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Saint-Pourcain is the appellation for white, red and rose wines (in that order of importance) from 19 communes around Saint-Pourcain-sur-Sioule, a small town in the Auvergne region of central France. The Saint-Pourcain appellation was first created as a VDQS in December 1951 and finally promoted to full AOC status in October 2009.
The traditional grape variety used for white Saint-Pourcain wines is the light-skinned Sacy (known here as Tressallier). However, the appellation laws now state that the more internationally popular Chardonnay must be the dominant variety, followed by Tressallier and an optional 10% of Sauvignon. Tressallier is often compared to Viognier due to its aromatic, slightly spicy profile, so the Saint-Pourcain whites have quite a distinctive character.
Although white wines are responsible for Saint-Pourcain's limited renown (this is mostly restricted to mainland France), it does also produce red wines. As is standard for the cool hilly Auvergne region, Gamay is the dominant red variety and must constitute at least 40% of all Saint-Pourcain red and or rose wines. It is accompanied by increasing quantities (now up to 60%) of Pinot Noir, which is often subject to time in oak.
Just over 1480 acres (600ha) of vines are now devoted to Saint-Pourcain wines, a figure that has steadily increased over the past decade – in particular since the name was promoted to full AOC status. The vineyards produce more than 32,000hL of wine every year, which is mostly consumed in France and western Europe.
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