Medoc

The Médoc ( lo Gascon Medòc in occitan) is an area of the north of the Gascogne, located in the department French of the the Gironde.

The name of inhabitant was méduliens, méduliennes . One says rather now médoquin, médoquine (like of Gironde, of Gironde ), in Gascon medoquin/médouquî, - ina , although the C-W communication médocain spread by homophony. Its female is not less inadmissible.

Etymology

The old name of the Medoc is Meduli litus , which could mean:

  • between the two edges (of sea)
  • unless the name does not come from the mountain people, the medullas (medu = Hydromel) of which it would seem that a branch settled in the Medoc with the 1st age of iron. In this case, the name of Médoc would come from the erosion of (pagus) medullicus “(country) medullic”.

History

The Medoc is rich in layers of the Bronze Age. The axe médoquine (130 to 225 mm; 1300 av. J.C.) was characterized by side edges. A structure Cinéraire out of braided basket of old bronze was found on the littoral close to Soulac.

Little before the romanisation, the Bituriges Vivisques, Gallic people, founded Noviomagus there (current the Brion with Saint-Germain-in Esteuil).

The Romans introduced the vine growing, that the trade with England contributed to develop.

Geography

The Medoc presents very contrasted landscapes:
  • the wine Medoc ( the Low registers ) on the slopes which border the the Gironde, prolongs the Bordelais. One produced very red high-class wines there (see: Vineyard of the Medoc).
  • the Landes of the Medoc (or the Moor médoquine ( Landa ) or the Pine forest ) is integral part of the Landes of Gascogne. One finds all the characteristics suitable there for Gascogne Landaise: agro-pastoral system until the middle of the 19th century, then after the Law of June 19th, 1857, the intensive timbering of the moors led to the generalization of the Gemmage to all the forest Medoc. Only the traditional habitat, with its modest houses in masonry, is distinguished from the houses out of wooden of the remainder of the Landes. These houses are longilignes, with frontage and gable roofs on Mur gouttereau. It happens that they consist of a row of 3 or 4 parts, several parts being able to communicate with outside. The small villas of the seaside resorts, often symmetrical with the surmounted main door of a triangular pediment, have much charm.
  • the marshes (or the Fen ) in the North of Lesparre were drained as from the 17th century.

Localization

The Medoc is the peninsula delimited by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Estuaire of the Gironde in the east and the Pays of Buch in the south. Its lower limit, rather arbitrary, passes between Porge and Arès and by the marshes of Bruges (lower course of the Jalle). It is crossed by the parallel 45e.

Principal cities

The médoquines main cities are:

Economy

Vine growing

The classification of first great wines in Pauillac and Margaux at the time of the World Fair of 1855 confirmed the Medoc like soil of reference for the red wines of high-end. The force of the Medoc is to allow the production very of many wines of big class. The reputation of the large castles is international.

Logistics and industry

the Verdon conceived as an industrial outer harbor of Bordeaux knew a failure. Its activity is summarized essentially with a wearing of travellers for the crossing of the estuary of the the Gironde, mainly towards Royan.

Tourism

The seaside resorts of the Littoral , and them bases of leisure which the lakes of Lacanau and Carcans offer - Hourtin, make Medoc a tourist destination of choice. For a few seasons, Port Medoc, with the Northern point of the peninsula, slightly upstream of the Verdon, has tried to develop the pleasure sailing. The first assessment is very mitigated and of many rings did not still take taking. It is the reflection of the relative failure of tourist revival of the Medoc.

Agriculture

The attempts at intensive agricultural development - clearing of the pine forest and corn plantation - failed. Remain, of course, the Viticulture and the forestry development: the Gemmage was practiced during very a long time in the Moors of the Medoc.

In a general way, all the great operations planned by the State to start again the economy of the Medoc failed. The point of the Medoc remains structured by Bordeaux and the area follows the city in its comfortable relative decline. Too slow transformation of this space favors, in margin of the agitation of the world, the Medoc preserves its landscapes, its quality of life and develops an undeniable ecological asset.

Culture

Some local words:

in " Ribeira " :

  • estey n.m. “channel”.
  • serious n.f. “gravelly gravel fluvatiles ground made up, snuffed for the vine growing”
  • Jalle n.f. “river”.
  • poujeau n.m. “height (often little marked)”.

in the Moor :

  • Alios n.m. “rock sandy of the basement landais, made up of sand (96%) bound by humic colloid and iron oxide cement”
  • Baïne n.f. “water hole in the beaches”; they generate a current towards the broad one when they drain
  • berle n.f. “wet meadow”
  • the canau n.f. “the channel”.
  • galip n.m. “chip removed by the résinier”
  • jéma/gem n.f. “fresh resin of pine”
  • Hapchot n.m. “small axe with bent nozzle used by the gemmeurs”
  • pitey n.m. “scale with steps cut in a young stem of pine”
  • lède n.f. “marsh”.

References

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