Mauzac Blanc Grape variety guide: history, French regions, taste & food pairing
Mauzac Blanc is an ancient white grape of southwest France, the heart of Blanquette de Limoux and of Gaillac's sparkling wines, famous for its distinctive aroma of apples.
Learn more about Mauzac Blanc
History & origins
Mauzac has been grown in Gaillac and Limoux for centuries and is linked to one of the earliest records of sparkling wine. Tradition holds that monks at the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire near Limoux produced a bubbly wine in 1531, well before Champagne. The local "méthode ancestrale" bottles wine before fermentation ends, creating gentle, naturally sweet bubbles. Mauzac also exists in a pink form, Mauzac Rose.
French regions & appellations
Blanquette de Limoux, Blanquette Méthode Ancestrale and Crémant de Limoux; Gaillac AOC (dry, sweet and Gaillac Mousseux Méthode Ancestrale); IGP Côtes du Tarn.
Taste profile
Light to medium body with green apple, dried apple peel, pear, quince, white flowers and a hint of hay; sweeter styles add honey and baked apple.
Food pairing
Aperitifs, gougères, apple tart, galette des rois, Roquefort, Cantal, roast pork with apples, foie gras and fruit desserts.