Provence wine

History

Provence is often called the oldest wine region in France: wine has been made there for at least 2,600 years, since Greek settlers founded Marseille (Massalia) around 600 BC. The modern appellation map took shape in the 20th century. Côtes de Provence gained AOC status in 1977, 22 years after a group of its estates was classified in 1955. Coteaux Varois en Provence moved from VDQS (1985) to AOC in 1993, and Les Baux-de-Provence became an AOC in 1995. Today the region has nine AOC appellations, the largest being Côtes de Provence.

Terroir and appellations

Three large appellations, Côtes de Provence, Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence and Coteaux Varois en Provence, produce most of the wine and together covered 27,861 hectares in 2023 according to the regional interprofession (CIVP). Alongside them sit small, historic appellations: Bandol on terraced slopes west of Toulon, Cassis on the coast east of Marseille, Palette near Aix-en-Provence, Bellet near Nice, and Les Baux-de-Provence. The climate is Mediterranean, with more than 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, and the strong mistral wind from the north dries the vines and limits disease, though it can also damage them.

Grapes and wine styles

Rosé dominates: it made up 89% of the 2023 harvest of the three main appellations, and Provence accounts for 40 to 45% of French PDO rosé. The pale, dry style is blended mainly from Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre, with Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon also grown. Bandol is the exception: its reds must contain at least 50% Mourvèdre and age at least 18 months in oak. Cassis is mainly a white wine appellation, with whites over 75% of output, from Clairette, Marsanne, Ugni Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc.

Provence wine: questions and answers

Other wine regions of France

• Bordeaux
• Burgundy
• Champagne
• Alsace
• Rhône Valley
• Loire Valley
• Beaujolais
• Languedoc-Roussillon
• South West France
• Jura