French wine is arguably some of the best wine in the world. It’s rooted in the French tradition, entwined with its history and a staple part of the French diet (haha)! What’s more, the wine in the region we live in is EXCELLENT!
I think of wine in the same way I think of churches. Stick with me on this one… They have both shaped the landscape for over 2000 years. They both have differences depending on which region you’re in and their buildings are more often than not the most beautiful building in the area!
I bet that’s a metaphor you weren’t expecting to hear today!
Keep reading to learn a little bit more about our local wine choices.
Wine in the region: Cahors
If you like a strong red, Cahors might be perfect for you! Most of the grapes in this area are of the Malbec variety. Our American readers are probably used to drinking Argentinian Malbec (aka fake malbec 😉). The french stuff is the real deal.
Imagine taking Argentinian Malbec but putting it in better-growing conditions and having it made by families who have been doing it for over 2000 years… Every generation making incremental improvements. Hand-written secrets passed down to grandkids and great-grandkids. The same grapes but worlds of difference!
You probably haven’t heard of Cahors wine (apologies to any wine connaisseurs that I might have offended), but your ancestors almost certainly have! The history of Cahors wine goes back to 50 BC and the Roman Empire. It was very well known and the ‘black wine’ was consumed by the upper class all over Europe from Rome to Russia to the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, Cahors wine was severely hit by The Great French Wine Blight in the late 19th Century, which actually caused most of the vineyards to be replanted ‘en masse’.
Since then, Cahors wine has been gradually growing its popularity, particularly since it was awarded its AOC status in 1971.
It goes really well with red meats, especially game meat. Again, another popular pairing is with another regional delicacy, ‘confit de canard’!
We’ve got a couple of personal favorites, but we always try a couple of new ones on every retreat we host!
Personal tip: if you’re pondering over a wine menu in a restaurant, don’t buy a malbec unless it’s 7+ years old. You get the full depth of flavour but without the tangy, tanning aftertaste that many people associate with a Malbec.
The Expansion of Cahors Wine
In recent years, corporate greed and the incessant need for economic growth have led to many chateaux testing different grape varieties. The result? Excellent Rosé from Cahors.
What a result for us! We can now offer some really exceptional Rosé wine that’s grown very locally. Historically speaking, this region only made red wine. So much so that red wine is colloquially known as ‘wine’, not red wine, just wine. Rosé is something else 😅.
If you’d like to include a chateau or two during your workshop, please let us know, we would be more than happy to oblige.
Bergerac:
Bergerac is a small town in the South West of France, about 90 minutes from Perigord Retreats. The wine of this region is grown in 93 communes, which make up the area more or less equivalent to ‘greater Bergerac’.
Only 15% of wine grown here is exported internationally, so it’s not a massive name on the global wine scene. This is probably because of its famous neighbour, Bordeaux!
Taste can be relatively similar to many Bordeaux varieties, although they come without the price tag and notoriety. So, if you’d like to impress your friends with a relatively unknown wine that you’ll be sure to enjoy, give a nice Bergerac red a try! In any case, you’ll definitely try a couple of different Bergeracs during your stay with us.
Whites:
The most famous of which is probably the Chateau de Monbazillac. A sweet aperitif most often paired with desserts. that being said, our favourite pairing is with foie gras, which is another regional delicacy. This wine is drunk from a very small glass (you don’t need much, it’s very sweet).
Chat GPT gave me these two paintings when i asked it for an impressionism style oil painting of Chateau de Monbazillac. What do you think?
Other Wines
Although not as well known, we do have several other appellations within a couple of hours of us. Some interesting whites in the Duras & Gaillac regions, Bordeaux vineyards are about 2.5 hours away and then you’ve got a lot of small producers trying to make a name for themselves. You can definitely find some gems!
Our pairings
This is really, really difficult. Wine is SOOO subjective that it’s literally impossible to please everyone. Some people think wine pairing is pretentious (I used to include myself in that group) but since I moved to France, I really understand and appreciate a good wine pairing. It draws out the best of the flavours in the food as well as the wine.
Some of you will have tried a wine with a poor pairing before and told yourself that you don’t like the wine. You might have to revisit it with the right meal, you’ll be surprised. We try and hedge our bets by using some very popular wines mixed in with a couple of calculated risks (i won’t go into specifics because it’ll ruin the surprise).
But You host Art Retreats, Right?
What’s wine got to do with art, I hear you asking… Simple, the more you drink, the better your art gets. Get the creative juices flowing!
In all seriousness, if you’ve never spent a day painting at a wine chateau, you’re missing out. Picture this; You’re at the top of a gentle rolling hill looking at the chateau on the top of the opposite hill. Below you, there are countless perfectly straight rows of vines with brilliant green leaves, bulging purple grapes, and a few hints of late summer with some browning leaves, exhausted after a season of making grapes grow. To top it off, the sun is low in the sky, casting long, dark shadows off the chateau and the surrounding trees. Does that sound like something you’d like to paint?
Now we’re just catching a glimpse of what you see. You might not like big landscapes. That’s fine. Crop as needed. Just paint 1 grapevine, 1 tower from the chateau, 1 withered rose on the end of a row of grapevines… You get the point, there’s something for everybody.
Let’s add another level. We’ve only mentioned what you see… what about the smells? Have you smelled a vineyard during harvest season? If you know, you know. Capture the busy farm workers buzzing around like bees making the most of the shortening days to get the harvest finished. Capture the noise of the tractors on the sweeping road trundling back and forth with another trailer full of freshly picked grapes.
The great thing about visiting a wine chateau is that there’s something for everybody. Every level of painter, every level of confidence; non-painting partners and even those of you who just want to sit there, take photos, and absorb everything so that you can go back and paint in the studio.
So, we’ve rounded up the best wines this region has to offer. We’ve made our case as to why everybody should paint at a wine chateau. Quintessential elements of the region. You’ll go home full of memories and that’s a promise.
During your stay, we’re always testing new wines and pairings with food to make sure you have the best dining experience during your stay with us.
For those of you who are joining us next season, we can’t wait to meet you!