Madiran wine

Madiran wine is produced around the village of Madiran in Gascony under two Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées (AOCs): Madiran for red wines and Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh and Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec for white wines. The production area for Madiran wine is spread over three départments - Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques - and is a part of the South West France wine region. There are 1,300 hectares (3,200 acres) of Madiran vineyards.

Madiran AOC

Madiran was created as an AOC in 1948, and only red wine can be produced under this appellation. The main grape variety in Madiran AOC is Tannat, which must make up 40-60% of the vineyard, and it is supplemented by Cabernet Franc (locally also called Bouchy), Cabernet Sauvignon and Fer (locally also called Pinenc) Some of the appellation's top wines are in fact made from 100% Tannat; this is within AOC regulations.

The wine is typically very concentrated, high in tannin and traditionally requires several years aging to be at its best. The style of really good Madiran is not unlike that of high-end Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Bordeaux wines. However, recently some of the younger generation of winemakers have been experimenting with, and producing, wines which are softer and more approachable in their youth, mirroring a similar tendency in Bordeaux and elsewhere. The modern technique of introducing minute amounts of oxygen into the wine was developed here by Patrick Ducournau at Chateau Aydie. Micro-oxygenation or micro-bullage is regarded by many as one of the most significant developments in modern French wine making .

Madiran

Madiran is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.

It is the centre of a wine producing area.

Madiran wine

Wine is produced around Madiran under three Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées (AOCs): Madiran for powerful red wines primarily from the grape variety Tannat, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh for sweet white wines and Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec for dry white wines primarily from the grape varieties Courbu and Petit Manseng. The production area for Madiran wine, which consists of 1,300 hectares (3,200 acres) of vineyards, is spread over three departments of France—Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées, and Pyrénées-Atlantiques—and is a part of the South West France wine region.

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