If you like robust reds with good tannins Madiran red wines will please you. They are based on Tannat grapes which have found a second life in South America from Uruguay to Argentina.
The Madiran AOC was created in 1948 and the terroir also offers a white wine, Pacherenc du Vic-Bihl, displaying honey and dried fruits tones.
As Jazz in Marciac is coming to a close nearby, the village of Madiran will host its Festival du Vin ('Wine Festival') on Saturday, August 14 and Sunday, August 15, 2010.
Some 40 producers from the area will share their wines outdoors on the grounds of the old priory .
Admission per person is the cost of one glass of wine, a few Euros.
Rich Shayler in Madiran: Tannat grapes and the Fete du Vin (Simonseeks, December 09) gives us an insider look at the area and informs us that pates, duck confit and other regional fare were offered in 2009 at Festival for an additional 20 Euros.
While Alain Brumont is the best known producer with his Montus, Dominique Noel on Le Dom du Vin singles out Domaine Le Serp (in May 2010) as a favorite.
I wrote earlier this year about Generation Madiran, a group of 20 small producers.
I am not sure which producers will be present at Festival du Vin…
The Tarbes-Lourdes Aiport offers Heritage and Cuisine attractions you might enjoy, including information on the famous Haricot Tabais ('Tarbais Bean') without which cassoulet and garbure would not taste the same and the Black Pigs of Bigorre.
I could not find any website for the Madiran Wine Festival.
You can find more informations by calling Maison du Madiran et du Pacherenc at 05 62 31 90 67 or sending an e-mail to madiran@civso.com.