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Vineyards and wines of Gascony

Gascony (in French language Gascogne, in gascon dialect(s) Gascougne or Gascounhe, in occitan language Gasconha) is situated in France, between the Gironde (a department of Aquitaine and the location of Bordeaux wine region) and the Garonne on its northern side, the Pyrenees mountains at its southern side.

Gascony wine region (in French language vignoble de Gascogne)

'The wine trade with Gascony: (Frank Sargent)', in Finance and Trade Under Edward III the London Lay Subsidy of 1332, ed. George Unwin (Manchester, 1918), pp. 256-311. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/manchester-uni/london-lay-subsidy/1332/pp256-311 (accessed 11 August 2022)

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/manchester-uni/london-lay-subsidy/1332/pp256-311 Gascony wine (Wines of Gascony) The Gascony wine region comprises several discontinuous terroirs located in two new large french regions : Nouvelle-Aquitaine (former Aquitaine) (also including Bordeaux region), and Occitanie region (including former Midi-Pyrénées and South West France wine regions, which itself includes the areas with a more (Atlantic) oceanic climate than a Mediterranean climate in the same two administrative regions. Thus, Gascony covers both the upstream areas south of Garonne, way of transport, and the wine-producing areas close to Adour, including Béarn and the  Northern Basque Country. The brandy-producing region Armagnac is situated within Gascony and the wine region of South West France, and some of its grapes are used to make Vin de Pays under the designation Vin de Pays de Côtes de Gascogne or mixed with Armagnac to produce the mistelle Floc de Gascogne. South West France is a rather heterogeneous region in terms of its wines and how they are marketed. It is rare to see wines being sold as Vins du Sud-Ouest. Rather, the smaller areas and individual appellations market their wines under their own (smaller) umbrella, in contrast with common practice in e.g. the Bordeaux region. The areas closest to Bordeaux produce wines in a style similar to those of Bordeaux, and largely from the same grape varieties. Further south, wines are still rather similar to those of Bordeaux, but several grape varieties not used in Bordeaux are common, such as Tannat. Finally, in the areas closest to the Pyrenees, wines are made from local varieties, such as Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng.

Geography
The Gascony wine region comprises several discontinuous terroirs located in two new administrative large french regions : Nouvelle-Aquitaine (former Aquitaine) which also includes Bordeaux department), and Occitanie region (including former Midi-Pyrénées and Languedoc-Roussillon). The Gascony wine region vineyard areas are also considered as the southwestern part of the larger [[South West France (wine region). Gascony and South West France wine regions areas both share an (Atlantic) oceanic climate more than a Mediterranean climate.

Antiquity
The south-west region was first cultivated by the Romans and had a flourishing wine trade long before the Bordeaux area was planted.

Middle ages
The wine trade between Gascony and England was important as early as ? 1100-1450

Gascony wines at their peak were shipped from the port city of Bordeaux, wines from the "High Country" would descend via the tributaries of the Dordogne and Garonne to be sent to markets along the Atlantic coast. . Also from Adour river.

Modern times
The trade with Netherlands via Adour and the port of Bayonne favored, in the 17th and 18th century, the development of vignobles voisins du fleuve, in Gascony and its pyrenean piedmont, and also celui de la distillation (mentionnée en Gascony as early as the 14th century) at the origin of Armagnac.

Hydrography
On the northern part of Gascony, its vineyards extend close to the (median) Garonne, upstream of Gironde ; on its more southwestern part, Gascony includes the Adour river. Both Garonne and Adour rivers were used for wine transport from their close respective wine-producing areas, including Béarn and the French Basque Country for Adour.

On the other hand, South West France vineyards from Dordogne/Bergerac subregion are not in Gascony but from another (more northern) part of the Garonne, Dordogne rivers drainage basin.

Land (soil) and climate
In most Gascony, south of Garonne, the rivers have transported alluvial from the Pyrenees, whereas north to the Garonne river, they come from the Massif Central

Appellations in Gascony
Thus, Gascony appellations are present both an area part of the Garonne basin, and the Adour basin area.

Common grape varieties
Gascony wine region is a less heterogeneous region than South West France in terms of its wines and grape varieties, however they are marketed in a similar way. Gascony wines (excepted for coteaux-de-Gascogne) are rarely sold as Vins de Gascogne : the individual appellations and their smaller areas market their wines under their own AOC, as for Vins du Sud-Ouest in general, rather than using common practice as in e.g. the Bordeaux region.

Differences between Gascony and Bordeaux wines Further south, wines are still rather similar to those of Bordeaux, but several grape varieties not used in Bordeaux are common, such as Tannat. Finally, in the areas closest to the Pyrenees, wines are made from local varieties, such as Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng.

Northern Gascogne subregion
The appellations Buzet AOC and Brulhois AOC, located both in this northern region of Gascony, are close to the left (south) side of Garonne used, up to the XIXth century, for wine transport to the port of Bordeaux. They are thus also wines of the median Garonne subregion, to which also belong : Côtes de Duras and Côtes du Marmandais.
 * Buzet AOC, around Buzet-sur-Baïse. wines (rouge, rosé et blanc) classés AOC depuis 1973. Sols argilo-calcaires principalement.
 * Brulhois AOC in front of Agenais. wines (rouge et rosé) classés AOC depuis 1984.

Armagnac (central Gascony) subregion
Near the center of Gascony, the appellation Armagnac (AOC since 1936) is a brandy covering three terroirs :

Armagnac is a brandy made from white wine from Gascony with a protected designation of origin. In the departments of Gers, Landes and Lot-et-Garonne, about 15,000 hectares of vineyards are approved for the production of Armagnac. Unlike Cognac, Armagnac is Armagnac : Armagnac-Ténarèze, Bas-Armagnac, Haut-Armagnac. Floc de Gascogne. Côtes de Gascogne The brandy-producing region Armagnac is situated within Gascony and the wine region of South West France, and some of its grapes are used to make Vin de Pays under the designation Vin de Pays de Côtes de Gascogne or mixed with Armagnac to produce the vin de liqueur named Floc de Gascogne.

Armagnac

 * Bas-Armagnac, on part of Landes and Gers. Sols acides et sableux.
 * Armagnac-Ténarèze (ou Ténarèze), on (another) part of Gers and Lot-et-Garonne. Sols argilo-calcaires.
 * Haut-Armagnac, on another part of Gers. Sols calcaires.
 * The Floc de Gascogne (AOC status since 1990), blanc ou rouge, is a vin de liqueur produced in the wholeterroir of the appellation Armagnac.
 * Côtes de Gascogne, previously a Vin de pays ("country wine" in english), is a now labeled "protected geographical indication" (PGI, IGP in french) and produced on the same area as Armagnac and Floc de Gascogne.

Around the Adour river
Several appellations are found : Madiran wine (Redirected from Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh) terroir is mainly in Bearn, also Bigorre, Gers Madiran and Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh are in Gascony, in the sense that the terroir is in communes (mainly) of Bearn and (also) of Bigorre and at the south-west of the Armagnac.
 * Tursan, (VDQS) south of Adour (Landes et Gers). Vins (rouge, rosé et blanc) classés AOC depuis 2011 . Sols de molasse calcaire.
 * Saint-Mont, (VDQS) (Saint-Mont wine) south-west of Gers. Vins (rouge, rosé et blanc) classés AOC depuis 2011 . Sols de marnes calcaires.
 * Madiran AOC, dans le Vic-Bilh, un pays de l'Adour principalement béarnais, mais aussi bigourdan et gersois, situé côté rive gauche, sur les coteaux au-dessus du coude formé par l'Adour. Vin rouge classé AOC depuis 1948 . Sols variés (marneux, argilo-calcaires, sablo-argileux, boulbènes).
 * Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh AOC, dans l'aire de Madiran. Vin blanc moelleux classé AOC depuis 1948.
 * Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec AOC

The history of present gascon vineyards Madiran and Saint-Mont, ancrée au Middle Ages, a été retracée depuis la Renaissance.

Bearnese pyrenean piedmont
Bearnese pyrenean piedmont
 * Jurançon AOC, located between the gave de Pau and the gave d'Oloron. Vin blanc classé AOC depuis 1936 (doux) et 1975 (sec). Sols argilo-calcaires et argilo-silicieux.
 * Béarn AOC, sur les terrasses du gave de Pau autour de Bellocq. Le Béarn rosé peut aussi être produit dans l'aire de Madiran, les Béarn rouge ou rosé dans l'aire de Jurançon. Vins (rouge, rosé et blanc) classés AOC depuis 1975, l'appellation Béarn-Bellocq est AOC depuis 1991.

Basque country pyrenean piedmont

 * Irouléguy AOC, en Basse-Navarre. Vins (rouge, rosé et blanc) classés AOC depuis 1970.