Côtes de Gascogne

Côtes de Gascogne is a wine-growing district in Gascony producing principally white wine. It is mainly located in the département of the Gers in the French region Midi-Pyrénées, and it belongs to the wine region South West France. The designation Côtes de Gascogne is used for a Vin de Pays ("country wine") produced in the Armagnac area. The decree of the 13th of September 1968 created the difference between a Vin de Pays and simpler table wine, the so-called Vin de table. The designation Côtes de Gascogne obliges the producers to respect the stricter rules and production standards, which were adopted with the decree of the 25 January 1982.

The Association of Producers of the Vins de Pays Côtes de Gascogne was founded on 15 March 1979, it protects the interests of the members, determines the production standards and is controlling the respect of these rules. The association counts on this moment approximately 1,400 wine farmers. Of them 1,300 are member of cooperative cellars, the so-called ’’caves coopératives’’ is.

The most famous producers are Château de Tariquet, Domaine de Joÿ, Plaimont, Uby...

Furthermore, there, are 150 independently working wine farmers, who produce their wines themselves.

With a permitted production quantity of 830,000 hectoliters per year, the Gers is France's largest producer of white Vin de Pays, with a production potential of more than 100 millions bottles per year, of which 75% are for export.

In the Gers the production volumes are more or less as follows: 91% white wine, 8% is red and 1% rosé wine. This is very atypical for the southwest of France, because in neighbouring departments mainly red wine is produced.

Only red, rosé and white wine. Only wines from the defined area.

Types of grapes for red and rosé wine:

Abouriou, Merlot, Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Duras, Fer, Négrette, Portugias bleu, Malbec, Tannat.

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