Bergerac AOC#Rosette

The wine-growing area rose is part of the larger growing area in the Bergerac wine region of Sud- Ouest in southwest France. North of the town of Bergerac is an amphitheater - like configuration of hills, whose red wines are marketed under the name Pecharmant and their sweet white wines under the appellation name rosette. The area has already received on March 12, 1946 status of a Appellation d' Origine ( AOC shortly ), but is still almost unknown. In 2002, only 649 hectoliters of wine were marketed under this name.

The theoretically about 125 hectare area is distributed within the communities Bergerac, Lembras, Creysse, Maurens, Prigonrieux and Gineste. Due to the spread of the town of Bergerac lost more and more vineyards.

The name rose is hardly known in France as well as internationally. The sweet wine -growing region is mostly marketed under the name of Côtes de Bergerac Moelleux. In 1981, absolutely no rosette was produced, and in the following years brought only one winery entitled to this appellation. The producers can still count on one hand. The straw-colored wines have a fruity and floral bouquet. You should be drunk fairly young.

The sweet white wine is mainly from the vine Sémillon, won in part with addition of Muscadelle. Sauvignon Blanc is also permitted, but is hardly used because it would distort the typical character of the rosette. In contrast to Monbazillac it is not usually obtained from grapes with noble rot. The wine has at least 11 volume percent and about 8-54 grams residual sugar / liter of wine after fermentation. The harvest limit is 40 hectoliters / hectare.

Climate and soil

The region of Bergerac subject to strong oceanic influence, with mild winters. Particularly strong rainfall occurs in spring and late autumn. The summer, however, are mostly hot and dry. The weather is often stable until well into November. In the valley of the Dordogne often forms fog, which favors the formation of noble rot.

On the orographic right bank of the Dordogne, the floor is north of the town of Bergerac from sediments that overlie the limestone base of the Cretaceous period. This lean and permeable sand and gravel soils are major obstacle to red grape varieties. The vineyards are situated on loamy- sandy, interspersed with gravel hills. The ground is too weathered limestone marl. It is rich in iron, which gives the wine in youth a characteristic rustic flavor. The south-facing slopes have a particularly favorable microclimate.