Did you know?
Before Bordeaux, before the South West, before the Romans ever set foot in Southern Gaul, there were the wines of Gaillac where Vitis Vinifera still grows wild in the forest.
Back to the roots
DNA from ancient grape pips suggests vines were cultivated in Gaillac long before the Romans arrived, but they brought their savoir-faire and from the 1st Century AD, this ‘fertile place’ became one of the first wine-producing regions in France along with Côte Rotie and Hermitage. The Benedictine Monks led the way and the wines shone across borders - until Bordeaux entered the scene and monopolised the business. But nothing stops these winemakers. They’ve risen above war, endemics, natural catastrophes and aeons of political manoeuvring to tell the story of a terroir that’s known the vine for over 2000 years.
2000 years in the making
The First Wines of France
In 425 BC, after centuries buying wine from the Phoenicians, the Gauls were making their own wine in Gaillac. There’s DNA from grape pips to prove it and locally produced amphoras dating back to 200 BC play witness to trade. When the Romans took over in 121 BC, the grapes of Gaillac were already well-known in Italy. The legionnaires marched over the Cevennes to this “fertile place”. The hillsides were ideal for grape-growing and there were plenty of routes and rivers for trade. From the 1st century AD, Gaillac, Côte Rôtie and Hermitage were the leading wine regions in France.
The Monks do their Magic
The Barbarian invasions devastated the region, but the vineyards survived and in 972 AD, the monks created appellation-like rules to guarantee the quality of the wines. They set precise guidelines for pruning and harvesting, blending in wines from elsewhere was forbidden and colombine (pigeon-droppings) was the only fertiliser allowed - hence all the beautiful dovecotes that dot the landscape. The wines were shipped via the Tarn and Garonne rivers to Bordeaux, and across the ocean to England and Holland where they were celebrated throughout the Middle Ages.
The Privilege of Bordeaux
The second century AD was a golden age for Gaillac, but the Bordelais were also in business. In 1241, Henry III signed the ‘Privilege of Bordeaux’ which imposed high taxes and strict conditions on all wines passing through their port. No wines from the high country were allowed to be sold in Bordeaux before Christmas day. Gaillac resisted, stamping their barrels with ‘Vins de Coq’ to protect their reputation, but it was a losing battle. Bordeaux enjoyed priority access to the export market for five long centuries. The quality wines of Gaillac were just shipped off to beef up those of other regions.
The Battle for Survival
After the Great Frost of 1709, the winemakers of Gaillac had to start from scratch. Wine had become rare and expensive, so they planted all sorts of varieties without limits, sacrificing quality for volume. Then war broke out with England and Holland and exports became almost impossible. The mid-19th century was blighted by disease: first a powdery mildew and then a downy mildew that was treated with the famous Bordeaux Broth. But the real killer was Phylloxera. In 1876, these tiny root-sucking insects wreaked havoc all over Europe. Almost all the vineyards of France and millions of livelihoods were destroyed.
Revival and Renewal
From 1888, the winemakers of Gaillac began planting American rootstocks grafted with native grape varieties. They refocused on quality rather than quantity and by the beginning of the 20th century, the vineyards were transformed, if a fraction of their size. In 1938, between the two world wars, the white wines gained AOC certification, and in the 1970s, the rosés and reds joined the appellation. In the 80s and 90s, the AOC rules were modified to meet global market standards. Indigenous grape varieties were increasingly replaced by international varieties. Meanwhile, a new charter for quality was fermenting in Gaillac.
The Return to Terroir
A group of iconic producers on the Cordes Plateau began to defend organic and natural methods. In 1983, Domaine de Cantalauze became the first certified organic player in the region. In the 1990s, biodynamic principles arrived in the vineyards. Little by little, thanks largely to ampelographer Robert Plageoles, the indigenous grape varieties were reintroduced too. In 2004, Bernard Plageole and Patrice Lescarret (Causse Marines) created Terres de Gaillac to promote the best wines in the region. This collective now unites a new generation through a charter based on their shared ethos in the vineyard and the winery.
