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Winophiles Highlight Unknown and Forgotten Grapes of France
Wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy are great, but sometimes we want to try something new. This month, our French Winophiles writers are digging around, finding lesser known grapes from France, and bringing their stories to light. Scroll to the bottom of this post for a list of links to fellow Winophiles reports. You’re sure to find something new, even if you’re a French Wine Expert!

Aveyron – a Little Known Region in Occitanie
Aveyron is a lesser known region in the southwest, mostly agricultural and oriented to the outdoors. You may have never heard of the region, but there are several noteworthy products from the region which are known worldwide. From the north, Laguiole Forge is famous for their highly sought-after cutlery. In the south, the village of Roquefort is the home of the world famous cheese of the same name. Should you be interested in finding out more, the Tourism website for the Tarn/Aveyron/Tarn has a wealth of information.

Fer Servadou – Little Known Grape from a Little Known Region
Fer Servadou is a red wine grape found almost exclusively in the Aveyron region in the southwest of France. Fer as it is also known, is an old, wild grape native to this region. It is one of the grapes that naturally crossed with Cabernet Franc to create Carmenère. When you taste the green pepper in Fer Servadou, you’ll agree that it seems a natural relative of those two grapes.

Vigneron Nicolas Carmarans
Nicolas Carmarns is a natural wine vigneron working 4 hectares (about 9 acres) of vines not far from the Laguiole Forge. He primarily grows Fer Servadou and Chenin Blanc. His vines are between 30 and 60 years old, planted in granitic soil. The steep topography requires all work by hand, and he manages the vineyard to organic and biodynamic processes. The harvest is manual and his wines are made without additives; native yeasts carry out fermentation and the wines are unfine, unfiltered and without added sulfur dioxide. He established his vineyard in 2002 after a successful career in Paris as the owner of the Cafe de la Nouvelle Mairie. Incidentally, the cafe is still a great spot for food and natural wines, it’s one of our hangouts in Paris.

“Josette” Vin de France 2021 (24€ locally) 11.5% abv
100% Fer Servadou grape. While Fer Servadou is capable of producing wines of deep color and significant tannins, this wine was whole cluster fermented via carbonic maceration, emphasizing a light and fresh character.
Eye: Pale ruby
Nose: Medium aromas of fresh roses, cranberries, strawberries. There is a bit of fresh herb: thyme and green pepper, also some nice mushrooms and earth.
Mouth: Bone dry with nice juicy high acidity, medium minus tannins, medium minus body, medium flavor intensity, medium finish.
Observations: Fresh and lively, this wine is perfect for weekday meals. If you do see this wine, don’t let the natural wine label dissuade you. The only surprises here are pleasant ones.

Fer Servadou at the Dinner Table
For our meal, we looked to a recipe from southwest France. Julia Child has a nice wintry recipe, Bœuf à la Catalane, consisting of a braise of beef, onions, tomatoes and rice. We served a side dish of blanched and roasted brussels sprouts. We finished with, of course, a nice piece of Roquefort cheese. You might find a recipe for Bœuf à la Catalane online or certainly use Julia Childs’ Art of French Cooking as we did.

French Winophiles Uncover Forgotten Grapes from All Over France
France produces world class wines from many of the most famous grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Grenache Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling. France is also the home of a multitude of lesser known grapes and our French Winophiles are highlighting those grapes this month. Take a look below, you’re sure to find something fascinating!

• Martin from Enofylz Wine Blog shares “Forgotten Grapes of France: Poulsard Shines in the 2022 Domaine Dugois ‘La Sombarde“
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “A Sauvignon Gris from Bordeaux paired with a Chicken Stew from Zambia“
• Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles shares “Rosé d’Anjou with Groulleau and a budget-friendly variation on Crab Mac & Cheese!“
• Camilla from Culinary Cam shares “A Pair of Picpoul – From Two Continents – with a Simple Salmon Dinner“
• David from Cooking Chat shares “French Alpine Wines and Pairings to Go With Them“
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator shares “Beat the Wintry Blues: Meet Sciaccarellu, Niellucciu, Carcaghjolu Neru, and Minustellu from Corsica!“
• Cathie from Side Hustle Wino shares “Channeling Warm Weather Through Forgotten Grapes of France“
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass shares “Jurancon Noir: A very berry grape from southwest France“
• Payal from Keep the Peas shares “Pineau d’Aunis and Ovalie Cendrée: An Exquisite Pair!“
• Terri from Our Good Life shares “Rediscovering the Gems: Exploring the Forgotten Grapes of French Wine“
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! shares “Forgotten Grapes of France: Fer Servadou from Aveyron“
• Lynn from Savor the Harvest shares “Forgotten Wine Grapes of France – Alpine Wines of Savoie“