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| Languedoc wine tours |
Starting in March of 2012, Ophorus will be offering wine tours departing from Toulouse and that will head towards all the major wine regions of the area. Among the most famous vineyards, we will offer tours heading towards Gaillac, Cahors, Fronton and Corbières/Minervois wine producing regions.
FRONTON WINE TOUR
The Fronton vineyard is part of the South West wine producing region. Situated between Toulouse and Montauban the 2400 hectares of vines are layed out on large terrasses located between the Garonne and Tarn Rivers. It is a region where the summers are dry and hot. The gravel soil is poor and both quartz and iron dominate giving the Fronton wines all their complexity, richness and aromas.
« The Négrette », a unique grap variety !
As many wine regions of the South West of France have decided to plant the same type of grape varieties, the wine growers of Fronton have made the choice of planting and growing a unique grape variety called Négrette. It is because it is present in no other vineyard in the world that the wines of Fronton are so unique.
The wines
The rosé wines are fresh and fruity. They offer intense aromatique features, a nice length and are voluptuous. The reds are fine and complex. They produce wines with a strong note on the red berries ( red current, blackberries, respberries), of flowers (violets). The final is enriched with spice and licorice. The high end cuvées represent the elite wines of the appellation. They denote body, concentration and harmony as well as the typicity of the different terroirs of the area.
Pick up at your centrally located Toulouse hotel and depart for the wine producing region of Fronton. At first drive through the scenic route des vins de Fronton and get a feel of the surrounding environment. Then your tour will take you to 2 major wineries of Fronton so that you may discover a bit more about this unique wine and understand the wine making process. Enjoy the visit and the wine tasting session in these two estates. Return to Toulouse. This wine tour is designed as a half day tour.
« The Négrette », a unique grap variety !
As many wine regions of the South West of France have decided to plant the same type of grape varieties, the wine growers of Fronton have made the choice of planting and growing a unique grape variety called Négrette. It is because it is present in no other vineyard in the world that the wines of Fronton are so unique.
The wines
The rosé wines are fresh and fruity. They offer intense aromatique features, a nice length and are voluptuous. The reds are fine and complex. They produce wines with a strong note on the red berries ( red current, blackberries, respberries), of flowers (violets). The final is enriched with spice and licorice. The high end cuvées represent the elite wines of the appellation. They denote body, concentration and harmony as well as the typicity of the different terroirs of the area.
Pick up at your centrally located Toulouse hotel and depart for the wine producing region of Fronton. At first drive through the scenic route des vins de Fronton and get a feel of the surrounding environment. Then your tour will take you to 2 major wineries of Fronton so that you may discover a bit more about this unique wine and understand the wine making process. Enjoy the visit and the wine tasting session in these two estates. Return to Toulouse. This wine tour is designed as a half day tour.
GAILLAC WINE TOUR
Situated in the north of the Tarn departement,
the Gaillac Appellation area covers 2.500 hectares spread over 73
communes, for an AOC production of over 165.000
hectolitres. Today, the appellation gathers around one hundred
independent producers and 3 cooperative cellars. The 3 different
terroirs and the age of the vineyard enable Gaillac to offer numerous
traditional grape varieties. The diversity of the Gaillac vineyard means
that it can produce a great variety of elaborate wines, a wide range of
dry, sweet and "perled" white wines, red and rose
wines as well as sparkling wines.
- Grape varieties
The traditional red wines of the region can be kept
for 8–10 years. They are made of the grape varieties Cabernet Franc,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Brocol, Duras, Fer or Syrah. Rosé is
made from the same grapes.
"Primeur" red wine is made for drinking young, it's a marketing scheme based on Beaujolais Nouveau.
The template is followed so closely that
primeur wines must be made from the Gamay grape and are released for
sale on the third Thursday of November. The white wines are made of
Mauzac, Sauvignon Blanc or
Muscadelle, Len de l'El (loin de l'oeil) and Ondenc, local grape
varieties. Other types of wines include sweet white wines and a
sparkling wine that uses the Champagne method and called methode
Gaillacoise.
- The 3 terroirs of the Gaillac vineyard
The vineyard of Gaillac is divided into three
distinct wine producing areas that are named terroirs. Each terroir is
defined mainly by the type of soil found and the climatic
conditions that have a direct influence on the grape variety grown, the
type of wine made and the aromas one will find in the wines.
The Left Bank terraces: This
terroir stretches for 30 km at a low altitude and allows the vines to
express all its potential in a mixed gravel, sand or sandy-clay soil.
Some wine growers even speak of left bank Graves.
This area is perfect for the reds. The Gaillac reds are complex wines
with intense color. Rich and full bodied the wines can be kept 4 to 5
years or more on a great vintage.
The Right Bank:
Located along the Vere River, this large area stretches from the East to
the West of the vineyard. The soil is mainly clay and
limestone and the reds made of Duras, Syrah and Braucol grape varieties
do well in this region. In the central part of the vineyard the Autan
wind blows dry and warm heat during the summer and this
is perfect for subtle and elegant whites, as well as fruity, full bodied
and tannic reds. In the northern part of this are, the production is
dedicated to dry whites or the famous ‘perled’ Gaillac
white. These whites are crystalline or floral and can be delicate and of
great finesse.
The Cordes Plateau:
The vines of this terroir are planted at an altitude between 250 à 300
meters. This makes this area the last of the
terroirs to be harvested from 10 to 15 days later than the vines located
next to the Tarn. The soil here is a clay and limestone area. Because
of its soil, location and climate conditions the white
wines made here are well balanced, rich in flowery aromas, fruity and
fresh. The reds are also well balanced but more nervous, full bodied and
can be layed down for 4 to 6 years.
CAHORS WINE TOUR
Originally from Cahors, locally
known as Cot or Auxerrois, Malbec is the dominant grape variety of
Cahors wines. It is supplemented by up to 30% Merlot and
Tannat. As a reflection of the character of the Malbec variety, Cahors
wines can be rather tannic when young, and benefit from aging. There are
4,400 hectares (10,000 acres) of Cahors vineyards. The
designation AOC Cahors may only be used for red wines even though there
is also some white and rosé wine produced in the same area but it falls
under the designation Vin de Pays du Lot
instead.
- Ideal climate conditions
Oceanic but under a strong influence from the
Mediterranean, the climate that can be found around the Cahors vineyard
is characterized by less rain fall than in Bordeaux. In the
autumn, the Autan wind blows a dry hot air coming from the south that
provides perfect maturity to the berries whilst the Lot River is a
natural thermal regulator.
- The terraces of the Lot Valley
The terraces of the Lot are divided into three
distinct areas composed of alluviums that originated from the Central
Mountain range. The more one rises, the more the soils are
drained. The terraces adjacent to the river produce subtle and fruity
wines. The mid terraces give much more ample type wines. The higher
terraces as well as the Grèzes areas, composed of limestone
blocs originating from the Causse plateau, are the ones that give the
richer type Cahors that are fit for being layed down. Above 300 meters
altitude, on the limestone plateau that is less fertile
than the terraces and where the influence of the River is less
effective, the wines produced there are less full bodied but of great
finesse.
LANGUEDOC WINE TOUR
The Languedoc wine region is located
in southern France, spanning along the Mediteranean from the Spanish
border to the south to the Provence region to its East. The area has
around 700,000 acres (2,800 km2) under vines and is the
single biggest wine-producing region in the world, being responsible for
more than a third of France's total wine production.
As recently as 2001, the region produced more wine than the entire
United States.
- Corbières
The Corbières appellation is this region's largest
AOC, responsible for 46 per cent of the region's AOC wine production in
2005. Red wine dominates the production 95 per cent, with
3.5 per cent rosé wine and 2 per cent white wine making up the balance.
Carignan is the most common grape variety. The AOC was created in 1985,
covers 13,500 hectares (33,000 acres) of vineyards and
produces an average of 554 000 hectoliter of wine per year,
corresponding to 74 million bottles.
For red wines, a minimum of two grape varieties must
be used. Grenache, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre and Syrah (the main grape
varieties with the exception of Carignan) must together
make up at least 50 per cent of the blend. Carignan, Picquepoul Noir,
and Terret Noir can together not make up more than 50 per cent of the
blend. A maximum of 20 per cent Cinsaut and a maximum of 10
per cent Grenache Gris is allowed.
- Minervois
The red wines of the Minervois appellation are produced from Carignan (which can account for no more than 40% of the blend), Grenache, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvedre, and Syrah grapes. The white wines (which are less prevalent) include varietals such as Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne,
Maccabeu, Bourboulenc, Rolle, Clairette and Muscat.
AOC regulations require the wine to be blended, so
single varietals are necessarily Vin de Pays. Historically, the region's
capital has been the village of Minerve.
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