Rasteau is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée

Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...

for wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

 in the southern Rhône wine region

Rhône (wine region)

The Rhône wine region in Southern France is situated in the Rhône river valley and produces numerous wines under various Appellation d'origine contrôlée designations...

 of France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, covering both fortified

Fortified wine

Fortified wine is wine to which a distilled beverage has been added. Fortified wine is distinguished from spirits made from wine in that spirits are produced by means of distillation, while fortified wine is simply wine that has had a spirit added to it...

 and unfortified wines. The sweet fortified wines (Vin Doux Naturel, VDN) can be red, rosé or white, and have long been produced under the Rasteau AOC. In 2010 dry red wines (unfortified) were also added to the appellation, effective from the 2009 vintage.

The Rasteau appellation covers mostly the commune of Rasteau

Rasteau

Rasteau is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Vaucluse department*Rasteau AOC, a wine appellation covering Rasteau and some neighbouring communes-References:*...

, but also includes some vineyards in Cairanne

Cairanne

Cairanne is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France whose inhabitants were locally nicknamed leis afrontaires de Cairana, the cheeky ones from Cairanne....

 and Sablet

Sablet

Sablet is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It is a fortified Provençal village rich in history.-Geography:...

. 47 hectares (116.1 acre) of vineyards are used for the fortified wines, with an annual production of around 1,400 hectoliter, or around 190,000 bottles.

History

The production of fortified wine was introduced in 1934, and in 1944, the Rasteau AOC for VDN wines was created, with effect from the 1943 vintage. Dry red wines from the same area traditionally had to be sold under the Côtes du Rhône Villages designation. From 1996, Rasteau was one of the village names that could be added to Côtes du Rhône Villages. In 2002, the Rasteau winegrower's syndicate requested that Rasteau should become its own appellation. This was finally approved by INAO

Institut National des Appellations d'Origine

The Institut National des Appellations d'Origine is the French organization charged with regulating French agricultural products with Protected Designations of Origin . Controlled by the French government, it forms part of the Ministry of Agriculture...

 in 2010, effective from the 2009 vintage.

Grape varieties

Main grape varieties for the fortified wines are Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc

Grenache Blanc

Grenache blanc is a variety of white wine grape that is related to the red grape Grenache. It is mostly found in Rhône wine blends and in northeast Spain. Its wines are characterized by high alcohol and low acidity, with citrus and or herbaceous notes. Its vigor can lead to overproduction and...

. All grape varieties allowed for red, rosé or white Côtes du Rhône

Côtes du Rhône AOC

Côtes du Rhône is a wine-growing Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée for the Rhône wine region of France, which may be used throughout the region, also in those areas which are covered by other AOCs...

 (a total of 18 varieties in addition to the Grenaches) are also allowed as accessory grape varieties for Rasteau AOC, and are limited to a total of 10%. Red Rasteau is typically produced from 100% Grenache Noir.

Appellation regulations

The fortified wines are produced from grape which must reach a maturity of at least 252 grams sugar per liter must, or close to 15 per cent of potential alcohol, which corresponds to very mature grapes. The allowed base yield

Yield (wine)

In viticulture, the yield is a measure of the amount of grapes or wine that is produced per unit surface of vineyard, and is therefore a type of crop yield...

 is 30 hectoliter per hectare. The wine must be fortified by the addition of neutral alcohol (with a minimum strength of 96 per cent by volume), the volume of which must correspond to 5 to 10 per cent of the volume of the grape must. The alcohol level of the finished wine must be at least 15 per cent, and a maximum of 21.5 per cent by volume, and the sugar content at least 45 grams per liter.

There are two special designations which can be used for Rasteau wines:

• Wines marked Hors d'âge must be stored for five years before it is sold.
• Wines marked Rancio must have been subjected to the typical oxidative treatment of that wine style.