Meet the artisan vignerons of Southwest France

After the success of the first Contrastes! salon in Rodez, this 2nd edition will unite 80 artisan vignerons in Albi.

Organised by Terres de Gaillac, a dynamic collective of artisanal producers in the Tarn, Contrastes! will bring together 80 growers from 17 appellations across the Southwest, all united by deep ecology in the vineyard and the winery.

A Charter for Quality

Terres de Gaillac* is an association of around 20 artisan producers committed to organic and biodynamic farming and natural winemaking. In 2022, they had this idea to create a wine fair for like-minded vignerons across the Southwest: all the different sub-regions, terroirs, traditions and grape r under one roof, united by a charter for quality.

The winemakers you will meet at Contrastes! all meet a demanding set of criteria inspired by Terres de Gaillac’s charter for quality (slightly adapted to allow for the climatic variations of each sub-region) The they present will showcase local grape varieties, hand-picked and spontaneously fermented by native yeasts to offer the purest expressions of the terroir.

Myriad Micro-Terroirs

The Southwest wine region counts 70,000 hectares of vines across an area the size of England. It covers all of Southwest France (except Bordeaux, which has its own status). It’s a trip from Bergerac to the Basque Country, via the Massif Central and the Pyrenees through an amazing diversity of grape varieties.

Local Grape Varieties

300 different grape varieties grow in the Southwest, and 120 are indigenous. They were cultivated by the Romans and propagated by pilgrims on all the trails to Santiago de Compostela. Thousands of native varieties were uprooted in the 80s and 90s and replaced by international varieties. They would have been forgotten if were not for the vigneron. e. s who replant them to protect their terroir and wine culture.

@contrastes.salon

Artisanal Grower-Makers

Gaillac, Cahors, Côtes du Marmandais, Fronton, Jurançon, Côtes de Duras, Bergerac, Irouleguy, Aveyron, Madran, Compté-Toloson, Côtes du Montalbanais & more…Contrastes! is the biggest gathering of natural winemakers exclusively from South-West France. Organised by Terres de Gaillac, 80 growers from 17 appellations participated in the 2nd event. Watch this space for info on the 3rd edition in 2024!

@lolafromthebar

Purity, Personality & Great Value.

The Southwest wine region is “the greatest undiscovered wine region of France” (Andrew Jefford). Often overshadowed by it’s powerful neighbours, some of its most brilliant winemakers still remain under the radar - but nothing stops these growers from crafting vibrant and expressive wines. For fun and finesse (and remarable affordability) come to Contrastes!

Key Info

🗓️ Sunday 11th and Monday 12th June, from 10am to 7pm. Entry 10€. Trade only. 

📍E.E.A.M – Ecole Européene de l’Art et des Matières (anciens abbatoirs) , 30 côte de l’abbatoir 81000 Albi

How to get there

✈️ Toulouse-Blagnac (1hr) Castres-Mazamet (45 mins) Rodez-Marcillac (75mins) Carcassonne (1.5 hrs)

🚆 Daily connections from Paris and Toulouse

🚘 On the A68 from Toulouse, A75 from Montpellier, A20 from Paris

Where to sleep & eat

Visit Contrastes or Albi Tourisme for tips and recommendations 😋😴

 

About Terres de Gaillac

Created in 2006 by Patrice Lescarret at Causse Marines and Bernard Plageole, Terres de Gaillac is an collective of artisanal producers committed to organic farming, biodynamic agriculture and natural wine. Their goal is to connect producers who share their values and principles: qualitative yields, manual harvests, natural yeasts, zero inputs, minimum added sulfites etc. They advocate for viticulture that protects terroirs and living wines in the face of all the technical processes used by winemakers today (thermovinification, oak chips, synthetic yeasts…). Their approach is defined in a strict charter for quality respected by all members. Today the group is attracting more and more locals and newcomers to the appellation thanks to its dynamism and ethics.