Fer Servadou - Southwest France’s Iron man

It’s a shame that France has become known for only a small percentage of its wealth of grape varieties. Certainly France does not possess Italy’s or even Portugal’s vinous diversity, but there is far more to be found growing in the French viticultural landscape than the boilerplate, “gold standard” like varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Syrah…

So it’s time to give a little love to some of these lesser known varieties, and one such variety is Fer Servadou…Also known as just Fer, as well as Mansois (in the Marcillac zone), Braucol or Brocol (in Marcillac), and Pinenc (in Madiran), the grape is quite widely planted, but only throughout the southwest. In addition to Marcillac and Gaillac, the variety can be found in varying concentrations in Bergerac as well as in the Aveyron department zones of Entraygues and Estaing. Marcillac is the only zone in which Fer is the sole variety permitted; in Gaillac, Fer (there known as Braucol) shares the stage with Syrah and another southwest rarity called Duras. In Madiran, Fer can be a minorty blending component with the larger players namely Tannat and the two Cabernets.

The name “Fer” (meaning “Iron” in French) is derived from the vines famously hard, tough trunks. The vine’s precise origins however are not as clear as the roots of its name, but there is some indication through some preliminary DNA analysis that it may be a distant relative of Cabernet Franc, but this is still unclear. And as is the case with so many of these “marginal” varieties, especially in France where there is a clear, hard and fast hierarchy of varieties from “noble” to “local curiosities”, Fer’s future is uncertain, since with the exception of the Marcillac AOC, the variety is only an optional component in the respective blends in every other zone in which the grape is cultivated. The total acreage of Fer in Madiran and Gaillac for example, has diminished significantly over the last decades in favor of the more “marketable” permissable varieties.

In the glass, Fer’s wines are quite deeply colored (purplish), more tannic than acidic, with a medium to full body. The variety often shows flavors and aromas of dark fruits (especially berries), meat juices, smoke, and a certain black peppery character. Varietal bottlings of Fer are usually best consumed within 3 to 4 years of the vintage date.

By the way, the pictures I’ve been posting for each of the grapes that I’ve profiled are photos of the actual variety under consideration, not just some generic “bunch of grapes” pic…I hope that you all find the actual “look” of the grapes, leaves etc. as interesting as I do…carry on…

And in case you’ve gotten curious enough to lay down a few skins to try some Fer wine, here you go:

FER IS FER