Savoie Wine

Savoie is a wine region in the far east of France, in the mountainous areas just south of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) and the border with Switzerland. The region's location and geography have very much defined its character, which is fragmented, hilly and slightly Swiss. This is evident in the fresh, crisp white wines made here, as well as in the region's wine labels; many bear a white cross on a red background – the flag of both Switzerland and Savoie.

The distribution of growing areas for the region's two main appellations, Bugey and Vin de Savoie, perfectly demonstrates the degree to which the region's vineyards are fragmented by the mountainous terrain. Vin de Savoie wines come from more than seven entirely distinct pockets of vineyards, separated by towns, mountains and lakes; Bugey is no exception.

If Savoie could be said to have a core viticultural area, it would fill the triangle formed by Aix-les-Bains in the south, Frangy in the north and the banks of the Rhone river in the west. This area is home to the Seyssel title and a substantial section of the Bugey and Vin de Savoie appellations. The town of Chambery forms a kind of hinge between this main area and another to the south-east, where some of the region's best-known names are to be found. A few miles east of Chambery, the famous villages of Cruet, Arbin, Montmelian, Chignin and Apremont line the banks of the Isere river as it flows east to west from Albertville. Here, on the steep, south-facing hillsides of the Combe de Savoie valley, some of Savoie's finest wines are created.

A final scattering of vineyards is located to the east of Geneva, on the southern shores of Lac Leman (the other side of the lake is part of the Swiss Vaud region). Around 7% of Savoie's wines are made here, under the Crepy appellation and four Vin de Savoie crus: Ayze, Marignan, Marin and Ripaille.

Around three-quarters of the region's wines are white – primarily because most red varieties would struggle to ripen properly in the cooler climate. Jacquere is the most widely planted variety, due to its high yield. Altesse, known traditionally here as Roussette, is used to produce some of Savoie's finer wines, specifically under its own Roussette de Savoie and Roussette de Bugey appellations. Roussanne (known locally as Bergeron) also has its own tiny niche just south of Chambery, where it produces exclusively Chignin-Bergeron wines. As in many other areas of France, Chardonnay is increasingly being planted in Savoie. It is used in still and also sparkling wines, notably under the Bugey Cerdon appellation.

Although the region is dominated by white wines, it does have a standout red variety: Mondeuse. This is used to produce deeply colored, peppery wines with a trademark bitterness. Gamay and Pinot Noir are also employed, mostly in varietal wines, and are lighter in style than when they are used in their native Beaujolais and Burgundy.

Most Savoie wine enthusiasts are locals or those who have discovered the region's secrets while on holiday. An unfortunate consequence of Savoie's isolated location – and of its limited vineyard coverage since the phylloxera crisis of the 1870s – is that very little Savoie wine makes it out of France and onto international markets.