A guide to Gascony.

Gascony is a magnificent part of SW France, historically bounded to the West by the Bay of Biscay and to the South by the Pyrenees Mountains. Today these co-ordinates account for the regions varied attractions. Both the ski slopes of the Pyrenees and the bleached beaches of the Atlantic coast lie within easy reach of a days outing.

Unspoilt and unpolluted, it is dominated by rolling hills interrupted only by large areas of natural forest and verdant river valleys. Scenic Roman routes, blissfully free of traffic, run along the ridges and link the bastide villages. At their hearts, local markets pulse beneath the medieval colonnades. The area is home to the gregarious Gascon as it was to the real life D’Artagnan, musketeer of legend. Their bountiful soils account for a rich culinary heritage. Essentially a peasant cuisine based on duck and goose fat it has been of critical influence to some of the finest chefs working in Europe.

Pierre Koffman of the Tante Claire in London was born in Tarbes and spent many formative hours in his grandmothers kitchen in the countryside. Michel Guerard, famed for his cuisine Minceur, is based at Eugenie les Bains and continues to set the standard for fine food in the region.

On a more accessible level there are treats to be found in the simple country restaurants where one habitually finds a robust, carefully prepared 5 course menu inclusive of wine for 10 euros.   Another way to enjoy the local fare is to subscribe to the “repas du chasseur” or one of the meals at the local fetes. Here lunch can stretch through to the evening and would include the likes of Salmis de Palombe preceded by lashings of foie gras on warm toast, and followed by venison steaks with local wild mushrooms. This could be rounded off by a light salad, brebis cheese, and an apple croustade. Wash it down with some of the local wine and set the meal beneath the leafy plain trees in the village square and you begin to get a feel for the quality of life to be found in this remarkable region. 

In fact “Quality of Life” sums it up. The region is unequalled for its unspoilt rural setting, natural and architectural beauty, low crime levels, lack of traffic and pollution fine wines, armagnac, cheeses, fine local produce, easy access to both skiing and the Atlantic coast, great golf courses……....

The Basque region is tucked into the South West corner of France situated at the foot of the Pyrenees and extending to the Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic coast and along the Spanish border . With the mountain backdrop and its impressive coastline this is a region steeped in historical interest and tradition where it is still home to its mysterious native residents. It offers immense natural beauty with both the mountains and the sea as well as districts of remote country beauty where sheep graze the lonely pastures quite undisturbed.
Biarritz is probably the best known part of the Basque coast made famous by Napolean III's wife Eugenie de Montijo boasting fashionably smart hotels and sophisticated shopping. St Jean de Luz just a few kilometres south of Biarritz is a pretty little fishing village with cobbled walkways and a maze of restaurants and of course the beach. A few kilometres further south is Hendaye with its large expanse of beach and easy access to Spain by means of a little ferry across the bay.
Golf courses, of which there are many, surfing, skiing, walking, wonderful beaches, Thalassotherapy Centres are just a few of the many activities to choose from.
The beautiful inland scenery, the endless coastline and of course the great weather are all great reasons to visit this varied region.

GASCONY  - Discovering the wines

WINE

Madiran encompasses the area around the village of Madiran. Madirans red wines are produced ffrom the tannic and earthy Tannat grape. Château Bouscassé  Château Montus, Laffitte Teston, Laougue, and Domaine du Crampilh are a few of our favourites.  The wines are based on Tannat grapes sometimes blended with Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc to soften it. White wines in the area are labeled Pacherenc du Vic Bilh. Gros and Petit Manseng produce a juicy, spicy wine that is excellent with foie gras. 

Jurançon, in the foothills around the town of Pau, produces only white wines; they are similar to those of Pacherenc du Vic Bilh, but more flowery. Varietals are Courbu, Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng. The wines are generally dry, but sweet if affected by Botrytis cinerea.  Domaine Cauhapé, Domaine Larredya and Clos Uroulat are our favourites.  

Buzet is next to Armagnac. It produces primarily robust, aromatic reds pressed from the grapes of the Bordeaux which offer good value.

 The Armagnac region has three appellations, Bas-Armagnac (where the most delicate, fruity brandy comes from), Tenareze and Haut-Armagnac. First distilled as a medicine in the 13th century, Armagnac, a single-distillate (in contrast to Cognac, which is a double) is the oldest brandy in France. Four varieties of grapes are commonly used: Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanche, Colombard and Baco. When Folle Blanche is used in high percentage and aged for 15 years, it has fine texture and flowering fruit. But it’s hard to grow and sparsely employed. The hybrid Baco is the other star grape. Aged, it tastes like prunes and nuts; however, the AOC board has decided hybrids will no longer be allowed after 2010. But as most Armagnacs peak between 18 and 30 years, there should be plenty of product around. Cotes de Gascon wines and Cotes St Mont are produced in this area, easy drinking red wines and fruity white colombelle are favourite summer choices.  With foie gras dishes, drink a golden-white Domaine du Tariquet.

WEATHER IN GASCONY

The mild weather in the south west of France has been attracting visitors for generations. The appeal is the generous amount of sunshine through the winter, rainfall in the spring which nourishes the verdant countryside, a warm summer with long evenings and sublime weather stretching through the Autumn well into November.

The area avoids excessive heat in summer benefiting from average temperatures in the low 20’s with highs in the low 30’s. The winters are relatively short and mild. See chart for average daily temperatures in celcius

The wind chart highlights Gascony as being one of the few areas in France benefiting from a mild climate yet not affected by high prevailing winds, ie: The Suroit in the Charente, The Tramontana, the Autan and the Marin in the Languedoc, the Mistral, Levant and Grec which affect Provence and the Rhone valley.
The precipitation in the area is moderate in comparison with many areas in France, though there is ample rain to keep the country side verdant and free from the water rations which are regularly imposed in the East of France.