For the next few weeks I will be travelling through SW France and Andalusia I will be sharing a few short anecdotes along the way via notes.
See how you follow our adventures when you join Vinodiversity Community Notes in this footnote1
Bordeaux and SW France
First up will be Bordeaux where I will be having a look around inside, outside and from the on top of this weird looking structure.
Bordeaux is of course the home of the two most planted grape varieties in the world but I will also be checking out some of the other varieties from other nearby areas of South West France.
Muscadelle2 is used to make sweet wines in the Bergerac region. The most famous of these are from the Monbazillac appellation.
In Australia we know Muscadelle best as the variety used for Topaque (formerly Tokay) from NE Victoria, but it is also used to make dry and off dry whites in Australia.
Petit Manseng and its gross cousin3 are from nearby Department of Gers. They are used in blends or as varietals to make some stunning sweet and off dry whites.
Tannat is also grown in this area. Another unusual red variety is Fer, mostly grown further west but is found mainly blends in SW France.
I will try to find some Negrette which is an aromatic red from the Fronton AOP near Toulouse.
Andalusia
In 1929 D.H. Lawrence wrote of Spanish wine
The Spanish wine, my God is foul, catpiss is champagne compared, this is the sulphurous urination of some aged horse.
Maybe Mr Lawrence should have stuck to writing about Ladies frolicking with gamekeepers, but I hope the wines are better now.
Of course the star of the show in Andalusia is Sherry or Jerez to give it its Spanish name. Fino, Manzanillo and Amontillado are the styles I will be looking for.
In recent years unfortified wines are becoming much more important, using mainstream varieties and some local treasures. I will be on the lookout for the rare Romé grape variety. It has recently gained some interest for making red and rosé wines.
Don’t forget you can follow my progress in Substack Notes where I will be posting a few vinous, and other, observations.
Springtime Brings on the Roses
For us in Melbourne springtime has bought us some sunny days and we are thinking of putting something other than hearty reds in our glasses. Our online wine merchant partner has a special offer for some lovely rosé wines for warm afternoon drinks.
See this offer at 13 to the dozen.4 The bonus wine is made from Aglianico with a splash of Nero d’Avola and Sagrantino. Have a search around. You can often find offers for Malbec, Tempranillo and Pinot Gris in mixed dozens.
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