Le Vin

THE ROLL-CALL of the wines of the South-West is one of the most resplendent in the world. The red wines of Bordeaux are the finest made anywhere, and there are commercial producers all over the area making wines which enjoy an international market: Cahors, Madiran, Tursan, Buzet, Duras, Fronton, Bergerac and Marcillac among the reds; Gaillac, Monbazillac, Jurançon and Montravel among the whites.

At first sight it is surprising that the quality divide between these famous growths and the wines which the peasant farmer’s make for their own consumption should be so dramatic. You might think that in an area where so much good wine is made even the most basic wine would be of high quality. This is not so, however, and the reasons are not hard to find.