Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The appellation area extends across five large parallel ridges running north–south, known as 'échines', located to the south and west of the Adour on the northern foothills of the Pyrenees.
• The zone covers 37 communes spread across three contiguous départements, with 28 communes in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 6 in the Hautes-Pyrénées, and 3 in the Gers.
• In late summer and autumn, a warm, dry southerly wind of the foehn type blows on average one day in three across the geographical zone.
• The échines of Vic-Bilh consist mainly of Tertiary molasse, continental deposits resulting from the erosion of the Pyrenees, formed predominantly of marls and discontinuous limestone beds appearing at the foot of the slopes.
• The soils fall into two broad types: clay-limestone soils developed on the molasse of the west-facing slopes, and acidic leached soils known as boulbènes on the gentle slopes and plateaux, often deep and moist except where enriched with gravel or pebbles.
• The steeply sloping west-facing hillsides expose the molasse with its limestone beds, while the gently sloping east-facing hillsides are covered by soliflucted aeolian silts mixed with the underlying deposits.

• Records from the early thirteenth century mention harvesting by successive selective passes (tries successives), which could last until the month of December, enabling both sweet wines and dry wines to be produced from the same plot.
• In the mid-sixteenth century, the export of sweet or dry white wines to Holland began via the port of Bayonne, reached by following the Adour valley, under the name 'vins du Vic-Bilh'.
• The encépagement continues to rest on grape varieties characteristic of the Adour basin, namely Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng, Courbu, and Petit Courbu, as well as Arrufiac.

• The dry white wines, harvested at full maturity, display aromas of white fruits and exotic or floral fruits, with a balance marked by acidity well wrapped in richness.
• The sweet white wines, made from passerillé grapes harvested by successive selective passes, combine acidity and richness with fruity aromas that may develop, with ageing, towards notes of candied fruit and honey.

• The mild, relatively dry autumn climate, favoured in particular by the southerly wind, allows for passerillage and over-ripening of the grapes under good conditions of fruit health.
• The late-ripening, high-alcohol-yielding varieties, with their thick skins, show low susceptibility to grey rot and resist the relatively humid climate well, enabling them to withstand over-ripening and passerillage.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 26 novembre 2025, JORF 29 novembre 2025
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — IVSO — Interprofession des Vins du Sud-Ouest