France | The South West

Vineyards of South West France

The wine region of South West France encompasses numerous small scattered areas that combine to produce an impressive range of excellent value wines with diverse stylistic influences from Bordeaux, Spain, Languedoc-Roussillon, and The Rhône. The brandy-producing region of 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.

The areas closest to Bordeaux produce wines in a style similar to those of Bordeaux, and largely from the same grape varieties. Further south, the wine produced is still rather similar to those of Bordeaux, but several grape varieties not used in Bordeaux are common, such as Tannat, popular in the wines of Madiran AOC. In the areas closest to the Pyrenees, wines are made from local varieties, such as Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng.