5.5 Provence, Southwest France & the Dordogne
Key Takeaways
Provence is credited as the birthplace of wine in France, producing wine since roughly 600 BCE, and today devotes nearly 90% of its output to dry rosé.
Bandol AOP requires a minimum of 50% Mourvèdre and is red-dominant, standing apart from the rosé-led Côtes de Provence AOP.
Southwest France has a continental climate, is landlocked against the Pyrenees, and is home to Cahors AOP (Cot/Malbec, dry red only) and Madiran AOP (Tannat-dominant, dry red only).
Jurançon AOP produces white wine from Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng, labelled Jurançon Sec when dry and Jurançon when off-dry.
In the Dordogne, Bergerac AOP makes dry white, red and rosé while Monbazillac AOP makes botrytis-affected sweet white from Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.
Provence, Southwest France & the Dordogne
Three distinct blocks complete the CMS-A South France subject. They are grouped together on the exam because they are the parts of France that candidates most often cannot place on a map — and map identification is one of the published Certified theory question types.
SOUTH FRANCE AT A GLANCE
ATLANTIC SIDE MEDITERRANEAN SIDE
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DORDOGNE (Bergerac, Monbazillac) PROVENCE
east/southeast of Bordeaux's Right Bank Italian border -> Rhone R.
Continental Mediterranean
SOUTHWEST FRANCE (Cahors, Madiran, Jurancon) LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON
south of Bordeaux, north of the Languedoc (see section 5.4)
Continental, Pyrenees to the south
1. Provence
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | The French Mediterranean coastline, from the border of Italy to the Rhône River |
| Climate | Mediterranean |
| Physical features | Mediterranean Sea, rolling foothills |
| Production | Nearly 90% dry rosé |
| History | The birthplace of wine in France, producing wine since roughly 600 BCE |
That 600 BCE date traces to the Greek founding of Massalia (Marseille). It is the sort of discrete historical fact CMS-A likes to test because it has one right answer.
Grape varieties of Provence
| Colour | Varieties | Note |
|---|---|---|
| White | Clairette, Ugni Blanc, Rolle | Ugni Blanc is Trebbiano in Italy; Rolle is Vermentino in Italy |
| Red | Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre | Cinsault and Grenache drive the pale rosé style |
Those two synonym pairs — Ugni Blanc = Trebbiano, Rolle = Vermentino — are exactly the kind of item that appears in a matching question. Learn them as pairs.
The two named appellations
| Appellation | Grape varieties | Wine style |
|---|---|---|
| Côtes de Provence AOP | Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah | Dry rosé-dominant |
| Bandol AOP | Mourvèdre (minimum 50%), Grenache, Cinsault | Dry, red wine-dominant |
Bandol is the exception that proves the Provençal rule. While the region floats on pale rosé, Bandol's amphitheatre of hot, sun-trapped terraces above the Mediterranean is one of the few places in France where Mourvèdre — a late-ripening, tannic, gamey variety — reaches full maturity. CMS-A names Domaine Tempier, Château de Pibarnon and Château Pradeaux as reference producers.
Tip
If a tasting or service question offers a French red that is structured, meaty, animal-scented and built on Mourvèdre, the answer is Bandol. If it offers a pale, saline, strawberry-and-citrus dry rosé, the answer is Côtes de Provence.
Which appellation requires a minimum of 50% Mourvèdre and is dominated by dry red wine rather than the rosé that accounts for nearly 90% of its surrounding region's output?
Côtes de Provence AOP
Cassis AOP
Bandol AOP
Fitou AOP
2. Southwest France (Sud-Ouest)
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | South of Bordeaux and north of the Languedoc, reaching the Spanish Pyrenees border |
| Climate | Continental — note the contrast with Mediterranean Provence and Languedoc |
| Physical features | Pyrenees Mountains to the south; landlocked |
| White varieties | Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng |
| Red varieties | Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cot (Malbec), Tannat |
The Southwest is often taught as "Bordeaux's hinterland," and the shared Cabernet and Merlot explain why. But its identity rests on two varieties Bordeaux does not build on: Cot (the French name for Malbec) and Tannat.
| Appellation | Grape varieties | Wine style |
|---|---|---|
| Cahors AOP | Cot (Malbec)-dominant, plus Merlot and Tannat | Dry red wines only |
| Madiran AOP | Tannat-dominant, plus Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon | Dry red wines only |
| Jurançon AOP | Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng | White wines: Blanc Sec = dry white; Blanc = off-dry white |
Three clean, testable facts live in that table:
- Cahors and Madiran are red-only appellations. No white, no rosé.
- Jurançon is a white-only appellation with a labelling switch: the word Sec means dry; its absence means off-dry.
- Cot is Malbec. Cahors is Malbec's French homeland; Mendoza in Argentina is its adopted one, and the two are a standard blind-tasting comparison.
CMS-A also records that Cahors has been growing grapes since 125 BC, one of the oldest continuously planted zones in France.
A candidate is handed a wine list showing 'Jurançon AOP' and 'Jurançon Sec AOP' as two separate entries. What is the correct explanation of the difference?
Jurançon is red and Jurançon Sec is its white counterpart
Jurançon is aged in oak and Jurançon Sec is unoaked, with no difference in sweetness
Jurançon is a still wine and Jurançon Sec is a traditional-method sparkling wine
Jurançon is off-dry white and Jurançon Sec is dry white, both from Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng
3. The Dordogne
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | East/southeast of Bordeaux's Right Bank, along the Dordogne River |
| The river | Flows west from its origin in the Massif Central, running through the region of Bergerac |
| Climate | Continental |
The Dordogne is Bordeaux's neighbour in every respect except price. It shares Bordeaux's varieties and river-valley geography, but sits outside the Bordeaux appellation and therefore outside its market power.
| Appellation | Grape varieties | Wine style |
|---|---|---|
| Bergerac AOP — white | Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle | Dry white wines |
| Bergerac AOP — red & rosé | Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Cot (Malbec), Merlot | Dry red and rosé |
| Monbazillac AOP | Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon | Botrytis-affected sweet wines |
Monbazillac is the exam-critical entry. It is the Dordogne's answer to Sauternes: the same botrytis mechanism, the same core varieties, and — because the name carries less prestige — a fraction of the price. When a Master Sommelier asks for a value alternative to Sauternes with a foie gras or blue cheese course, Monbazillac is the answer that demonstrates both regional knowledge and commercial judgement.
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| SOUTH FRANCE: THE ONE-LINE ANSWERS TO MEMORISE |
| |
| Cotes de Provence ---> dry ROSE-dominant (Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvedre) |
| Bandol ---> dry RED, minimum 50% MOURVEDRE |
| Cahors ---> dry RED only, COT (Malbec)-dominant |
| Madiran ---> dry RED only, TANNAT-dominant |
| Jurancon ---> WHITE only, Gros + Petit Manseng; "Sec" = dry |
| Bergerac ---> dry white, red and rose (Bordeaux varieties) |
| Monbazillac ---> BOTRYTIS sweet white (Muscadelle, Sauv Bl, Semillon)|
| Limoux / Cremant ---> sparkling (Mauzac / Chard, Chenin, Mauzac, PN) |
| Fitou ---> dry RED only (Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, Mourvedre)|
| Banyuls, Rivesaltes -> VINS DOUX NATURELS via MUTAGE |
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Which pairing of appellation and dominant grape variety is correct?
Madiran AOP — Cot (Malbec); Cahors AOP — Tannat
Monbazillac AOP — Tannat; Bergerac AOP — Muscadelle
Cahors AOP — Cot (Malbec); Madiran AOP — Tannat
Jurançon AOP — Petit Verdot; Cahors AOP — Merlot
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.