Fer

[1] The grape is also featured in red blends from several vin de pays regions in the south west with significant plantings coming from the Aveyron department.

[2] The name Fer is French for iron (Latin Ferrum), a reference to the very hard and "iron-like" wood of the vine's above ground canopy.

The grape was prized for the color and concentration it added even though viticulture and cultivation could be difficult due to its extremely hard wood stock.

Though the grape developed numerous synonyms throughout the region, the "iron-like" hardness of the vine's wood gave rise to its primary name, Fer, which is also the French word for iron.

Robinson notes that the predominantly Fer composed wines of Marcillac can be tannic and rustic with smokey aromas.