AOC/AOP Regulations
Département
- Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher
Subzones (Geographic Designations)
- Amboise, Mesland, Azay-le-Rideau, Oisly, Chenonceaux
Styles and Encépagement
- Blanc: Sauvignon Blanc and max. 20% Sauvignon Gris
- Rosé: Min. 2 varieties present, and no variety may exceed 70% of the vineyard. Cabernet Franc, Cot, Gamay, Grolleau, Grolleau Gris, Cabernet Sauvignon, Meunier, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pineau d’Aunis
- Primeur Rosé: As for Rosé
- Rouge:
- Principal Varieties: Min. 80% combined Cabernet Franc and Cot (min. 50%). Vineyards west of Tours have a min. 80% Cabernet Franc.
- Accessory Varieties: Gamay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir
- Primeur Rouge: 100% Gamay
- Varietal-Labeled Gamay: Min. 85% Gamay, plus Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cot, and Pinot Noir
- Vin Mousseux/Pétillant Blanc: Min. 60% Chenin Blanc OR Orbois, Cabernet Franc, Grolleau, Grolleau Gris, Chardonnay, Pineau d’Aunis, Pinot Noir
- Vin Mousseux/Pétillant Rosé: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cot, Gamay, Grolleau, Grolleau Gris, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pineau d’Aunis
- Touraine „Amboise“:
- Blanc: 100% Chenin Blanc
- Rosé: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cot, Gamay
- Rouge: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cot, Gamay
- Touraine „Mesland“:
- Blanc: Min. 60% Chenin Blanc, max. 30% Sauvignon Blanc, max. 15% Chardonnay (the amount of Chardonnay in the vineyard may not exceed the amount of Sauvignon Blanc)
- Rosé: Min. 80% Gamay, plus Cot and Cabernet Franc
- Rouge: Min. 60% Gamay, 10-30% Cot, 10-30% Cabernet Franc
- Touraine „Azay-le-Rideau“:
- Blanc: 100% Chenin Blanc
- Rosé: Min. 60% Grolleau; plus Cot, Gamay, and max. 10% combined Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon
- Touraine „Oisly“:
- Blanc: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
- Touraine „Chenonceaux“:
- Blanc: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
- Rouge: 50-65% Cot, 35-50% Cabernet Franc, plus Gamay
- All Touraine wines may include the geographical designation „Val de Loire“ on the label
Assemblage
- Blanc: Sauvignon Blanc composes the majority of the blend.
- Rosé: per encépagement
- Rouge and Varietal-Labeled Gamay: per encépagement
- Vin Mousseux: per encépagement
- „Mesland“: For blanc and rosé wines, Chenin Blanc and Gamay must account for the majority of the blend (respectively). For rouge wines, at least 3 varieties must be present in the blend.
- „Azay-le-Rideau“ Rosé: Grolleau must account for the majority of the blend.
- „Chenonceaux“ Rouge: Cot and Cabernet Franc must account for the majority of the blend. No single grape may exceed 70%.
Minimum Potential Alcohol
- Touraine Blanc/Rosé/Rouge: 10%
- Vin Mousseux: 9.5%
- Touraine „Azay-le-Rideau“ Rosé: 9.5%
- Touraine „Amboise“ Blanc: 10.5%
- Touraine „Chenonceaux“ Blanc/Rouge: 11%
- Touraine „Oisly“: 11%
Minimum Must Weight
- Touraine and Touraine „Mesland“ Blanc/Rosé: 162 g/l
- Touraine and Touraine „Mesland“ Rouge: 171 g/l
- Vin Mousseux: 153 g/l
- Touraine „Amboise“:
- Blanc: 170 g/l
- Rosé: 162 g/l
- Rouge: 171 g/l
- Touraine „Azay-le-Rideau“:
- Blanc: 162 g/l
- Rosé: 153 g/l
- Touraine „Chenonceaux“:
- Blanc: 179 g/l
- Rouge: 189 g/l
- Touraine „Oisly“: 179 g/l
Enrichment
- Chaptalization is prohibited for wines with more than 18 g/l of residual sugar
Residual Sugar
- Touraine Blanc and Rosé: max. 4 g/l (max. 6 g/l if the wines have not been chaptalized and have an acquired alcohol content of at least 12.5%)
- Rouge and Varietal-Labeled Gamay: max. 2 g/l
- Sweetness Levels for Geographic Designations: most subzones may label either blanc or rosé wines as sec or demi-sec.
- Sec: max. 9 g/l
- Demi-Sec: 9-18 g/l
Harvest Method
- All grapes used for primeur/nouveau wines must be harvested manually.
Sparkling Wine Requirements
- Vin Mousseux is made by the traditional method, and must be aged on the lees for a min. 9 months.
Élevage
- Touraine „Chenonceaux“: Blanc wines may not be released until May 1 of the year following the harvest, and Rouge wines may not be released until September 1 of the year following the harvest.
- Touraine „Oisly“: Wines may not be released until May 1 of the year following the harvest
Minimum Planting Density
- Touraine, Touraine „Mesland“ and Touraine „Azay-le-Rideau“: 4,500 vines per hectare
- Touraine „Oisly“: 5,200 vines per hectare
- Touraine „Chenonceaux“: 5,500 vines per hectare
- Touraine „Amboise“: 6,000 vines per hectare
Maximum Yield (Rendement de Base)
- Blanc: 65 hl/ha
- Rosé/Rouge: 60 hl/ha
- Vin Mousseux: 72 hl/ha
- Touraine „Amboise“, „Azay-le-Rideaux“: 55 hl/ha
- Touraine „Mesland“, „Chenonceaux“, „Oisly“:
- Blanc: 60 hl/ha
- Rosé/Rouge: 55 hl/ha
AOC Established
- 1939 (Vin Mousseux added in 1946) (last updated 2011)
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