What springs to mind when I say Médoc? Do you think of a low-lying land of gravel terraces producing fabulous Cabernet driven wines from prestigious Châteaux.
Hopefully, if you follow me, you’ll know there’s a lot more to it than that. The 16,000 ha of the eight Médoc appellations cover terroirs from higher (40 odd m above sea level – everything is relative) Pyrenean gravel outcrops in the west through clay, sand and some limestone to the prestigious Garonnaise gravel on the banks of the Garonne River and Gironde estuary. The diversity of terroir means a diversity of style with a balance between Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, some Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot and occasionally a sprinkling of Malbec and Carmenère.
There are tiny family properties, often Cru Artisans, Co-operative cellars and Cru Bourgeois through to the famous names of the 1855 classification.
But there’s more. The Médoc peninsula covers 234,000 ha, so the vines represent less than 10%. What else is there?
Diversity.
Vineyards, beaches, sand dunes, marshland and waterside meadows, the Médoc is a land of diversity. A diversity recognised in 2019, when the Médoc was named the 5th natural park in the greater south west of France.
Man-made.
The peninsula is a symbiosis between nature and man’s intervention. 3,500ha of land has been reclaimed from the estuary. The North of the Médoc was a series of islands, navigable only by boat until the 17th century, when Dutch engineers drained parts of the region, recuperating land for agriculture. Their drainage systems and dykes can still be seen today.
North of the Médoc appellation and along the estuary, 20,000 ha of marshes still remain, Driving North of Lesparre, you could be forgiven for thinking yourself in the Carmague amongst marshes where wild horses roam. Salt marshes along the estuary are mainly used for grazing cattle, horses and of course the Pauillac lamb.
Pine Forest
In the 19th century, Napoleon ordered the planting of the maritime pine forest to halt the sand erosion and dune encroachment across the peninsula.
This managed forest is important source of employment and revenue, wood for construction, furniture and paper pulp and of course the pine cases to ship the wines. It represents 57% of the area, 25% of which is publicly owned and employs over 750 people. These forests also act as a useful barrier, protecting the inland vineyards against Atlantic storms.
Historically the forest was exploited for its sap. Locals would tap the trees for resin for fuel and turpentine. These pines co-exist with a scrubby natural forest of deciduous, mainly oak trees that along with the marshland hosts a unique and precious biodiversity.
Economics
102,000 people live in the Médoc in 51 towns and villages, they do not all work in wine. Although wine now represents the largest commercial turnover of the region at €850 M and employs 4400 people, it wasn’t always this way. After the Phylloxera crisis and through both world wars the forest brought in more money than wine. Pre Phylloxera there were 25,000 ha of vines, further reduced by the infamous frosts of 1956 to the 16,000 today.
‘Le pin’ (pines) and ‘le vin’ (wine) have consistently been the big motors behind the Gironde’s rural economy, but there is other agriculture too.
Direct from the farm.
Cattle and sheep graze on fthe salt marshes and meadows, aqua culture, oysters and prawns are local specialities as is free-range poultry. Over 50 farmers sell produce directly from their farms, (see the list here), or at over twenty farmers markets throughout the region all year, although they do ramp it up during the summer months when visitor numbers peak.
Cereals, bread, poultry, beef, lamb, oysters and seafood, honey, cheese, saffron, chocolates and other local specialities are on hand to tempt visitors. There’s even an Angora goat farm selling beautiful hand spun wool.
Peninsula particular.
There is natural history but also a long cultural and architectural history. As wine lovers, you already know about the divers and impressive architecture of the chateaux of the region, but the history goes much further back. Many archaeological and religious sites in the Médoc go back to the gallo-roman period.
In the Middle Ages English pilgrims on their way south would land in the Northern Medoc. In Soulac sur Mer, The Basilica of Notre Dame des Fins des Terres (Out Lady of the End of the World) was built in the 12th century as a Benedictine Abbey, probably thanks to these pilgrims. It was completely buried under sand in the 18th century, and not unearthed until the 19th century. It is now a historical monument and UNESCO Heritage Site.
The estuary is and was an important communication route from the ocean to Bordeaux along the Garonne, and Libourne on the Dordogne. Fortified by Vauban in the 17th century, you can still visit his Fort at Cussac Fort Medoc, now a UNESCO heritage site.
The spectacular Cordouan lighthouse of the coast of Soulac, is a spectacular architectural feat, currently in the running for the UNESCO Heritage site, if you would like to add you vote to the campaign here.
More recently remains of the German occupation during WWII include bunkers and fortifications from the Atlantic Wall now sliding into the sands.
On a mission.
The National Park project tries to combine all these diverse elements to encourage economic development of this largely rural area without compromising its unique biodiversity and heritage. To do so it has to get the locals on board as well as visitors.
Harmonious development
It is as equally important to remind the locals of the rich diversity and value of what they have under their noses as it is to open it up to visitors. Through education and communication, they want to encourage everyone to become an actor in or ambassador for the project.
Special interests and agricultural development
The fragile eco-systems of the Médoc need careful management to balance an agriculture that allows farmers to make a living whilst preserving the eco-system. This also means marrying ecological concerns alongside local groups such as the traditional hunters in the region. Waterfowl hunting is important here, visit in the autumn and game will be on most menus alongside mushrooms foraged in the woods. A perfect marriage with a Medoc wine with a bit of bottle age.
Extensive grazing of beef and lamb is being encouraged, a move away from intensive agriculture to help maintain pastures and naturally preserve bio-diversity.
Tourism – Step away from the wine cellar.
Seasonal tourism is very important to the region. The Medoc is a destination for wine but much larger numbers visit the beaches and campsites along the coast.
I’ve mentioned the sandy side of Medoc in a previous post, encouraging you to venture over to the Atlantic coast to enjoy the miles of sandy beaches. There are 100 kms of coastline and 100km river and estuary waterfront. The peninsula has two of the largest fresh water lakes in France; Carcans-Hourton and Lacanau. Water sports are an important pull, with surfing, kite surfing and wind surfing being very popular.
The seaside resort of Soulac, on the Northern point of the Peninsula is the oldest of the Medoc resorts. Its success rivalled that of Arcachon, thanks to the arrival of the train that still runs up the backbone of the Médoc, passing by the famous appellations and chateaux on the way from the centre of Bordeaux to the coast.
Naked truth.
Summer tourism is mainly based around the beach, surfing and camping. There are three nudist resorts on the coast, including the largest naturist village in Europe, the oldest naturist campsite and the only naturist golf course. The Medoc is full of surprises, so much for the staid Bordelais image, although, most of the guests are sun worshippers from Northern Europe.
Green Tourism.
The natural park plans to encourage green tourism, inviting guests to move away from the coast with nature walks, hiking, horse riding, farm visits, cycle paths, etc. You can cycle from ‘La Pointe’ in the North right to Bordeaux without leaving the cycle paths, through the woods and along the coast, passing by bunkers from the Atlantic wall defences on the way.
Coastal holidays peak in the summer months. While wine tourism has a longer season, visitors usually stay for only a few days, coastal tourism is usually more family orientated and stays average 15 days. Chateaux in the Medoc appellation, closest to the coast, always know when it’s raining on beach as that is when visitors venture in land to learn about, and buy their wines.
The development and diversification of wine tourism is an example to follow. Initiatives include green or eco tourism encouraging visits and stays on the farm, discovering the forest, cultural and historical tourism, following the route of medieval pilgrims or the remains of second war world fortifications are all themes that are developing, as are boat trips out to the lighthouse or down the estuary to visit the islands
Has the Natural Park status made a difference to wine makers in the region? Not really, the majority are already on board with bio diversity initiatives and protection of their precious environment. Hopefully it is encouraging them to see a bigger picture, promoting cooperation with other actors of the region, sharing their experience of successful tourism initiatives and integrating more fully into a larger community working with local restaurants and farmers. They are uniquely placed to promote the region as well as their wines.
This is the perfect opportunity for wine lovers and wine producers to stop looking at the Medoc uniquely through the bottom of a wine glass and perhaps pop on the sunglasses instead and head to the beach.
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