Duras is a traditional French variety of red

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 ...

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry (botany), berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non-Climacteric (botany), climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of ...

that is mostly grown around the river Tarn, northeast of

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. The city is on t ...

. It is usually blended with other traditional varieties, but production has been declining in recent years. Despite the name the grape appears to have no connection with the Côtes de Duras east of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...

, and is not grown there today.J. Robinson ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'' pg 205 Mitchell Beazley 1986 Nor is there any known link with the Durasa of Piedmont.

History

Viticulture came to the Tarn with the Romans, but little is known of the history of Duras.

DNA fingerprinting DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual's DNA characteristics. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is called DNA barcoding. DNA profiling is a forensic te ...

has recently suggested that with

Petit Verdot Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, ...

from Bordeaux, it is a parent of the

Tressot Tressot or Tressot noir is a variety of dark-skinned wine grape. Tressot has historically been grown in Burgundy but it is now almost extinct. Some small plantations still remain in the Chablis district of Burgundy. The grape has been identifi ...

variety.Vitis International Variety Catalogue: Tressot Noir
, accessed on December 15, 2009

Distribution and Wines

Duras is only really found in the upper reaches of the Tarn, in

Gaillac Gaillac (; ) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. It had in 2013 a population of 14,334 inhabitants. Its inhabitants are called Gaillacois. Geography Gaillac is a town situated between Toulouse, Albi and Montauban. It h ...

, the Côtes de Millau and the Vins d'Estaing north of

Rodez Rodez ( or ; oc, Rodés, ) is a small city and commune in the South of France, about 150 km northeast of Toulouse. It is the prefecture of the department of Aveyron, region of Occitania (formerly Midi-Pyrénées). Rodez is the seat o ...

. It makes robust red wines with a peppery note that are typically blended with other traditional varieties such as Fer and Négrette.

Vine and Viticulture

The vine is susceptible to oidium and black rot with a tendency to bud early.

Synonyms

Cabernet Duras, Durade, Duras Femelle, Duras Male, Duras Rouge, Durasca, Duraze

References

{{reflist

External links

VIVC Bibliography
Red wine grape varieties