Lesser-known wines from south-west France: Richard Esling, May 25

Many regions of south-west France, including Cahors and Gaillac, benefit from a combination of climatic influences which make ideal conditions for growing wine grapes.

The hot, sunny, dry Mediterranean climate is tempered by the cooler, more humid influences of the Atlantic. Indigenous grape varieties excel in these conditions, such as braucol and duras for the reds and rosés, with mauzac and the strangely named loin de l’oeuil used for the whites.

Gaillac is situated in what is designated as the Haut Pays region of South-west France and is some distance from the sea.

The influence of the Atlantic Ocean is surprisingly strong even this deep inland and it merges with continental and alpine elements across such a large area to provide moist spring weather and wet winters counterbalanced by hot summers and long, sunny autumns just as the grapes are ripening.

The devastation of phylloxera around the end of the 19th century was particularly bad in these areas and it was not really until the 1970s, and even later in some cases, that a turnaround in fortunes occurred, with some great quality, characterful wines now being produced.

Château Issaly is produced by the Labastide de Levis Winery in the Gaillac Appellation and comes as a white, red and rosé. Using mainly local grape varieties, the white is from loin de l’oeuil and mauzac, with the red using braucol, duras and syrah.