They call it the black wine, and it's no secret why: the dark ruby liquid soaks up sunlight the way the grapes at the heart of its Dordogne home soak up the summer sun.
Connoisseurs worldwide have sparked a renaissance of Cahors wine, heaping praise on the compellingly robust malbecs and merlots that come from this area centring around the town of Cahors, which sits in an elbow curve of the Lot river.
This is one of France's most ancient wine-producing regions, and the local meat and produce perfectly complement the varietals. First stop in any adventure to discover this dark horse of a red is Villa Cahors Malbec, in the centre of Cahors, where you can taste different Cahors wines, talk to experts and arrange special expeditions and private soirees to meet the wine-growers, whose vineyards dot the area and are well worth a visit.
But it's with food that Cahors really comes alive – and for this, take a side trip to the charmingly preserved medieval town of Figeac, the Lot's best kept secret. Cafes such as Le Sphinx or Le Champollion, opposite the stunning Champollion Museum of Egyptology (named after the famous decipherer of the Rosetta Stone, Jean-François Champollion, the town's most celebrated son) offer Cahors wine for remarkably reasonable prices alongside simple Quercy fare.
Have lunch under the ancient market awning, where medieval traders sold their wares (later in the shadow of the town's guillotine), and try matching a Cahors merlot with grilled pork loin, Agen prunes and Reine des Reinettes apples under an armagnac demi-glaze. Or pair a malbec with sauteed duck gizzard salads and truffles, or duck confit and waxy roast potatoes at La Dînée du Viguier, where lunch in the courtyard on a sunny day is divine.
Take home a bottle or three at the excellent wine shop near the church of Saint Sauveur, just off the river Cele: 2005 was a particularly good vintage for Cahors, but you can get a variety of staggeringly good bottles for as little as €5 (£4). Or visit Englishman Anthony Nielson, an aficionado of Cahors wines, whose French Wine Shop is near the centre of town and who can arrange to deliver to your door.
Perhaps the best way to enjoy Cahors, however, is with a simple plate of local produce: Périgord walnuts, sweet Quercy melon and Rocamadour AOC goat's cheese drizzled with honey. Enjoy this simple but unbeatable lunch on the patio of the town's accommodation jewel: Les Deux Sources, a beautiful three-bedroom, three-bathroom villa, set just across the river in a wooded acre of walnut, fig and oak trees overlooking the Cele valley. Wherever you enjoy it, you'll soon agree that Cahors is that rarest of all wines: both a rising star and a timeless classic.
To find out more about this destination, visit gotofrancenow.com/midi-pyrenees-dordogne-valley
