Provence, Corsica, and Languedoc-Roussillon Flashcards
What is the principal white grape of Côteau d’Aix-en-Provence? What are the top four complimentary varietals?
Vermentino is the principal white variety.
Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Ugni Blanc are the top complimentary varietals.
May Côteau d’Aix-en-Provence AOP wines be single varietal?
No they must be a blend of at least two grapes.
What styles are produced under the Côteaux d’Aix-en-Provence AOP?
Dry still red, white, and rosé
Where Les Baux de Provence AOP located in relation to Côteaux d’Aix-en-Provence?
Located adjacent and west in between the Rhône River and Côteaux d’Aix-en-Provence AOP.
What styles of wine are produced in Les Beaux de Provence AOP?
Dry still red, white, and rosé
What are the principle white and red grapes for Ajaccio AOP?
White: Min 80% Vermentino
Red/Rosé: Min 40% Sciaccarello (Mammolo)
What are restanques?
south-facing terraces that the best vines of Bandol grow on
What are the main grapes of Bandol?
Red: Mourvedre, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault, and Grenache
White: Bourboulenc, Clairette, Ugni Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc
What are the aging requirements for Bandol Rouge?
Min 18 months in wood and may not be released until May 1 of the second year following harvest
What is the minimum percentage of Mourvedre in Bandol Rouge?
Min 50%
Due to the high percentage of Mourvedre in Bandol what is a constant concern for production of these wines? How is this remedied?
Reduction
Aerating the wine, copper fining, or even dropping a copper coin into a glass
What are 3 top producers of Bandol?
Chateau de Pibarnon Chateau Pradeaux Domaine Tempier Gros Noré La Bastide Blanche
What are the top appellations for France’s best Vin Doux Naturels?
Banyuls AOP and Banyuls Grand Cru AOP
Non-fortified wines produced in Banyuls carry what AOP>
Collioure AOP
What is the minimum percentage of Grenache for Banyuls AOP and Banyuls Grand Cru AOP respectively?
Min 50% for Banyuls AOP
Min 75% for Banyuls Grand Cru AOP
In what appellation is Domaine Trevallon located? Why are these wines IGP and not AOP for red wine?
Les Beaux de Provence AOP
Trevallon may not use the appellation since it uses more than 20% Cab in its red wines.
What are the grape requirements for Les Beaux de Provence AOP red wines?
Min 60% combined GSM plus max 20% Counoise, Cinsault, Carignan, and Cabernet Sauvignon
White wines in Les Beaux de Provence are made from what grapes?
Clairette, Grenache Blanc, and Vermentino are the principal grapes plus Marsanne and Roussanne are also permitted.
What are the styles produced in Les Beaux de Provence AOP?
Dry, still white, red, and rosé wines.
What are the colors, styles, and sweetness levels produced in Bellet AOP?
Dry, still red, white, and rosé
What are the principal red and white grapes for Bellet AOP Rouge and Blanc respectively?
Vermentino (Rolle) is the main grape for white plus Chardonnay and Bourbelenc
Folle Noire is the main grape for reds combined with Braquet, Grenache, and Cinsault
What is the principal grape of Bellet AOP rosé wines?
Braquet
Why is rosé traditionally bottled in clear glass?
So many consumers purchase rosé based on the color and the wines are rarely designed for long bottle aging so concern over light strike is not much of a worry.
What is the main white grape of La Clape white wines?
Bourboulenc
What grape varietals are planted in Cabardes AOP?
Depending on where you are the grape varietals can vary.
Western part: Bordeaux varietals (Cab, Cab Franc, Merlot, Cot, Fer Servadou)
Eastern part: Mediterranean varieties (Syrah, Grenache, Cinsaut)
What are the 5 geographic designations for Côte du Roussillon-Villages? Which is the youngest?
Caramany Lesquerde Tautavel Latour-de-France Les Aspres (Youngest; 2017)
Which Côte du Roussillon-Villages geographic designation must be a min of 3 grapes?
Les Aspres; the rest are only required to be a min 2 grapes.
What is the appellation of Domaine d’Aupilhac?
Languedoc AOP but more specifically in the geographic designation of Montpeyroux
What is Cartagène?
Traditional mistelle or vin de liqueur of the Languedoc-Roussillon that is produced with traditional grapes of the area though there are no regulations stipulating what grapes are and are not allowed.
What protects Cassis AOP from Le Mistrale?
the Cap Canaille, one of the highest cliffs in France
What is the most important style of wine produced in Cassis AOP?
Dry, still white wines produced from Marsanne and Clairette (min 60% combined)
Red and rosé wines from Cassis AOP are generally produced as a blend of what three principal red grapes?
Mourvèdre
Cinsault
Grenache
What is the Clairette appellation of the Languedoc? What are the two AOP for Clairette in the Rhône Valley?
Languedoc:
Clairette du Langedoc
Rhone:
Clairette de Die AOP
Clairette de Bellegarde AOP
What styles are produced in the Clairette du Languedoc AOP?
Dry, still white and sweet, still rancio wines from exclusively Clairette.
La Clape is particularly well-suited to producing what grape that must make up a min 30% of the blend in its white wines? What two other grapes are commonly found in the blend with it?
Bourboulenc; Viognier and Grenache Blanc make up the other two principal grapes
What are the colors, styles, and sweetness levels produced in La Clape AOP?
Dry, still red and dry, still white
What are the colors, styles, and sweetness levels produced in Collioure AOP?
Dry, still, red, white, and rosé
What are the maximum yields for Collioure AOP?
Max 40hl/ha
Mourvèdre vinified in Banyuls AOP carries what appellation?
Collioure AOP as Mourvèdre is not permitted for the production of Banyuls AOP wines and thus is grown expressly for these dry, still wines produced in the same boundaries as Banyuls AOP
The Fitou AOP forms two enclaves within what larger AOP?
Corbierès AOP
What are the colors, styles, and sweetness levels of wine produced in the Corbières AOP?
Dry, still, red, white and rosé wines.
What style of wine is produced in the Corbières-Boutenac AOP?
Dry, still red only.
What percentage of Carignan is required in the wines of Corbières-Boutenac AOP?
30-50%
What are the 5 principal red grapes of Corbières AOP?
Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre Carignan Lladoner Pelut
Corsica is influenced by 5 different wind currents. What are they and what are the sources of them?
Mistral (Provence) Cool Libeccio (Gibraltar) Brings Rain Tramontane (Alps) Cold and Dry Gregale (Apennines) Damp Sirocco (Sahara) Warm and Dry
What are the 3 main viticultural hazards in Corsica?
Downy Mildew
Powdery Mildew
Flavescence Dorée (cicadelles are the vectors)
What are the three most important grape varieties of Corsica (2 red, 1 white) that account for 2/3 of production there?
Red:
Niellucciu (Sangiovese)
Sciacarellu (Mammolo)
White:
Favorita (Vermentino)
What is the top appellation in Corsica for the production of Niellucciu-based wines? What is the prized soil type here?
Patrimonio DOC
Calcareous Clay
What is the minimum % of Niellucciu present in Patrimonio DOC Rouge? Rosé?
Min 90% for Rouge; Min 75% for Rosé
What is the grape of Patrimonio DOC Blanc?
100% Vermentino (Malvoisie de Corse)
What is the minimum percentage of Sciacarellu that must be present in Ajaccio Rouge and Rosé?
Min 40%
What is the minimum % of Vermentino for Ajaccio AOP whites?
min 80%
What is the prized soil type of Ajaccio AOP?
Granite
What percentage of Corsica’s total production is made by cooperatives?
70%
What is the regional IGP of Corsica?
IGP de I’Île de Beauté
What are the 5 subzones of Vin de Corse AOP?
Côteaux du Cap Corse Calvi Sartène Figari Porto-Vecchio
What body of water separates Corsica from Sardinia?
Straight of Bonifacio
What style of wine is the most produced in Corsica?
Dry, still, rosé
What are a couple top growers in Patrimonio AOP?
Antoine Arena
Antoine-Marie Arena
Jean-Baptiste Arena
Yves Leccia
What is the top red grape variety that must account for a minimum 40% in Ajaccio Red and Rosé wines?
Sciaccarello
What appellation claims the highest altitude vineyards in Corsica at up to 1600ft.?
Ajaccio AOP
What is the appellation and grape variety of Rappu wines?
This historic wine style of the Cap Corse is made from Aleatico grapes that have been dried on mats in the sun for 10 days prior to fermentation has no formal appellation.
What is the appellation of Clos Nicrosi?
Corse-Côteaux du Cap Corse AOP
What style of wine is produced in the Muscat du Cap Corse AOP?
Vin Doux Naturel from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
What is the appellation of Clos Canarelli?
Corse-Figari AOP
What are the colors, styles, and sweetness levels for wine produced in the Faugères AOP?
Dry, still, red, white, and rosé
What grape must be present in the white wines of Faugères AOP?
Roussanne
What is the main soil type of Faugères AOP?
Schist
The top vineyards of the Faugères AOP are located at high elevations on the foothills of what mountains?
Cevennes
Léon Barral is associated with what AOP?
Faugères AOP
What are the two unofficial subzones of Fitou AOP? What are the soil types associated with each?
Fitou Maritime: clay and limestone
Fitou Montagneux: Schist
Domaine Maria Fitia and Domaine Bertrand-Bergé are both producing in what appellation?
Fitou AOP
What red wine appellation of the Languedoc may produce Rivesaltes and Muscat de Rivesaltes?
Fitou AOP
What two grapes must make up at least 60% of the blend in Fitou AOP?
Grenache and/or Carignan
What is the most important of the Languedoc Muscat appellations?
Muscat de Frontignan
Which of the four Muscat appellations of Languedoc is sometimes fermented so early during fermentation that it also qualifies as Vin de Liqueur?
Muscat de Frontignan AOP
What styles of wine are produced in the Grand Roussillon AOP? What is this appellation effectively represent?
Wines are sweet (min 45g/L) fortified still wines produced in red, white, and rosé styles from principally Grenache Blanc, Noir, and Gris as well as Tourbat (Malvoisie du Roussillon) and Macabeu plus Muscat (Blanc and Alexandria). This can also be made in an oxidative/rancio style.
This appellation is effectively for declassified Rivesaltes wines.
What is the appellation of Chateau de la Negly?
La Clape AOP
What is the newest subzone of Cotes de Provence?
Notre-Dame des Anges (2019)
Triennes is a project between what two producers?
Aubert de Villaine of DRC and Jeremy Seysses of Triennes
Grange des Peres releases their wine as Vin des Pays but in what appellation’s boundaries are they located? What Vins de Pays IGP is it bottled under?
Terrasses du Larzac AOP;
Vins de Pays de l’Herault IGP
What does “rimage” indicate on a bottle of Banyuls?
Vintage-Dated
What is the largest sweet wine appellation in France?
Muscat de Rivesaltes
In Cassis, what is La Grande Tete?
Highest sea cliff 400m
In what century is mutage introduced in France? Where? Who invented it?
13th century; Rivesaltes
Arnaud de Villeneuve
Which two AOP produce Muscat de Noel? What is this?
Muscat de Lunel AOP
Muscat de Saint Jean de Minervois AOP
This is a special cuvée Muscat Vin Doux Naturel that is bottled fresh from tank and served as the first Muscat of the year during Christmas.
Must be bottled before December 1 and cannot be sold until the Third Thursday of Novemeber. (marketing strategy to stimulate sales similar to Beaujolais Nouveau)
What complimentary varietals can make up 50% of the blend in Bandol Rouge? What about Blanc?
Rouge: Cinsault and Grenache
Blanc: Ugni Blanc and Bourbelenc
What are the geographic designations of the Côtes du Roussillon Villages AOP?
Caramany Lesquerde Tautavel La Tour de France Les Aspres
In what vintage did Les Aspres move to the Côte du Roussillon Villages AOP?
2017
Which Côtes du Roussillon Villages AOP requires a minimum of 3 varieties instead of 2 like the rest?
Les Aspres
