Wine insiders have known about the  South-West region of France for many years. If you like quality Bordeaux but not the prices, you’ll love these wines. There are some similar varieties like Malbec, but many other indigenous grapes you may not have heard of like Petit and Gros Manseng. And of course, the ‘terroir’ is distinctive and that, we know, is most impactful.

The “Sud-Ouest” is known as “France’s Hidden Corner” and is not very populated. It lies proximate to the Pyrénées Mountains and just north of Spain, south of Bordeaux, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and is the 5th largest wine region in France. The region is crying out for wine lover and wine travel discovery.

Wine writer Carl Giavanti will be your guide to the Sud-Ouest while Hoke Harden is on break. Carl is a Portland, Oregon-based winery publicist by day and a burgeoning wine and travel writer at heart. His wine writer interview series for Wine Industry Advisor “Turning the Tables – Interviewing the Interviewers” – turned 5 years old in November 2023 – with a feature profile of Eric Asimov of the New York Times. 

We will be tasting Hoke's selections:
• Domaine Labranche Laffont, Pacherence du Vic-Bilh, Sec 2021 
• Carmin Larredya, La Part Devant, Juraçon, 2022
• Domaine Les Pentes de Barène, Landes, AOC Tursan, 2021
• Domaine de Brin Anthocyanes, AOP Gaillac, 2021
• Domaine La Calmette, Serpent à Plumes, VDF 2022 (Cahors)
• Domaine Cosse & Maisonneuve, Le Sid, AOC Cahors, 2021
• Domaine Matha, Reveille-moi, Fer Servadou, AOC Marcillac, 2021

The Alliance Wine Club meets monthly,
usually on the third Sunday of the month.
(And for the occasional bonus event.)