Southern Rhône AOPs

Question 1

What styles are made in Duché d’Uzès AOP?

Answer 1

Blanc: Min. 40% Viognier, min. 30% Grenache Blanc, plus Clairette, Ugni Blanc, and a max. 20% combined Roussanne, Marsanne, and Vermentino

Rosé: Min. 50% Grenache Noir, min. 20% Syrah, plus Carignan, Cinsault, and Mourvèdre

Rouge: Min. 40% Syrah, min. 20% Grenache Noir, plus Carignan, Cinsault, and Mourvèdre

Question 2

What styles are made in Côte du Vivarais AOP?

Answer 2

Blends:

Blanc: Min. 50% Grenache Blanc, min. 30% combined Marsanne and Clairette; max. 10% combined Viognier and Roussanne

Rouge: Min. 40% Syrah, min. 30% Grenache, max. 10% combined Marselan and Cinsault

Rosé: 60-80% Grenache, min. 10% Syrah, max. 10% combined Marselan and Cinsault

Question 3

What styles are made in Lirac AOP?

Answer 3

Blanc: Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Clairette (no single variety may account for more than 60%)

Rouge: Min. 90% combined Grenache (min. 40%), Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre (min. 25% combined Syrah and Mourvèdre)

Rosé: Min. 80% combined Grenache (min. 40%), Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre (min. 25% combined Syrah and Mourvèdre)

Question 4

What styles are made in Luberon AOP?

Answer 4

Blanc: Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Marsanne, Roussanne, Rolle (Vermentino)

Rouge: Min. 60% combined Grenache and Syrah (both grapes must be present with a min. 20% Syrah), plus Mourvèdre

Rosé: As for red wines, but with a max. 20% white varieties (including a max. 10% Viognier)

Question 5

What styles are made in Ventoux AOP?

Answer 5

Blanc: Principal Varieties: Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne

Rouge: Principal Varieties: Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah

Rosé: As for rouge wines

Primeur/Nouveau (Blanc, Rosé, Rouge)

Question 6

What styles are made in Costières de Nîmes AOP?

Answer 6

White Blends from min 50% Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Roussanne Rouge and Rosé blends from min 60% Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah

Question 7

When may Rasteau AOP wines be released?

Answer 7

Rouge: March 31 of the year following the harvest

Vin Doux Naturel “Rosé” Wines must be bottled by December 31 of the year following the harvest.

Vin Doux Naturel “Blanc” and “Grenat”: Wines may not be released until May 1 of the year following the harvest. They must be bottled no later than June 30 of the second year after harvest.

Vin Doux Naturel “Ambré” and “Tuilé”: Wines may not be released until March 1 of the third year following the harvest

Vin Doux Naturel “Hors d’Age”: Wines may not be released until September 1 of the fifth year following the harvest

Question 8

What styles are made in Clairette de Bellegarde AOP?

Answer 8

Blanc only from 100% Clairette

Question 9

What styles are made in Grignan-les-Adhémar AOP?

Answer 9

FKA: Coteaux de Tricastin AOC

Blanc: Min. 30% Viognier, plus Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne (no single variety may exceed 80% of the encépagement)

Rouge and Rosé: Min. 70% combined Grenache (20-70%) and Syrah (30-80%), plus others

Question 10

What styles are made in Gigondas AOP?

Answer 10

Rosé and Rouge only: Min. 90% combined Grenache (min. 50%), Syrah, and Mourvèdre (min. 15% Syrah and Mourvèdre); plus oodles of others

Question 11

What styles are made in Tavel AOP?

Answer 11

Rosé only: 30-60% combined Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, and Grenache Noir; plus accessory varieties

Question 12

What is the minimum RS for Muscat de Beams-de-Venise AOP?

Answer 12

100g/L

110g/L prior to 2011

Question 13

What styles are made in Vacqueyras AOP?

Answer 13

Blanc: Bourbelenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier (no single variety may account for more than 80%)

Rouge: Grenache (min. 50%), Complementary Varieties: Syrah and Mourvèdre (min. 20% combined Syrah and Mourvèdre), principal and complementary varieties must account for at least 90% of the total

Rosé: Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, and Mourvèdre (no single variety may account for more than 80%)

Question 14

What styles are made in Vinsobres AOP?

Answer 14

Rouge only:

Principal Variety: Min. 50% Grenache

Complementary Varieties: Mourvèdre and Syrah (min. 25% combined Mourvèdre and Syrah; min. 80% combined Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah)

Question 15

What styles are made in Muscat de Beams-de-Venise AOP?

Answer 15

Vin Doux Naturel Blanc

Vin Doux Naturel Rouge

Vin Doux Naturel Rosé

Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains and/or Muscat Rouge à Petits Grains, for rosé Vin Doux Naturel, both colors of Muscat are allowed in the blend.

Question 16

What are the communes of production for Rasteau AOP?

Answer 16

VDN: Cairanne, Rasteau, Sablet

Unfortified Reds: Rasteau only

Question 17

What styles are made in Rasteau AOP?

Answer 17

Rouge: Min. 50% Grenache (Rasteau only)

Vin Doux Naturel Blanc: Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris

Vin Doux Naturel Ambré (Tawny Blanc): Grenache, Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc

Vin Doux Naturel Grenat and Tuilé (Rouge): Min. 75% Grenache, plus Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris

Vin Doux Naturel Rosé: As for Ambré

Vin Doux Naturel “Hors d’Age”

Vin Doux Naturel “Rancio”: Must show oxidative characteristics

Question 18

What styles are produced in Cairanne AOP?

Answer 18

White blends and Rouge from a min 40% Grenache Noir

Question 19

What styles are made in Beaumes-de-Venise AOP?

Answer 19

Rouge only from a min 80% Grenache and Syrah