Gaillac (wine region)
The Gaillac wine-growing region, named after the town of the same name , is located in the south-west of France (→ Sud-Ouest ) Département Tarn in Midi Toulousain , a good 50 km from the regional capital Toulouse . The growing area for quality wine ( AOC ) covers around 2700 ha, which corresponds to an annual production of around 20 million bottles. Around three quarters of this is red wine.
Characteristic
The wine from Gaillac covers almost the entire spectrum from dry and sweet white wine to rosé to full-bodied and storable red wine . Even sparkling wine has a long tradition. Paradoxically, however, the diversity of the wines produced is more of an obstacle to their marketing, because consumers cannot associate a specific product with the name Gaillac. In some wine books you can only find general information about Gaillac. Other areas in the southwest such as Cahors or Madiran have a clear advantage in this regard.
The Gaillacoise
A special feature is the special bottle shape (→ wine bottle ), the bulbous Gaillacoise created in 1969 . It is made by the Verrerie ouvrière d ' Albi , which dates back to Jean Jaurès and is now part of the Saint-Gobain Group. Not least for reasons of cost (higher weight, larger space requirement), however, it is increasingly being displaced by the Bordelaise. As a reaction, the 2004 vintage agreed on a uniform shape that represents a compromise between the shorter red wine bottle and the slimmer white wine bottle.
Soil and climate
In the valley of the Tarn , only the best south-facing slopes of the first slopes rising from the valley (Premières Côtes) with their loamy-chalky soil are reserved exclusively for the vine. Not only the best white wines come from the Premières Côtes , but also characteristic, full-bodied and aromatic red wines. In this heart of the wine-growing region, the wine matures up to three weeks earlier than in the higher elevations of the Cordes plateau north of Gaillac. There, aromatic and finesse-rich white and red wines grow on the heavily calcareous soil. A third region is formed by the gravel sand zones on the left bank of the Tarn (Rive gauche) , where above all powerful and storable red wines are produced. The region of Cunac east of the city of Albi is only of anecdotal character . The few grapes that are produced there disappear into the cooperative's presses.
The Gaillac wine-growing region is located on the eastern edge of the Aquitaine Basin . The up to 500 m high low mountain range of the Grésigne , northwest of Gaillac, holds off some of the oceanic influences, especially in summer. A mountain range over 1000 m high, the Montagne Noire , in turn forms a natural barrier to the Mediterranean. Therefore, Gaillac has a special microclimate that is neither Mediterranean nor Atlantic , but more continental . Summers are hot and dry, with rain falling mostly between September and April. Another climatic peculiarity is the warm east wind Autan , which saved many a vintage in autumn.
Grape varieties and wines
Like most of the wine-growing regions in the south-west of France, Gaillac also has grape varieties typical of the region. The red Duras and Braucol (→ Fer Servadou ) as well as the white Mauzac and Len de l'El are of great importance . In addition, the Bordeaux grapes Sauvignon Blanc , Cabernet Sauvignon , Cabernet Franc and Merlot as well as Syrah, which comes from the Mediterranean zone, also play important roles. The local white grape variety Ondenc has almost disappeared .
White wines
The Len de l'El, which is only grown in Gaillac, is mostly grown dry, often together with the Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux. But it also delivers very good readouts . The wines are aromatic but not intrusive. They should be drunk young, because their acidity is not excessively high. A specialty is Gaillac Perlé , a light, dry white wine with a slight excess of carbon dioxide. The name comes from the slowly rising bubbles.
The Mauzac has the most distinctive character of the white wine grapes native to Gaillac. It delivers full-bodied, storable wines with complex aromas. The late or Auslese wines are produced from the oldest vineyards. The noble rot common elsewhere does not play a role here, rather the Autan wind blowing in autumn brings the grapes the necessary concentration.
The grapes for dry white wines are usually picked before they are fully ripe, otherwise the acidity would drop too much. Instead, the wine is chaptalized in order to achieve the desired alcohol content of approx. 12% by volume . This procedure is not necessary for the Auslese, as the acid is also concentrated in the drying berries.
Gaillac Premières Côtes
The heart of the growing area, the first slopes (Premières Côtes) of the right bank of the Tarn, has its own appellation exclusively for white wine, which is rarely used by the winemakers. The formal requirements for the ripeness of the grapes are slightly higher with 11 ° natural alcohol content, the basic yield is only 45 hl / ha compared to 60 hl / ha for a dry AOC Gaillac. A Gaillac Premières Côtes is always full-bodied and storable.
Sparkling wines
The Len de l'El also serves as the basis for the sparkling wine, which is increasingly being produced again according to the Méthode Gaillacoise . In contrast to the champagne method, no sugar is added for bottle fermentation . Rather, the fermentation is stopped and then continued in the bottle. Even after the second fermentation, this sparkling wine retains a fine fruity sweetness.
Red wines
Apart from the Primeur wine made from the Gamay Beaujolais grape, two directions can be distinguished in red wine production. It is basically a blend of two to four grape varieties. The old grape variety Duras delivers strong, fruity wines with a characteristic peppery note. Syrah is often added to give the wine a more solid tannin structure. These wines reach their peak after 3–6 years.
The second direction is based on the Braucol (→ Fer Servadou ) grape variety , which is related to the Cabernet family. It has strong tannins, which is why these wines are also suitable for barrique aging . Many winemakers reject this, however, as the typicality is lost. Classically developed cuvées based on Braucol usually also contain Syrah and Merlot , sometimes also Duras or Cabernet. These wines have beautiful fruit with a solid tannin structure. They peak after four years at the earliest, and some even expand for ten years.
The rosé has a complementary function to red wine. It is obtained either from the youngest vineyards, as these produce particularly fruity, but lighter wines. The other option is to remove 10-15% of the red wine from the fermentation tank. This so-called " Saignée " method has the advantage that the remaining red wine gets a higher concentration.
Country wines
The Tarn department has around 9,000 hectares of vineyards. Only the smaller part of it produces quality wine from the AOC Gaillac. The greater part is used to produce table and country wine, for which there is the name Vin de Pays des Côtes du Tarn . The permitted hectare yields are higher, and more grape varieties are permitted than in the AOC, such as the mass carriers Jurançon Noir and Portugais Bleu , but also varieties that are not typical for the region such as Chardonnay .
Vintages
The geographical proximity suggests identifying the quality of the vintages with that of Bordeaux . With all the parallels, however, this is only partially correct. In Gaillac, for example, the 1992 was far better than the 1993, and the 1997 was on a par with the 1998. 1985 is still considered to be the largest vintage in recent times. 1988, 1989 and especially 1990 - as almost everywhere in France - were also large vintages. Wines from the difficult year 1991 may surprise you with their storability, which they owe to the comparatively high acid values. The years 1999 to 2002 produced a rare series of good wines. In contrast, the 2003 model suffered from both the heat and the drought. Paradoxically, red wines lack maturity despite their high alcohol content and high concentration. The tannins are often too hard and the aromatic variety is missing. In contrast, the 2004 model turned out to be extremely satisfactory. As is so often the case, it was not the hot summer, but the stable and sunny autumn that produced a great vintage. The 2005 harvest was affected by rain, which is why it will probably not come close to the 2004. Like the 2003 vintage, the 2006 vintage was characterized by drought, but the cool August delayed ripening and gave the white wines a welcome acidity.
history
From antiquity to the 20th century
In the region of Gaillac, which belonged to the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis , wine was already grown before the beginning of our era.
In the Middle Ages, viticulture experienced a new boom with the establishment of the Abbey of Saint Michel on the banks of the Tarn, around which the town of Gaillac arose. The changing fashions of history sometimes gave preference to white and sometimes red wines. Until the 18th century, the Gaillac, which was transported over the Tarn and Garonne in the direction of the Atlantic, served to improve the then mostly weak wine of Bordeaux. Dr. In 1865, Jules Guyot carried out his study Sur la viticulture du center sud de la France (On viticulture in central southern France ) on behalf of Agriculture Minister Armand Béhic on viticulture in the southern departments and revolutionized viticulture throughout France with his studies.
The growing competition from the heavier red wine from the Mediterranean and Algeria then led to a shift in production to white wine in the 19th century. This mostly sweet Gaillac enjoyed a great reputation until the Second World War, and the Appellation Contrôlée established in 1938 initially only referred to it. In 1960 the white grape varieties still claimed 71% of the area under cultivation, in 1990 the red grape varieties had taken over the majority with 58%. Among the latter, quality varieties have also displaced the mass carriers (Jurançon Noir, Blauer Portugieser). The appellation for red wine, which has been around since 1970, acted as a catalyst.
Todays situation
Viticulture in Gaillac is still in a phase of upheaval that is characterized by specialization and individualization. Thirty years ago, the cooperatives had almost a monopoly; only a handful of winemakers marketed their wine themselves. For many farms, wine was only part of production. However, the growing demand for high quality wines made it increasingly attractive to specialize. However, high quality goes hand in hand with low yields. As a rule, a cooperative cannot adequately reward this, so that more and more winegrowers are investing in their own cellars and starting to sell themselves. Today the growing area has well over 100 independent wineries , with family businesses between 15 and 50 hectares dominating. This individualism has increased the already large variety of products even further. Traditionalists of a conservative or modern style compete with vintners who are keen to experiment and who are more committed to an international style.
Wine culture
Every year, on the first weekend in August, the Fête des Vins , the wine festival, takes place in Gaillac . Numerous winegrowers present their wines at stands in the city park.
Gaillac has a wine fraternity , the Ordre de la Dive Bouteille (Order of the Divine Bottle), which held its first chapter in 1952 . The name refers to the lively work of the poet François Rabelais . The brotherhood takes up an old tradition: The Companha de la Poda von Gaillac was mentioned in a document as early as 1529 and is considered the oldest wine brotherhood in France.
literature
- Philippe Séguier: Le Vignoble de Gaillac . Ed. Daniel Briand, Drémil-Lafage 1991, ISBN 2-903716-33-1 .
- Fernand Cousteaux, Robert Plageoles: Le Vin de Gaillac . Editions Privat, Toulouse 2001, ISBN 2-7089-0466-3 .
- Robert Plageoles: La saga des cépages gaillacois et tarnais en 2000 ans d'histoire . Jean-Paul Rocher, Paris 2006, ISBN 2-911361-88-1 .
