This Swiss family property in the Côtes de Gascogne region has been a 10 ha vineyard since 1960 and now consists of 110 ha of vines situated in a marine site, baptised the Saint Jacques “Pelerines of Compostelle”. This Domaine de Ménard wine, first produced in 2002  seems to adapt marvellously to the Colombard and Sauvignon grapes, with a perfect balance of each variety expressessing it’s personality. The Colombard shows a powerful bouquet of exotic fruit, vivacity and freshness added by the presence of the Sauvignon.  As well as being a fantastic tasting wine it also holds a Gold Medal from “Au Concours des Vignerons Independants”.

You can order this wine online and it’s very reasonably priced at £7.75  click here

 Tasting Notes: A blend of Colombard and Sauvignon with an immediate aromatic and grapey freshness. An off-dry wine with hints of spice and pear mingle with peachiness on the finish…..and it’s a Gold Medal Winner!

The Area: Côtes de Gascogne is a wine-growing district in Gascony producing principally white wine. It is mainly located in the ‘Departement Gers’ in the French region Midi-Pyrénées, and it belongs to the wine region South West France. The designation Côtes the Gascogne is used for a Vin de Pays (“country wine”) produced in the Armagnac area. The decree of the 13th of September 1968 created the difference between a Vin de Pays and simpler table wine, the so-called Vin de table. The designation Côtes de Gascogne obliges the producers to respect the stricter rules and production standards, which were adopted with the decree of the 25th of January 1982.

The Colombard Grape: Colombard is an early fruiting white variety of wine grape, better known as French Colombard in North America. It is possibly the offspring of Gouais blanc and Chenin blanc. In France it was traditionally grown in the Charentes and Gascony for distilling into Cognac and Armagnac respectively. Today it is still among the permitted white grape varieties in Bordeaux wine, and in Gascony for Vins de Pays Côtes de Gascogne and the white Floc de Gascogne.