Fer is a black grape from France’s South West region.
Characteristics
Fer is a persevering grape that not only can manage, but also will thrive on poor soil conditions. It will deliver tannins and flavours of red fruit, red currents, sometimes with notes of raspberries, together with a load of pepper.
Fer wines tend to be rich in tannins but medium to medium low in acidity. Red fruit of medium toughness is typical for the Fer varietal wine.
Wines
Some of the best expressions of Fer wines, both varietals and blends, are produced in the Marcillac AOP with its three villages Gaillac, Barn, and Marcillac. When Fer is blended, it is most commonly with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Duras.
Food pairing
Fer varietal wines are typically to be paired with medium heavy, pork or lamb based dishes. There will also be Fer wines that will pair excellently with a somewhat spiced up chicken dish. A Fer wine is best served at 15-18°C/59-64°F.
Where is it grown?
With its 1.592 ha/3,934 ac, Fer is the forty-sixth most planted grape in France. Its heartland is France’s South West with more than half of the planted area in the sub-region Tarn. This sub-region is situated east of Toulouse, in the southern part of the Central Massif. The region has been named from the river that cuts through from east to west on its way to join the river Garonne.
Outside of France plantings are reported from Argentina. In Mendoza’s sub-region San Rafael there are 207 ha/512 ac.
History
Fer is a variety with an age of several hundreds of years. Its origin is somewhat disputed but recent findings suggests that it comes from the not so far away Basque Country in Spain.