A day in the Marmandais

Nouvelle-Aquitaine/2024

Marmande's destiny is both strange and commonplace. How is it that this small town, sub-prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne region, with so many assets, is not better known and visited by tourists?

Marmande is more than a nugget, it's a treasure trove. Architecturally, the town boasts a number of religious buildings, including Notre-Dame de Marmande and its listed cloister dating from 1540, a handsome town hall, narrow streets lined with old houses, the pretty banks of the Garonne and the Trec river, which runs alongside the old quarter before joining the river... But most of it can be savored. Alongside the Garonne and the Trec, you'll find the boulevard Richard-Coeur-de-Lion. Normal, since it was the son of Eleanor of Aquitaine, future King of England, who, as Duke of Aquitaine, granted a charter, with all its privileges, to the town of Marmande in 1182. On the other hand, you'll have to poke around to find a rue Peyrot-Bory at the intersection with avenue du Docteur-Fleming, a rare example of a place name given to a fictional character - it's a bit like finding a rue Robin-des-Bois or a rue Jean-Valjean. Who is Peyrot Bory? According to legend, he was a young Marmandais who fell in love with Ferline, too beautiful for him. She was too beautiful, he too poor; to forget everything, he joined a ship sailing to the New World, visiting the West Indies and South America for a few years. He came back with his pockets full of little seeds he'd found on the other side of the Atlantic. He grew them into beautiful red berries, which he placed under her windows. She fell in love with the delicate flavor of this tangy wonder. She married him and the two of them christened the new fruit the "love apple". The true story of the Marmande tomato, and its reputation, actually began a little later, after phylloxera ravaged the vineyards around 1860. Vines were uprooted and tomato fields were planted en masse. The region became a pioneer, and the "marmande" - a unique, tender, juicy variety that looks a little like the cœur de bœuf, only less ribbed and rounder - was born. It has been the pride of the town ever since. The "tomate de Marmande" brand, which encompasses other varieties produced in the region, is aiming for IGP status in the medium term, having already obtained the precious Label rouge. Côtes-du-Marmandais wine is another rich variety, as not all the vines have disappeared: 90 winegrowers, 27 communes, 50,000 hl annually, AOC since 1990. Bordeaux and southern grape varieties for the reds (Malbec, Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah and the rustic Abouriou), Sauvignon and Semillon for the whites. Today, you'll find a Côtes-du-Marmandais on many of France's finest tables, thanks to a handful of flagship winemakers, including Elian Da Ros, who set up shop in 1997, and the dynamic Cave du Marmandais (now Les Marmandais) in Cocumont, which groups together 80 winemakers over a thousand hectares.