Vin du Tarn - Gaillac

Vin du Tarn - Gaillac

Want to know a wine seceret? Gaillac

The wines of Gaillac (pronounced Giyac, like Kiyac) are one of the best kept secerets in France, cheap, good and as the people of Gaillac have after centuries of slumber, woken up to their potential, now going up in value year on year.

For example, "Passion", a red from Cave de Tecou - no no no not Cave de Tesco, Tecou is the name of a valley and minor river, went from €2.50 in 1996 to €8.00 in 2003. Scandleous isn't it... Visit the Cave de Tecou - 81600, Gaillac, and be sure to tell them how you know of them, or ask GF to help.

Traditionaly the wines were used mostly within France. There is a link with Bordeaux, which is as you probably know, were the best wines in the world are made.

Story time - Bordeaux has been supplying Britain by sea for over 600 years. For example, when I was having a lunch with the town guide (naturaly in France a beautiful woman) she asked me if there was anything familiar about the cobble stones. There sort of vaguly was but I thought what the heck is she on about ? The cobble stones at St Emilion are made from pink granite, ballast from the fleets of medieviel ships sometimes a thousand strong that sailed from Plymouth in the autmns for the new season's wine. Of course that was were I'd seen that colour of stone before, loads of the buildings in Plymouth were built with it.

The link is, according to people in Gaillac, when ever Bordeaux was short of wine after a poor harvest t Bordeaux would buy in Vin de Tarn (Gaillac) and sell it to the Brits as Bordeaux, it was "good enough"!

Of course that is history, today French wine is vigourously regulated to the highest standards in the world, mostly organic, none grown with child or slave labour and the best is hand cultivated and hand picked. Both regions maintain the highest integrity and Gaillac is learning to reposition its self in the wine market.

Gaillac lies in the Vallee de Gaillac (Vale of Gaillac) near Albi, see Vale of Gaillac 1 and Vale of Gaillac 2.

Today Gaillac claims it sends more wine in boxes to British supermarkets that any other region so if you buy cheap table wine in a box it is probably Vin du Tarn from Gaillac. I have never seen its bottles in Britain except in my car and my house, however it is easily available from the old abbey beside the bridge or a by a tour of the district, enjoy!