Côtes du Frontonnais

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The Côtes du Frontonnais are a wine-growing region in southwest France (→ Sud-Ouest ). Named after the small town of Fronton designated growing area is located 30 km north of Toulouse in the department of Haute-Garonne and Tarn-et-Garonne . The area under cultivation was around 2,021 hectares in 2002, and 87,658 hl of red and rosé wine were produced . The Côtes du Frontonnais combine the former VDQS areas Fronton and Villaudric . These names can therefore be appended to the designation.

Soil and climate

The cultivation area lies between the rivers Tarn and Garonne , which flow here almost parallel to the northwest. The plateau, formed from deposits of the Tarn in the Mindel , Würm and Crisis Ice Age , slopes down in several terraces to the east towards the Tarn. The soil is loamy-sandy and partly heavily interspersed with stones. Due to the lack of lime, it can be described as acidic.

The climate is shaped like almost everywhere in the southwest, but the proximity of the Mediterranean is clearly noticeable. Western winds dominate, but the summers are hot and dry. Most of the precipitation falls in spring. The foehn-like east wind Autan plays an important role, allowing the vines to dry out in autumn and preventing the formation of noble rot .

Grape varieties and wines

The Frontonnais wine draws its character from the local grape variety Négrette . This delivers a distinctly fruity, smooth red wine. Their share is between 50 and 70%. In order to give the wine more structure, the Négrette is mostly blended with other grape varieties such as Syrah , Malbec , Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon . Also Gamay is approved. A typical Côtes du Frontonnais is not prepared for long storage. But it can definitely improve in the bottle for four to six years. Wines aged in barriques require a longer maturation period . However, these are controversial among the winemakers, as they neither correspond to the local tradition nor meet the character of the Négrette. They are mainly prepared for marketing reasons.

The rosé wines are obtained as saignée as a by-product of red wine production. You benefit from the low acidity of the Négrette. Some producers also grow white wine, but these can only be sold as Vin de Pays as they are not included in the AOC Côtes du Frontonnais.

history

Viticulture in the Fronton region probably dates back to antiquity, but certainly to the early Middle Ages. In 1122, the Knights Templar received extensive lands around Fronton. Allegedly the Knights Templar brought the Négrette with them from the island of Cyprus . Viticulture reached its peak in the 18th century, when the trade restrictions that discriminated against the wines of the Oberland fell in favor of Bordeaux. In the 19th century, a number of today abandoned grape varieties such as Mauzac , Folle Blanche and Mérille were cultivated. The phylloxera crisis did not spare Fronton either. Around 1900 around 8,000 hectares were still planted with vines, but mostly with high-yielding varieties of inferior quality and hybrids to compensate for the loss of yield. Cabernet, Syrah and Gamay weren't introduced until the 20th century.

The decline in viticulture was only stopped after the Second World War. In 1945 Villaudric's wines received the status of a Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieur (VDQS). The Fronton cooperative was founded in 1946 , and a year later Fronton also received VDQS status. The heavy frost of 1956 brought viticulture to the brink of decline, as many vineyards had to be replanted. In 1975 the entire area received the status of an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) under the name Côtes du Frontonnais . The distinction between Fronton and Villaudric was gone. The Villaudric cooperative also fell victim to this and had to close in 1987. The historical rivalry between the two places persisted - some of Villaudric's winemakers joined the Rabastens cooperative in the Tarn department , which is located in the Gaillac growing area .

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