Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Vineyard at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail, on formations ranging from Triassic to Cretaceous, surrounded by Oligocene and Miocene deposits.
• Varied soils: clay marls, calcareous molasse, sandstone, and Helvetian safre sands ('terres blondes') around Beaumes-de-Venise.
• 'Intermediate' Mediterranean climate: two dry seasons and two wet seasons (spring and autumn, sometimes torrential).
• Geographic zone covering Beaumes-de-Venise and part of Aubignan; vines on terraced slopes ('restanques' or 'faysses') at elevations between 200 and 450 m.

• The presence of Muscat is documented as far back as the 14th century: the first land registry of the Comtat Venaissin (1414) records 693,000 Muscat vines.
• AOC recognised in 1945 for Muscat à petits grains B alone, following the varietal's rehabilitation through grafting onto American rootstocks in the 20th century.

• Poor, stony, well-drained soils on south-facing slopes → summer water deficit → low yields and high sugar concentration in the Muscat grapes.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF), JORF 14 mars 2021
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry