Black Wine of Cahors
The wine of Roman Emperors, Popes and Czars
The wines of the Lot Valley vineyards are such a deep red colour that they are known as the Black Wines of Cahors. Loved by Roman Emperors, who first planted the vines 2000 years ago, Popes (especially Jean XXII) and Russian Czars, their reputation spread far and wide.
Made from Malbec (70%), Merlot (20%) and Jurançon (10%) grapes and grown on red soil, the vineyards stretch from the Pont de Valentré at Cahors itself to Fumel in the west.
This extraordinary wine has only had appellation status since 1971 and even now only 4200 hectares/10,000 acres are cultivated making it quite a rare wine. Better grab a bottle (or two) while you are here because it can be difficult to obtain outside of France!