Rosé d'Anjou

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical area spans two major geological units: to the west, the Precambrian and Palaeozoic basement of the Massif Armoricain, and to the east, the Mesozoic and Cenozoic substratum of the Paris Basin.
• The western part, locally known as 'Anjou noir', is characterised by the presence of schists, notably slate-bearing, while the eastern part, known as 'Anjou blanc', features tuffeau chalk around Saumur.
• The geographical area extends mainly across the southern half of Maine-et-Loire (68 communes), as well as the northern fringes of Deux-Sèvres (11 communes) and Vienne (9 communes).
• Soils derived from the various geological formations are generally poor, have a moderate water-holding capacity, and good thermal behaviour.
• The temperate oceanic climate, with relatively small temperature ranges, is locally described as the 'douceur angevine' (Angevin mildness), an expression borne out above all during winter, the long spring, and autumn, while intense heat is common in summer.
• The north-west/south-east-oriented relief acts as a barrier against the often moisture-laden westerly winds, and the geographical area receives relatively little rainfall, with annual precipitation in the order of 585 millimetres compared with nearly 800 millimetres in the Choletais.

• Viticulture in Anjou is attested as early as the first century AD, with continuous development confirmed by a poem by Apollonius in the sixth century evoking Angers as rich in the gifts of Ceres and Bacchus.
• The Angevin vineyard developed during the Middle Ages under the auspices of monasteries along the Loire, and the Rosé d'Anjou appellation was recognised by the decree of 31 December 1957.
• From the sixteenth century onwards, the arrival of Dutch brokers seeking wines for their home country and colonies stimulated production, and by the eighteenth century trade was so flourishing that the Layon river, which runs through the area, was canalised to facilitate transport.
• After the phylloxera crisis, which reduced the vineyard from 45,000 hectares in 1881 to 10,000 hectares in 1893, plantings of Cabernet franc and then Cabernet-Sauvignon accelerated, and winemaking in the early twentieth century turned towards the 'rouget', a light wine consumed in cafés.
• Combined with Grolleau and Grolleau gris, which yield 'clairet'-style, lightly coloured wines, and to a lesser extent with Gamay and Pineau d'Aunis, these varieties contributed to the development of rosé wine production recognised under the Cabernet d'Anjou and Rosé d'Anjou appellations.
• The production of red wines developed from the 1960s onwards, thanks to experience gained in matching grape varieties to planting sites and in mastering winemaking techniques.
• As early as the fifteenth century, producers observed that a wine bottled in winter would sparkle after a second fermentation triggered by the return of warm weather, while retaining its aromatic finesse, which led to the development of sparkling wines at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
• This sparkling-wine production benefits from cellars carved into the tuffeau chalk, where wines can be stored and aged at a low, constant temperature.

• The rosé wines presented under the Cabernet d'Anjou and Rosé d'Anjou appellations contain residual fermentable sugars and a greater or lesser degree of sweetness, with a palate balance between freshness and roundness.
• Rosé d'Anjou displays a raspberry-red colour with cherry or salmon highlights, aromas of raspberries, Morello cherries, and citrus fruit, and menthol-pepper notes on the finish. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

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 12 janvier 2024, JORF 21 janvier 2024
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — InterLoire