Bergerac, extensive wine appellation in south west france producing mainly red, but also dry and sweet white, and rosé wines in the image of bordeaux to the immediate west of the region, often at more appealing prices. The greater Bergerac region, named after the principal town at its centre on the River dordogne, is the principal appellation of the Dordogne département, and can boast more beautiful and varied countryside than that of its vinously more glamorous neighbour. Lacking distinctions other than touristic (and gastronomic; Périgord is the home of the truffle), it has long been difficult for the wines of Bergerac to escape from the shadow of Bordeaux’s more serious wine reputation, but thanks to much more sophisticated use of oak, pioneering producers such as Luc de Conti of Ch les Tour des Gendres and David Fourtout of Vignobles des Verdots as well as a handful of sweet winemakers, some truly fine wine is being made.
