Wines of Gaillac - Vineyards of Occitanie

Wine Region : wines from the South-West.
AOP / AOC: Gaillac.
Winemaking : red, white and rosé wines, sweet wine, sparkling wines ancestral method and sparkling wine, red and white early wines, late harvest.

Main grape varieties: (red wines and rosé wines) Duras, Braucol (or Fer servadou), Prunelard, Syrah | (early wines) Gamay | (still and sparkling white wines) Len de l'el (or Loin de l'œil), Mauzac, Mauzac rose, Muscadelle | (late harvest) Len de l'el, Ondenc.
Accessory grape varieties: (red and rosé wines) Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Merlot | (still and sparkling white wines) Ondenc, Sauvignon.

The Gaillac vineyard

In the Gaillac vineyard the establishment of the vine dates back toAntiquity. The wine jars unearthed on the oppidum of Montans are the first testimony. The restoration of wine-making know-how found its dynamics in medieval times. It is inspired by the Benedictine monks installed in Gaillac withSaint Michel abbey. It must be said that the vines had found an ideal terroir on these rolling hillsides between which the Tarn meanders its way. These silty clay reliefs also called boulbenes are divided into three terroirs : The right bank slopes, left bank terraces and Cordes limestone plateau. Exposed to a climate under oceanic influence but modulated by Mediterranean moods, they have proven to be particularly suitable for a wide variety of vinifications.

A terroir with seven wines

Among the wines of Occitanie, the range of Gaillac wines is certainly the richest. The appellation has distinguished itself in the past by promoting seven kinds of wines traditionally produced locally. This wide variety of vinifications makes it an exception in the range of wines from the South West. Each estate, chateau or cooperative has the opportunity to decline its cuvées in dry white wines, pearl white wines, sweet white wines whose mention late harvest, aromatic and robust red wines, rosé wines, red and white primeurs, sparkling wines generally from the ancestral method.

Native grape varieties

The restoration and enhancement of indigenous grape varieties today make up the identity of the appellation and declaim like a regional song: Braucol, Duras, Prunelard for the red grape varieties, Mauzac, Ondenc, Loin de l'Œil for the white grape varieties. The methods of vinification or aging of Gaillac wines combine tradition and innovation according to the estates and castles. The organic vineyards and the production of natural wines are well established there. In this land where the wine-growing tradition is historic, wines are produced mainly from authentic grape varieties, fully expressing the characteristics of a terroir with a strong identity.