Provence Flashcards
Where is Provence
Far South East of France
East of Rhone Valley
South West of Alps
Name the 5 DGCs (restricted area of production) within Cotes de Provence AOC
Fréjus, La Londe, Notre-Dame des Anges Pierrefeu, and Ste-Victoire.
Name the 9 Provence AOCs
1 Cotes de Provence
2 Coteaux d’aix-en-provence,
3 Bandol,
4 Les baux de provence,
5 Bellet,
6 Cassis,
7 Palette,
8 Coteaux varois en Provence.
9 Pierrevert
What else is Provence famous for?
Tourism
Culture/Arts
Italian influence
What are the 6 steps towards Provence rose category leader?
1 Who introduced vines
2 Who kept vines going in Middle Ages
3 Which country ruled and influenced the region
4 What was the best and worst bits of 19c
5 In 20c there were co-ops but alos what was introduced?
6 Where is market leader for rose
1 Romans introduced vines…or was it Phoceans?
2 Middle ages - clergy and nobility nuture wine industry
3 Ruled under Eastern Med - Italian influences - Genoa/Sardinia
4 Victory over Phylloxera in 19c and railway to Northern Europe
5 20c co-operatives and AOC Cotes de Provence, AOC Couteaux Aix de Provence and then AOC Coteaux Various de Provence
6 Promotion of rose to market leader local demand for a dry wine refreshing enough to be drunk on a hot summer’s day but which still bears some relation to the red wine
Describe the general climate of Provence
Mediterranean
Mistral, predominantly cold, dry winds blowing from the North.
Sunny
Little rain primarily falls during spring and autumn.
Describe the topographical features of Provence
Sub alpine hills
Coast
Which are the mountains and soils for Provence St Victoire
Sainte-Victoire Mountain. Sainte-Baume=
The poor, relatively shallow soil here, formed of limestone and clay sandstone,
Which are the 3 tyoes of soils for Frejus
3 Types
Red soil of sandstone;
Loamy-clay;
Sandy
What are the features and soils for La Londe
coastal headland, to the southWest of the Massif des Maures. The vines grow across from the sea,
Bit of a mix of soils - sand and limestone
What are the features and soil for Pierrefeu
Western part of Côtes de Provence,
to the South are the Massif des Maures .
The soil of this region can be divided into three main categories: the
red sandy-clay soils
the stony soil (limestone deposits) of the plains
loamy-clay soil of the hillsides covered with schistose deposits.
What are the features and soil for Notre Dame des Anges
Massif des Maures (767 m),
Plaine des Maures National Nature Reserve.
1 schist along the edges of the Maures mountain range,
2 sand,
3 pelites whose red colour is one of the visible characteristics of this terroir,
4 old alluvial terraces of the Aille River with their “rounded pebbles” (galets roulés).
Match the mountain areas to the type of soil
Massif Central
Alps- Maritime /Pre Alps
Esterel
Maures
Sainte Victoire
Sainte Baume
Gorges du Verdon
Calcareous, granite, volcanic
Massif Central= Volcanic
Alps- Maritime /Pre Alps=Limestone, slate and granite/gneiss
Esterel=volcanic
Maures =crystalline?
Sainte Victoire=limestone
Sainte Baume=limestone
Gorges du Verdon=limestone
Two large geological features coexist in Provence: one crystalline and the other limestone. The western and northern parts of the Provençal vineyard consist of alternating hills and limestone ridges carved by erosion. There are remarkable sites such as the Sainte-Victoire mountain, the Sainte-Baume massif or the Gorges du Verdon.
Further east, the crystalline rock formations of the Maures and Tanneron face the sea. The landscapes are very different from the previous ones, with hills and small mountains with softer curves, covered with shrubs and forests. Continuing eastwards, between Saint-Tropez and Cannes, this crystalline ensemble is pierced by igneous trails with often astonishing rocks like the colourful porphyries of the Esterel volcanic massif.
Define maquis
A mix of resinous scrub that grows on acidic soils
Throughout Provence, wild, resinous shrubs like rosemary, juniper, thyme, and lavender grow almost everywhere. Many say these plants, collectively called “Garrigue” (on limestone/clay) or ‘Maquis” (when growing on crystalline schist), influence the character of the wines.
Define restanques
Low made made walls of river stone
Define vin cuit
Vin cuit or cooked wine is an artisanal dessert wine produced in Provence, France. It is made by heating grape juice without boiling it so that the grape juice becomes concentrated and syrupy. It is then fermented in barrels.
The alcohol content is around 14%.
Vin cuit is not a fortified wine. Its Italian counterpart is the vino cotto.
Production of this wine style is limited. It is regularly served on Christmas Eve.
Because the sweetness was achieved by artificially increasing the sugar content through cooking, the vin cuit is called “vin doux artisanal” (artisan sweet wine) in France, as opposed to the “vin doux naturel” (natural sweet wine, equivalent to the German liqueur wine), in which the fermentation of unthickened grape must is stopped by adding high-percentage drinking alcohol, thereby retaining much of the natural original sweetness of the grape in the wine.
Provençal winemakers who have revived the production of Vin cuit are seeking AOC certification.
What are the main soil type in Provence
The western countryside is veined with limestone, where the land was covered in ancient times by a warm, shallow sea. Travel east, and the soil is mostly crystalline schist (granite) and volcanic in one small area.
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What is the grape cinsault like
red grape variety
Languedoc region
has much in common with grenache.
good drought resistance and its
best wines with low yields
lighter, softer, and, in extreme youth, more aromatic and charmingly cherry-fruited
Identify the primary grape varieties for red, white and rose production
Red/Rose= Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Tibouran,
White=Clairette, Semillon, Ugni Blanc, Vermentino
What is the grape Grenache like
Popular red grape from Spain
Grenache enjoys the climate in Provence. Hot summer days, cool nights, a touch of moisture followed by the wind to dry off the leaves,
What is the grape Mourvedre like
Difficult red grape from Spain=Monastrell
Loves hot weather and being near the sea
In Provence Mourvèdre produces wines considered useful for their structure, intense fruit, and, in good years, perfume often redolent of blackberries.
In Bandol, it is typically blended with Grenache and Cinsault, and the statutory minimum for Mourvèdre is now 50%.
What is the grape Clairette like
Synonym for a lot of white grape varieties
Clairette provides a backup for vignerons, adding aromatic complexity and alcohol to the wines. The resultant wines are perfumed and fragrant, but can be a touch soapy if the level of acidity does not balance the body weight.
What is the grape Vermentino
Also known as Rolle
considered more characterful than Clairette, is often the predominant variety, giving structure and weight to the wines as well as some herby, mineral characters.
AOC Cotes de Provence
Climate
Topography
Soils
Wine Styles
Primary Grapes
Climate= Med with Mistral
Topography= varied, largest AOC in region, mountains to North and East, coast of Med
Soils=varied
Wine styles= 80% dry rose
Primary grapes=standard Provencal
