Sud-Ouest or the South West France is a wine area covering several wine producing regions situated to the South and inland from Bordeaux. These regions have a total of 16,000 hectares (40,000 acres) of vineyards in several discontinuous wine “islands” throughout the Aquitaine region (where Bordeaux region itself is situated). Lack of one central governing body, a fruit salad of weird and wonderful grape varieties and wines style probably holds these wines back from the mainstream market. But when you find a good Chateau, of which there are enough to make it worth searching for, you can drink very well and get great value for money.

The reason you need to know about the Sud-Ouest

Is because the wines are undervalued and over-delivering. A great red from Cahors or Madiran is equal to Cru Classe Bordeaux but priced at a fraction of what the Bordeaux would cost. And the top Monbazillac can give Sauternes a fair shake too. After the comparisons to their neighbour Bordeaux finish, you then get to the unique and wonderful wines. Whites and sweet wines that are unique and fun to drink. There is a whole world of drinking here. But for us, we’ll start with the classics.

The Classic Wines of Sud-Ouest

For this tasting we are going to look at 1 great white and 5 classic reds.

Camin Larredya Jurancon La Part Davant 2016 – Jurancon makes irresistable sweet and dry white wines. Which is how this beautifully perfumed dry white found its way into a red wine tasting.
Chai Saint Etienne Coteaux du Quercy Rouge 2015 – Reminds me of the lovely Loire reds for perfume and elegance. A blend of Cab Franc, Merlot and Cot (aka Malbec). Great vintage, good value for early drinking.
Domaine de Brin Gaillac Vendemia 2015 – Medium bodied, black fruited, natural wine made from Gaillac’s host of indigenous grapes. A unique wine.
Domaine Labranche Laffont Madiran Tradition 2015 – Do you like tannic wines? Because this is a tannic wine. With spice, red fruits and palate length. This is a wine for the cellar.
Clos De Gamot Cahors Clos 2014 – I love Cahors and this is one of the best examples. 100% Malbec that is every bit as good as Bordeaux, I can’t say enough about this wine. You just need to try it.
Domaine De L’A Cotes de Castillon 2008 – Because of all the comparisons we have to look at one Bordeaux. The Derenoncourt family is (in)famous for making amazing wines. This is there home estate and a passion project.

The Venue

We’re going to the Alps. Not the Alps, but the cool wine bar in Prahran. They’ll provide us with a fine selection from their sharing menu. Alas their room is only small so we have to cap it at 12 places, but that does mean you get a decent taste of each of the six wines.

Learn Something

We’ll have a special guest, the importer of these wines Thomas Gisbert who is actually original from this part of the world.

Social Atmosphere

Most important of all, is that we get to sit down, and share great wine and great food. Is there a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon?