Buzet is an ''

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

'' (AOC) for

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

in South West France, in the department of

Lot-et-Garonne Lot-et-Garonne (, oc, Òlt e Garona) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure Vin délimité de qualité supérieure ("delimited wine of superior quality"), usually abbreviated as VDQS, was the second highest category of French wine, below ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) in rank, but above ''vin de pays'' (count ...

'' from 1953, and was promoted to AOC status in 1973. In 1986, the name was changed from Côtes de Buzet to Buzet.

Geography

Buzet's production area is spread across and is bordered by

Garonne The Garonne (, also , ; Occitan, Catalan, Basque, and es, Garona, ; la, Garumna or ) is a river of southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux – a ...

and the great

Landes forest The Landes forest (; La forêt des Landes in French) in the Landes de Gascogne (las Lanas de Gasconha in the Gascon language), in the historic Gascony natural region of southwestern France now known as Aquitaine, is the largest man-made woodlan ...

. The wine region stretches across 27 communes:

Buzet-sur-Baïse Buzet-sur-Baïse (, literally ''Buzet on Baïse''; oc, Busèth) is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in southwestern France. It stands on the ''voie verte'' cycle path between the Mediterranean and close to Bordeaux. Population See ...

Wine production

Grape varieties

The following grape varieties are used: *for white wines:

Muscadelle Muscadelle is a white wine grape variety. It has a simple aroma of grape juice and raisins like grapes of the Muscat family of grapes, but it is unrelated. DNA analysis has indicated that Muscadelle is a cross between Gouais blanc and an unide ...

, Sauvignon and

Sémillon Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, mostly in France and Australia. Its thin skin and susceptibility to botrytis make it dominate the sweet wine region Sauternes AOC and Barsac AOC. History The Sémill ...

*for red wines:

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

Côt Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are ...

and

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

Notes and references

Bibliography

* Periodical: ''Les amis des côtes-de-buzet'', Tome I, no.1-9, Autumn 1963 to Autumn 1967, Buzet-sur-Baïse. Periodical: ''Les amis des côtes-de-buzet'', Tome II, no.10-18, Spring 1968 to Autumn 1972, Buzet-sur-Baïse. Periodical: ''Les amis des côtes-de-buzet'', Special Edition, no.19-20, Spring 1973 to Autumn 1973, Buzet-sur-Baïse.

External links