Lavilledieu is the IGP title for red and rosé wines produced in an area in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in South-West France. The permitted vineyard zone is nestled among several AOC appellations, including Fronton in the northwest and Armagnac to the east. Lavilledieu IGP wines tend to be soft and light, and are made from a blend of local and introduced grape varieties.
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The region covers 13 communes in the center of the Tarn-et-Garonne department, on the alluvial plain between the Tarn and Garonne rivers. This area is roughly equidistant from the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, and feels influence climatically from both: mild, wet winters are followed by hot, dry summers, with a dry wind from the Mediterranean helping to cool the vineyards. The landscape is mostly flat with some gentle undulations, and most vineyards are found on alluvial silty clay soils.
The area around the Lavilledieu vineyards was deforested and populated to vine in the 12th Century by the medieval Order of the Knights Templar, who also had an impact on viticulture in northeast Spain during this time. The area’s eponymous village, La Ville-Dieu-du-Temple, is named for this history.
The IGP was formally recognized as a VDQS until the 2010 vintage, when the category was dropped from French wine laws. While most of France’s VDQS wines were upgraded to AOC status, Lavilledieu opted to go the other way to take advantage of the greater freedoms of the IGP classification. Nevertheless, Lavilledieu wines have slightly more restrictive wine laws than most IGPs.
These laws include a stipulation that Lavilledieu wines must be made up of a blend of at least four of the five principal grape varieties: Cabernet Franc, Negrette, Tannat, Gamay and Syrah. Fer and Milgranet may also be added to the blend, but in very small proportions.
