Graves de Vayres
Encyclopedia
Graves de Vayres is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
(AOC) for red and white wine
s in the Bordeaux wine
region of France
. It covers 700 hectares (1,729.7 acre) across the Vayres
and Arveyres
communes and is located within the Entre-Deux-Mers subregion of Bordeaux.
, on a geomorphic system of alluvial terraces. This terrace system is evidence that the Dordogne River sunk within the valley during the last Ice Age. Smallholdings, ranging from 2/3ha to around 60ha in area, only exist in the Vayres commune and the plateau of its neighbouring commune, Arveyres. The limits of this appellation area were defined in 1936, by the gravel, sandy-gravel, clay-gravel and silty-gravel soils found along the path of the Dordogne, because of their potential qualities.
it is fresh and highly fruity.
grapes. These wines are fresh, lively, and perfumed with floral notes and hints of citrus fruit. Barrel-fermented wines made with 100% Sémillon
grapes are characterised by their slick, buttery, and rich, rounded texture. The sweet moelleux variety of Graves de Vayres is made from 100% Sémillon grapes, which are harvested only when they are over-ripe. This gives sweet and honey notes, and a wine pale yellow in colour. The majority of dry white Graves de Vayres is in fact composed of a blend of 70% Sauvignon, 20-25% Sémillion and 5-10% Muscadelle
grapes.
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
(AOC) for red and white wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
s in the Bordeaux wine
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It covers 700 hectares (1,729.7 acre) across the Vayres
Vayres, Gironde
Vayres is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-Sights:*The Château de Vayres...
and Arveyres
Arveyres
Arveyres is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
communes and is located within the Entre-Deux-Mers subregion of Bordeaux.
History
Several sharpened pieces of flint dating back to the Paleolithic period have been found within the Graves de Vayres appellation. The wine region itself dates back to the Gallo-Roman age. Vayres is situated on the Dordogne, near the Voie impériale, a Roman road that runs from Bordeaux to Périgueux. The Emperor Octavius understood the strategic importance of this place, and based a garrison here under the command of Varius, who would leave the name Vayres (varatedo) to the village. From the mid-19th Century, red and white wines from the Graves de Vayres appellation were renowned, as Cocks and Féret mention in Bordeaux et ses vins ("Bordeaux and its wines"): Numerous documents are still around today concerning a sufficient amount of winegrowers to form a collective use of the appellation "Graves de Vayres". It is mentioned in the price lists of Horeau Beylot et Cie (1890), Jacquet et Fils (1895) and Legendre et Cie (1898), as well as in price lists of Libournais traders. The name is also used in the inventory and trade records of numerous Bordeaux wine houses, and began appearing on printed labels in 1904. The exposition of a Monsieur Béchaud at the Bordeaux Wine Market in November 1909 again indicates the existence of the Graves de Vayres appellation. On the 3 January 1962, the Winemakers' Union of Graves de Vayres was formed. It decided, by virtue of local, loyal and constant use, to include the gravelly soils of the Arveyres plateau, along with those of Vayres, in the appellation area of Graves de Vayres. This winemakers' union was among the first to appear in Gironde, and in 1966, it established the institution of quality control checking wine, which was done by taste and analysis. Quality remains a priority for wines made in the 600-odd hectares of this appellation area in the heart of Bordeaux. Pre-approval is arranged with winemakers, and a committee from the wine region tracks the cultivation of the vines.Soil
Around forty producers tend the gravelly soil found on the left bank of the Dordogne RiverDordogne River
The Dordogne is a river in south-central and southwest France.-Name:Contrary to appearances, the name of the Dordogne is not a recent word resulting from the names of the Dore and the Dogne...
, on a geomorphic system of alluvial terraces. This terrace system is evidence that the Dordogne River sunk within the valley during the last Ice Age. Smallholdings, ranging from 2/3ha to around 60ha in area, only exist in the Vayres commune and the plateau of its neighbouring commune, Arveyres. The limits of this appellation area were defined in 1936, by the gravel, sandy-gravel, clay-gravel and silty-gravel soils found along the path of the Dordogne, because of their potential qualities.
Red Graves de Vayres
The Red Graves de Vayres is ruby in colour. When the wine is young, due to the dominant MerlotMerlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
it is fresh and highly fruity.
White Graves de Vayres
Dry white Graves de Vayres wines are made from 100% SauvignonSauvignon
Sauvignon may refer to:*Sauvignon blanc – a white wine grape*Sauvignon vert – a white wine grape widely planted in Chile. Also a name in California for muscadelle*Sauvignon gris – a pink wine grape*Cabernet sauvignon – a red wine grape...
grapes. These wines are fresh, lively, and perfumed with floral notes and hints of citrus fruit. Barrel-fermented wines made with 100% Sémillon
Sémillon
Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, most notably in France and Australia.-History:The origin of the Sémillon grape is hard to determine. It is known that it first arrived in Australia in the early 19th century and by the 1820s the grape covered over 90 percent...
grapes are characterised by their slick, buttery, and rich, rounded texture. The sweet moelleux variety of Graves de Vayres is made from 100% Sémillon grapes, which are harvested only when they are over-ripe. This gives sweet and honey notes, and a wine pale yellow in colour. The majority of dry white Graves de Vayres is in fact composed of a blend of 70% Sauvignon, 20-25% Sémillion and 5-10% Muscadelle
Muscadelle
Muscadelle is a white wine grape variety. It has a simple aroma of grape juice and raisins like grapes of the Muscat family of grapes, but it is unrelated....
grapes.