Graves de Vayres

The Graves de Vayres wine region is located on the left bank of the Dordogne. It forms an enclave of gravelly soils, of relatively small area, in the vast region of Entre-deux-Mers, whose soils are of a very different nature.

With a specific terroir and good opportunities, the wines of this region were perfectly identified from the beginning of the 19th century. Its red and white wines were sold at much higher prices than those from the Entre-deux-Mers region. The Graves de Vayres appellation, officially recognised in 1931 by a ruling of the Bordeaux Court of Appeal, was established as an appellation contrôlée in 1937 by the INAO. It covers a delimited area that extends over almost the entire commune of Arveyres.

After the frost of 1956, the replanting of the vineyard was carefully controlled by the Graves de Vayres wine syndicate. The best grape varieties provided for in the appellation decree were used. The progress in cultivation and oenology in the second half of the 20th century enabled the Graves de Vayres winegrowers to affirm the quality of their production.

Today, some winegrowers strongly defend this communal AOC. Sustainable viticulture, traditional maturing in barrels or vats and careful presentation of the wines are all assets that have enabled Graves de Vayres to occupy a place on foreign markets.

In 1991, a brotherhood was created: the Connétablie des Graves de Vayres in order to carry the spirit of the winegrowers of this region far and wide: simplicity, conviviality and good wines!

On the banks of the Dordogne, we find modern alluvium or palus. The soils on which the Graves de Vayres appellation wines are produced are generally sandy-gravelly or sandy-clay soils, sometimes sandy-clay soils resting on a gravelly subsoil, originating from the Pyrenean nappe of the Western Entre-deux-Mers, which outcrops as you approach the Dordogne. Bordering the river, this appellation benefits from the moderating effects of the water mass, but also from a particular microclimate, due to the steeper relief of the opposite bank and the proximity of the Fronsac hillock.

The commune of Vayres, which gave its name to the appellation, is certainly one of the oldest sites in Gironde where man has settled.

Today, about twenty estates share the Graves de Vayres terroir.