Domaine de Joÿ

This 170-hectare estate in the Gers dates to 1927, when a Swiss couple, Paul and Marguerite Gessler, fell for the land here and moved to Gascony. The name has an odd and rather good origin: plots called Joy were granted to court jesters so they could support themselves between banqueting seasons. The Gesslers added the diaeresis to Joy as a nod to their Swiss roots.

Andre and Veronique Gessler inherited from their parents, and their son Olivier has since taken the estate on. Recognising the quality of certain parcels, they have steadily reshaped what is planted where, and now make some of the more characterful whites in the Cotes de Gascogne.