Midi-Pyrénées Wine
The Midi-Pyrénées and Aquitaine region of France share many wine varieties. Thus it’s not really surprising that Midi-Pyrénées is a region that boasts a lot of outstanding wines with the sunny weather and excellent soil boosting the growth.
The region also boasts outstandings liqueur drinks as the most famous Armagnac. The region’s neighbours are France’s biggest wine-producing areas (Bordeaux and Languedoc).
The Midi-Pyrénées region of France offers 5 AOC wines. The prices are really reasonable. The region’s best known produce are the Cahors, Fronton, Gaillac, Madiran, Pacherenc and Saint-Mont wines.
The most renowned wines from Midi-Pyrénées are the famous Gaillac, Cahors, Bergerac and Montbazillac. Even the less known ones are excellent and thus it’s good to be curious when it comes to wines and South of France. The soils are very varied in the region, the production consequently being very rich of flavours and tastes.
For the last decades, winegrowers and winemakers in Midi-Pyrénées have worked hard to obtain fine wines, and they have succeeded in doing so. Here are some excellent examples of Midi-Pyrénées vineyards and wines.
Wine from Bergerac
The Bergerac wine is also produced in Aquitaine. It is made with Merlot (48%), Cabernet-Sauvignon (27%) Cabernet franc (22%) and Malbec (3%). Bergerac wines are red or white (50/50).
These wines cannot stand the comparison with Bordeaux wines but some vintage years are simply exceptional, as the Bergerac white 1998 vintage and great reds from this year too. Cotes de Bergerac wines are better drunk as aperitif wines or with cheese, fish and seafood.
Montbazillac Wine
This liquorous wine is foremost made from Semillon grapes. These white French wines are definitely elegant and very fruity. The Montbazillac wines produced in 1997 are fabulous. This sweet fine wine can be drunk as an aperitif and is ideal with foie gras.
Cotes de Duras / Cotes du Marmandais Wines
These Midi-Pyrénées wines are dry, lively and fruity whites as well as reds. These two are produced over 2,500 ha of vineyards planted in the region.
Buzet Wine
The Buzet name represent in fact 11 chateaux and domaines that produce diverse French wines. These wines from the south of France are pleasant, light and fruity produce with some character.
Buzet whites, reds and rosé wines are equally fine wines. 14 millions bottles are produced each year. The white Buzet is nice when drunk with fish while reds are nice with game or sauce dishes.
Toulouse Wines
The name 'Toulouse wines' describes produce from the towns of Lavilledieu, Saint Sardos and Côtes du Frontonnais. The grapes used are the Négrette, Syrah, Gamay, Tannat and Cabernet Franc.
- Toulouse wines are consequently soft and subtle.
- Saint Sardos red wines are soft and refined as well as fruity. The whites’ aroma is pretty complex too.
- Côtes du Frontonnais wines love this hot, dry and calcareous soil. The wines produced in this area of Midi-Pyrénées are thus very particular, being elegant and subtle with many different flavours and aftertastes like blackcurrant, violet, raspberry, spices or licorice. These wines are better while drunk young since their fruit aroma does not last many years.
Gaillac Wine
The vineyards in Gaillac are considered as Mediterranean ones because of their specific location. Reds are much colored and refined while white Gaillac wines are sweet, dry and some of them are gently sparkling. The quality is growing each year.
Many other Midi-Pyrénées wines are really worth the trip: The Cotes de Millau, Marcillac and Cahors are equally fine wines that need to be tasted, as well as the Madiran and Pacherenc wines. They represent well the diversity of colours, soils and characters that this region boasts.
Midi-Pyrénées is also the place where many liqueurs are produced, the most renowned definitely being Armagnac.
