agenais and Côtes du Marmandais.
There are very many grape varieties, and many are unusual for the rest of France. Among reds are Malbec, Tannat, Négrette, Merlot and Gros Cabernet; among whites, Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng. Malbec is known locally as “Côt”. The climate is mild, oceanic in the west and warmer in the east.
South West France is part of French wine as a whole but keeps its own style. It grows varieties found nowhere else in France and makes wines from dry reds to sweet whites.
What it includes
How it connects to Wine
📍 South West France ← grows in ← 🍇 Manseng Noir → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🗺️ French wine
- Appellations
- France: 📜 Madiran, 📜 Agenais, 📜 Buzet, 📜 Côtes de Duras, 📜 Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh, 📜 Pays de Brive, 📜 Thézac-Perricard, 📜 Ariège, 📜 Côtes du Marmandais, 📜 Fronton
- Grapes
- 🍇 Malbec, 🍇 Merlot, 🍇 Tannat, 🍇 Négrette, 🍇 Gros Manseng, 🍇 Petit Manseng, 🍇 Manseng Noir, 🍇 Petit Courbu, 🍇 Jurançon, 🍇 Abouriou
and 7 more
🍇 Arrouya, 🍇 Canari Noir, 🍇 Jurançon Noir, 🍇 Ségalin, 🍇 Claverie, 🍇 Jurançon Blanc, 🍇 Gros Cabernet
Frequently asked questions
What is in the South West France wine region?
Bergerac, Cahors, Gaillac, Fronton, Madiran, Jurançon, Gascony and other small areas.
Which grapes grow in South West France?
Malbec, Tannat, Négrette, Merlot, Gros Cabernet, and among whites Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng.
How is the South West different from Bordeaux?
It is a separate area of smaller zones and local varieties, though it borders Bordeaux.
What to read next
- 📜 Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh — White wines, dry and sweet, from the same zone as Madiran.
- 🍇 Merlot — One of the world's most widely grown red grapes, native to Bordeaux; it makes soft wines.
- 📜 Buzet — An appellation in south-west France by the Garonne, with wines from Bordeaux-style varieties.
- 📜 Pays de Brive — Local wines (IGP) from around the town of Brive-la-Gaillarde in Corrèze.
- 📜 Ariège — Regional wines of the foothill department of Ariège near the Pyrenees.
Similar
📍 Languedoc-Roussillon · 📍 Jura · 📍 Corsica · 📍 Savoie · 📍 Rhône Valley · 📍 Provence
Sources
- Wikipedia (en): French wine
- Wikipedia (fr): Viticulture en France
- INAO
- eAmbrosia – EU geographical indications register
- Wikipedia (en): South West France (wine region)