Down in the deep South West this month you can enjoy the St Mont wine festival (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees) 24-26 March 2006,
"The epic story of Saint-Mont vineyards began in the fourth century BC, when first plants were imported by the Greeks" . In 1050 the Saint-Mont Abbey was founded by Benedictine monks. who often seem to be attracted to wine-making and so the appellation developed and these ‘fine wines from Gascony’ were exported to the United Kingdom as early as the 14th century.
Today the appellation is dominated by the Plaimont Co-operative, one of the best, most innovative co-ops in France, where production is lead by consideration of quality rather than quantity.
Local grape varieties dominate - St Mont reds and rose ae made from Tannat, Pinenc, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon; the whites from Arrufiac, Petit Courbu, Petit and Gros Manseng, Colombard and Ugni-Blanc. The reds tend towards the tannic, albeit with good fruit balance; the whites are fresh and crisp - I have never had a bad wine from Plaimont.
Numerous festivities take place over this weekend, including wine tasting, discovery trails, music and dancing! - see www.plaimont.com
UK stockists include Haynes, Hanson & Clark at Stow-on-the Wold and London.
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Also see our calendar of events in France
Keywords: St Mont, Gers,Plaimont,Stow-on-the-Wold,Midi-Pyrenees
