- Cahors (wine)
Cahors is a red
wine from grapes grown in or around the town ofCahors ,France . Cahors is an "Appellation d'origine contrôlée " (AOC) which forms part of the South West France wine region. The dominant grape variety in AOC Cahors wines isMalbec , which must make up a minimum of 70% of the wine, and which is known locally as "Côt", "Côt Noir" or "Auxerrois ". It is supplemented by up to 30%Merlot andTannat . [http://www.terroir-france.com/region/southwest_cahors.htm Terroir-France.com: Cahors wine information] , accessed on March 21, 2008] [http://www.vin-de-cahors.com/cahors/wine.shtml Vin de Cahors.com: The Wines of Cahors ] , accessed on March 21, 2008] As a reflection of the character of the Malbec variety, Cahors wine can be rather tannic when young, and benefit from aging. Generally, the style of Cahors wine is often similar to robust versions ofBordeaux wine .There are convert|4200|ha|acre of Cahors vineyards.
The designation AOC Cahors may only be used for red wines. There is also some white and rosé wine produced in the same area, and it is sold under the designation "
Vin de Pays du Lot" instead.History
The history of wine Cahors winemaking go back to the era of
Ancient Rome , with vines being planted in the area around 50 BC. Since that time, the vines have remained in the land ofQuercy and their history has been combined with that of the region. [http://www.frenchentree.com/france-lot-quercy-cahors-wine/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=9394 Frenchentree.com: The Black Wine of Cahors] , accessed on March 21, 2008]During the
Middle Ages , Cahors wine was called "the black wine of Lot".Clément Marot sung the virtues of this "liquor of fire". It was on the tables at the marriage ofEleanor of Aquitaine withHenry II of England . PopeJohn XXII , born at Cahors, made it his table and sacramental wine.Francis I of France appreciated it to the point of delegating to the Cahorsin vintners the task of creating the vineyard ofFontainebleau .Jean-Baptiste Colbert did not hesitate to deem it superior to Bordeaux.Fact|date=March 2008 The Russian EmperorPeter I of Russia drank Cahors ( _ru. кагор) and theRussian Orthodox Church adopted it as the sacramental wine. Since the wine's introduction to the court of England, Cahors wine even became a formidable competitor to claret, as Bordeaux is known. The Bordelais vintners attempted to prevent the commerce beforeAll Saints Day to stop its production; Louis XVI resolved the conflict by providing mediation between the vintners.Fact|date=March 2008The history of the wine is also tied to that of the
Lot River . Since its introduction by the Romans, its trade passes by this dangerous yet navigable route. In the 18th century, around 10,000 barrels of wine passed through Bordeaux to leave thence for the north of Europe, theAntilles and theAmericas .Fact|date=March 2008Similar to many other winemaking regions, Cahors was hit bad by The
Great French Wine Blight in the late 19th century, when the vines were attacked in thephylloxera epidemic. In the case of Cahors, this happened in 1883-1885.In February 1956, Cahors was hit by frosts which wiped out almost all the vineyards of the region, which thus needed to be replanted "en masse". In this replanting, Malbec became more dominant than it had been before. Cahors was awarded AOC status in 1971.
In recent years, the popularity of
varietal Malbec from Argentina has likely contributed to a resurged interest in Cahors wine, which is France's foremost example of Malbec-dominated wine.References
External links
[http://www.french-malbec.com/ Cahors wine blog] - Malbec from France, Legendary 'Black wine'
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
