AB ÉDITIONS · CAVE & SAVEURS
Southwest France guide (French) · Live atlas (French)
Understanding Cahors
A town, a river, an appellation: finding the connections before choosing a bottle.
The essential starting point: a still red wine with malbec at its heart.
Open the detailed map
Cahors, the Lot and malbec: three different names
Cahors refers here to a wine appellation, but it is also the name of a town that provides a reference point on the map. The Lot is the river around which part of the vineyard landscape is organised. Malbec is a grape variety. Keeping these three roles in mind is a first step towards reading the names without confusing them. S1 S2 G1
A commune name such as Luzech, Prayssac or Puy-l’Évêque locates a place. On our map, the dot marks the position of its town hall. It does not identify a château, a cuvée or an additional appellation. The coloured areas show the parcel-level boundaries for Cahors contained in the INAO dataset. G1
Which wine can bear the name Cahors?
The product specification reserves the Cahors appellation for still red wines. A still wine is one that does not belong to the category of sparkling wines. Red is therefore part of the definition of the appellation, rather than simply a local custom. S1:III
A wine produced near Cahors must be distinguished from a wine bearing the Cahors appellation. Location alone is not enough: the product must also meet the appellation’s rules. A white wine made in the area does not thereby become a Cahors AOC. Read its own designation on the label, without automatically assigning it another geographical indication. S1:III-IV
Malbec and côt: the same grape variety here
The regulatory text uses the name cot N and states that it is also known as malbec. It designates it as the principal grape variety. Two accessory varieties are permitted: merlot N and tannat N. These three names do not represent three appellations to find on the map; they are the varieties that may be used for this wine. S1:V
A Cahors may be made entirely from côt. If it is a blend, côt must account for at least 70%. Merlot and tannat may complete the blend, but neither is compulsory. A label describing a Cahors made entirely from malbec is therefore consistent with this composition rule, without removing the need to meet the other requirements. S1:IX.1.b
Why does 70% appear twice?
For plantings, the specification assesses compliance with the grape-variety proportions across all the holding’s parcels producing wine under the appellation. Côt must represent at least 70% of those plantings. This must not be turned into a requirement for 70% on every individual parcel. S1:V.2
For the wine, a separate provision allows côt on its own or a blend containing at least 70% côt. These are two different checks: what is grown, and then what is blended. The map cannot be used to calculate either proportion. To find the precise composition of a cuvée, consult the producer’s information. S1:IX.1.b G1
The valley does not tell the whole story
The Lot offers an initial thread to follow, with its meanders and the valley’s alluvial terraces. The specification also distinguishes the limestone plateaux of the causses on either side of the river, and the Quercy blanc plateau to the south. The vineyard is therefore not simply a strip running along the banks. S1:X.1.a
These terms describe broad landscapes and geological formations. This working map does not divide them into coloured subareas: we do not have a verified geological layer here with which to draw them. Nor should they be presented as separate crus. The specification consulted makes no provision for a supplementary geographical designation. S1:II S1:X.1.a G1
What the map shows
This map brings together 42 objects from the INAO parcel-boundary archive dated 7 September 2026. A dataset object may contain several outlines: this number is neither a list of estates, nor a count of bottles, nor a measure of the area actually planted. The original boundaries have been retained, together with their attributes and coordinates. G1
The 2011 regulatory text describes a geographical area using 45 commune names from that period. That number and the 42 map objects count different things. Reconciling them would require tracking administrative changes and examining each source object; simply subtracting the numbers does not establish that three communes are missing. S1:IV.1 G1
The blue line of the Lot follows its main course as recorded in OpenStreetMap. Its thickness is chosen for legibility and does not represent the actual width of the water. The small box on the map of France shows where the detailed view is located; it does not outline the appellation’s entire area. G1 G2
What might you find in the glass?
The specification generally describes deeply coloured wines with red- or black-fruit character, spicy notes and tannins that can be prominent. It also refers to their ability to age. These are shared reference points, not a description of the exact taste of every bottle. S1:X.2
To explore further, compare two cuvées while noting their vintages, stated blends and the way their producers describe their ageing. A difference you perceive should not automatically be attributed solely to their positions on the map. The map locates the origin; it does not replace information about the wine you are tasting. E1
One historical reference point
Cahors was recognised as an appellation d’origine contrôlée in 1971. The 2011 specification recounts difficulties faced by the vineyard, including phylloxera in the nineteenth century and the frosts of 1956 and 1957, followed by the revival led by producers. These milestones help explain that recognition of the name was the outcome of a history, not the date when vines first appeared in the area. S1:I S1:X.1.b
For a first reading, keep in mind the connection between a shared name, a principal grape variety and precisely delimited places. You can then explore estates and cuvées without expecting this general map to answer every question at once. E1