The Négrette quiz
Ten questions on the grape of Fronton and its appellation. Every answer comes from the AOC specification or the grape variety catalogue.
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1 What is the minimum share of Négrette in every Fronton AOP wine?
The answer
40 %. The Fronton AOC specification requires at least 40% Négrette in every wine, where it remains the main grape, and 51% in each estate’s vineyard.
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2 How many municipalities are in the Fronton AOP area?
The answer
20. Twenty: nine in Haute-Garonne and eleven in Tarn-et-Garonne, including Labastide-Saint-Pierre, home of Château Saint Louis.
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3 Which order governed Fronton in the 12th century?
The answer
The Knights Hospitaller of St John of Jerusalem. The Knights Hospitaller of St John of Jerusalem. Legend credits them with bringing Négrette from Cyprus; ampelographers consider it native to south-west France.
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4 Which river carried Fronton wines to Bordeaux?
The answer
The Tarn. Loaded at Villemur, the wines went down the Tarn to Bordeaux, and from there all over Europe.
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5 In what year did phylloxera reach the Frontonnais?
The answer
1878. In 1878, the very year Château Saint Louis was founded. Négrette was then replanted on rootstock.
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6 What is the hot, dry wind of the Toulouse area called?
The answer
The Autan. The Autan blows from the south-east. In late summer it hastens ripening and dries the vines after storms.
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7 How many Négrette clones are approved?
The answer
5. Five approved clones: 456, 580, 581, 582 and 663. The conservatory planted at Fronton in 1997 holds 190.
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8 Under what name was Négrette sold in California?
The answer
Pinot St. George. Pinot St. George, until 1997. No synonym is recognised in Europe.
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9 Since when has the appellation been called AOC Fronton?
The answer
2005. Since 2005. From 1975 to 2005 it was the Côtes du Frontonnais AOC.
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10 Which disease is the greatest threat to Négrette?
The answer
Grey rot. Grey rot: Négrette has tight bunches and thin skins. It is also very prone to powdery mildew.
What the quiz teaches you
The history of Fronton, administered in the 12th century by the Knights Hospitaller of St John of Jerusalem; the Tarn, the river by which its wines travelled to Bordeaux; the Autan wind; the five approved clones of Négrette; and the name of the appellation, AOC Fronton since 2005.
An appellation of twenty communes
The Fronton PDO area covers twenty communes, nine in Haute-Garonne and eleven in Tarn-et-Garonne, between Toulouse and Montauban. Château Saint Louis is in Labastide-Saint-Pierre, one of them.
Your questions
Frequently asked questions
What share of Négrette is in a Fronton wine?
At least 40% in every Fronton PDO wine, where it remains the majority grape, and 51% of each estate’s plantings, according to the AOC specification.
Since when has the Fronton AOC existed?
Under this name, since 2005. From 1975 to 2005, the appellation was called AOC Côtes du Frontonnais.
Is Négrette grown anywhere other than Fronton?
Very little. It is grown almost exclusively in the Fronton appellation. It was sold in California under the name Pinot St. George until 1997.
Further reading
- Négrette and its terroir The grape of Fronton, its history and a map of the twenty municipalities of the appellation.
- Winegrower’s glossary Boulbène, coulure, settling, ageing: the words of the vineyard and the cellar, explained simply.
- The vineyard year From pruning to harvest, what happens in the vines and in the cellar, month by month.
Sources
- Fronton AOC specification INAO
- Négrette grape variety sheet Plantgrape
