Cotes de Gascogne is the IGP title for wines that are produced in an area centered on the Gers administrative department of South-West France. The IGP complements the region’s AOC appellations, which include Armagnac, Madiran and St-Mont, providing growers with a geographical indication for their wines with less-rigid winemaking requirements.
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The catchment area for the Cotes de Gascogne IGP covers all of Gers, as well as smaller parts of Landes and Lot-et-Garonne. The countryside here is verdant, and the low rolling terrain is interspersed with small, picturesque villages. This landscape has been nearly constantly home to viticulture since Roman times.
The terroir across the Cotes de Gascogne area is transitional, with the maritime effects of the Atlantic ocean giving way to a more continental climate in the east of Gers. Nearer the coast, loose, sandy soils with good drainage and high rainfall characterize the vineyards. In the east, summers are warmer and drier, and the clay limestone soils retain water more effectively. All in all, this is well suited to viticulture, as the soils and climate work together across the area to create an optimal environment for vineyards.
Cotes de Gascogne IGP wines are predominantly white and are made from local grape varieties like Courbu, Gros Manseng, Colombard and Arrufiac. Better-known grape varieties like Sauvignon Blanc (borrowed from Bordeaux to the north) and Chardonnay are also planted here, as well as red wine grapes such as Tannat, Cot (Malbec) and Cabernet Sauvignon. Red wines make up only a small percentage of Cotes de Gascogne IGP wines, but this is increasing.
Cotes de Gascogne IGP – once a Vin de Pays denomination – has a single sub-appellation: wines that come from the hot, dry vineyards around the town of Condom may append their name with the designation Condomois.
