Fronton AOC () is an ''

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

'' (AOC) for wine in South West France in the département of

Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne (; , ; ''Upper Garonne'') is a department in the southwestern French region of Occitanie. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's fourth-largest. ...

and

Tarn-et-Garonne Tarn-et-Garonne (; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania Regions of France, region in Southern France. It is traversed by the rivers Tarn (river), Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its n ...

, located about 35 km north of

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

History

Fronton is an old wine production region with the first vines planted by the Romans on the land overlooking the valley of Tarn.

Wines

* Most of the Fronton area wines (about 85%) are red wines made primarily of the Fronton's exclusive grape variety

Négrette Négrette () is a dark red wine grape grown primarily in South West France in the region between Albi and Toulouse. Wine regions The principal appellation using this variety, Côtes du Frontonnais (red and rosé), requires that 50% to 70% of t ...

(minimum 50% in the blend). The Négrette (sometimes known as Pinot St. George when grown in the United States) gives the wine fruity and delicate features, providing a powerful red wine, dark and tannic, with aromas of violet and licorice. Reds reach their fullness between 4–7 years. Other grape varieties include

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse ...

Côt Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

Fer Servadou Fer (also known as Fer Servadou, Pinenc, Mansois and several other synonyms) is a red French wine grape variety that is grown primarily in South West France and is most notable for its role in the ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) ...

Gamay Gamay () is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire_Valley_(wine), Loire Valley around Tours. Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. It is a very old cultivar, mentioned as lon ...

Cinsaut Cinsaut or Cinsault ( , ) is a red wine grape whose heat tolerance and productivity make it important in Languedoc-Roussillon and the former French colonies of Algeria, Lebanon, and Morocco. It is often blended with grapes such as Grenache an ...

and Mauzac. *

Rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the wine color, color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the Macerati ...

wines (around 15% of production) are characterized by low acidity, and especially when négrette is present these wines are drunk young.

Production

200 cooperative winery members and 60 wineries produce in total about 100,000 hectoliters yearly. The vineyards cover 2,300 hectares spread over 20 municipalities, including:

: Bouloc,

Castelnau-d'Estrétefonds Castelnau-d'Estrétefonds (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France. It is served by Castelnau-d'Estrétefonds station on the Bordeaux-Toulouse line. Population Castelnau-d'Estrétefonds Mairie.jpg, Town Hal ...

, Fronton, Saint-Rustice, Vacquiers, Villaudric, Villematier, Villemur-sur-Tarn et

Villeneuve-lès-Bouloc Villeneuve-lès-Bouloc (, literally ''Villeneuve near Bouloc''; ) is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France. Population Sights * The Château de Villefranche is a castle and stately home which is listed as a his ...

: Bessens,

Campsas Campsas is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Campsas - La Mairie.jpg, Town hall Campsas - Monument aux Morts.jpg, War memorial The commune hosts a large production centre of Liebherr A ...

Canals Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow u ...

Dieupentale Dieupentale (; ) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Dieupentale station has rail connections to Toulouse, Montauban and Brive-la-Gaillarde. Monuments Dieupentale Mairie Façade.jpg, ...

, Fabas, Grisolles,

Labastide-Saint-Pierre Labastide-Saint-Pierre (; Languedocien: ''La Bastida Sent Pèire'') is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Tarn-et-Garonne department The following ...

, Montbartier,

Nohic Nohic (; ) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Monuments Nohic Eglise St Saturnin et la place du Souvenir.jpg, St. Sernin church Nohic Lavoir.jpg, The 19th-century laundry Nohic Pigeon ...

Orgueil Orgueil (; ) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. History Orgueil has existed for more than 1000 years. It was first mentioned in the 9th century, when Orgueil was part of Saint-Sernin Abb ...

et Pompignan

Wineries

Wineries include Domaine Roumagnac, Château Cransac, Château Joliet, Domaine Saint Guilhem, Domaine le Roc, Château Saint Louis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaillac Aoc South West France AOCs