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Explore Sud-Ouest France (Virtually) with the French Winophiles
The French  #Winophiles are a group of wine writers and bloggers who love French wine, food and travel. Every month, we all explore some pre-arranged aspect of French wine. We all post and chat about our experiences on the third Saturday of the month. This month’s topic: Southwest (Sud-Ouest) France. There’s still time to join if you’d like (here’s a link to details), and you’re welcome to join our chat.  Simply check Twitter at the hashtag: #winophiles Saturday July 15th 10-11:00AM CDT.  If you happen to be in Southwest France (lucky you!), that would be 17:00-18:00 hours.

Sud-Ouest wine region map courtesty of http://www.winesofsouthwestfrance.com

Sud-Ouest France has a Specific Meaning
Southwest sounds like a general description, but like many things in France, it actually has a very specific meaning. The region does not include Bordeaux, as Bordeaux has its’ own area.  It also doesn’t include the Languedoc-Roussillon, or the Southern Rhone. In the US, wines from this region are almost unknown and difficult to find. What a shame! Hopefully, our group can help pique your interest.

Southwest France – A Puzzle to Find the Wine
Even knowledgeable wine shop employees may not be familiar. In searching for wines in our local wine shops, two of our group were given wines from outside the region, one from the Southern Rhone, one from Languedoc. Close, but no cigar! Your best bet will be to go to a well stocked shop with a list of possible appellations:

• Cahors
• Cotes de Gascogne
• Bergerac
• Madiran (red) & Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh (white) note: is it any wonder we can’t find the wines!
• Gaillac
• Jurançon
• Irouléguy
• You could even go for Armagnac!

Post Preview
To whet your appetite for wines of Southwest France, here’s a compilation of posts currently planned for July 15. Don’t forget to join our chat!

• Jill at L’occasion shares “Périgord Wines: Bergerac and Duras”
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Southern France at a Midwest BBQ”
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Cam shares “Pistachio-Armagnac Sabayon with Strawberries and Meringues”
• Michelle from Rockin Red Blog shares “#Winophiles Showdown: Madiran vs Applegate Valley”
• Rob from Odd Bacchus shares “Bergerac: Underappreciated Wines & Controversial Cuisine”
• Martin from Enofylz shares “Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng and Arrufiac? Oh My!”
• Olivier from In Taste Buds We Trust shares “If it makes you happy…”
• Nicole from Somm’s Table shares “Cooking to the Wine: Paul Bertrand Crocus Malbec de Cahors with Lavender-Herb Ribeye” and Grilled Veggies
• Lynn from Savor the Harvest shares “Basque-ing in the Sud-Ouest: Wines of Irouléguy“
• Lauren from The Swirling Dervish shares “Toast #TDF2017 with Wines from the Côtes de Gascogne“
• Gwen from Wine Predator shares “Finding and Pairing Southwest France Wine Cheese & Spirits for French #Winophiles”
• Mardi from Eat.Live.Travel.Write. shares two posts (!) “Clafoutis, Southwest France style” and “Armagnac: A Primer”
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! shares “Exploring Madiran with Vignobles Brumont”

Join our chat on Saturday at 10-11am CDT (11am EDT, 8am PDT, and 1700 hours in France)! See what we think of Southwest France, and tell us about your experiences with the wine, food, or travel in the region! Simply log into Twitter and search for the #winophiles tag, and you’re in!

Cahors

Jurançon Sec

Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh (white) and Madiran (red)