Savoie (wine region)

Overview of the wine-growing regions of France; the wine-growing region lies to the east below Lake Geneva, about halfway up the country

The viticulture in Savoie focused primarily on the French departments of Savoie and Haute-Savoie . Smaller areas encroach on the Ain and Isère departments . In the north, the vineyards are bounded by Lake Geneva ( French : Lac Léman ). To the west, the Rhone River forms the natural border. The only exception to this western border is a small wine-growing region called Bugey .

The wine-growing regions

In 1973, with the redefinition of the appellations of origin Vin de Savoie and Roussette de Savoie , the structure was greatly simplified. Particularly prominent regions or municipalities received a special status as cru and have since been allowed to mention the name of the cru on the label of the wine bottle . Linked to this privilege, however, are stricter regulations in the form of lower yields and higher must weights . A total of 19 crus, i.e. small sub-regions, were defined under the two regionally organized designations of origin mentioned above. The small AOC names Crépy and Seyssel were also retained. The same applies to the Vin du Bugey wine produced in the Ain department .

Important cultivation areas are concentrated around Lac du Bourget and the cities of Aix-les-Bains and Chambéry . Individual vineyards in the valley of the Isère river conclude in the south .

82% of wine production comes from the Savoie department. The remaining 18% are spread across the Haute-Savoie (7%), Ain (4%) and Isère (7%) departments. The share of white wine in total production is close to the 70 percent mark.

Around 135,000 hectoliters of wine are produced annually on almost 2120 hectares of vineyards . The majority is sold locally. Summer and, above all, winter tourism play an important role here, but due to the pronounced seasonality of sales, this poses a problem for storage and logistics. The export of these wines is almost non-existent.

Bas Chablais

The south bank of Lake Geneva

It is generally assumed that there was already wine growing in Bas-Chablais on the southern shore of the lake in Roman times. The first written evidence can only be found in the archives of the municipality of Yvoire from 1334. From the year 1430 first evidence can be found that the Gutedel grape was able to establish itself as a suitable grape variety. The proximity to the lake is both a curse and a blessing. On the one hand, the water mass of the lake serves as a temperature buffer and mitigates violent temperature fluctuations. On the other hand, the damage from north winds can be considerable. The probability of morning fog near the shore is high. The cold of the winter north winds directly hits the vineyards under a thick blanket of fog and under this constellation can lead to severe frost damage. Because of this, only the really privileged locations have been able to prevail in the long term. For example, the Marêches wine-growing region near Evian has completely disappeared.

The Crépy wine-growing region enjoys its own status as an AOC . The approved vineyards are on the gentle slopes of the 735 m high Mont de Boisy and are spread over the municipalities of Ballaison , Douvaine and Loisin . The area is halfway between the city of Geneva and Thonon-les-Bains . The west and south-westerly oriented vineyards are located at an average altitude of approx. 400-530 m on a molasse soil from the geological age of the Chattian within the Oligocene . During the Würm Ice Age, the molasse was covered with moraines that were transported there through the Dranse valley .

In the area of the town of Thonon-les-Bains there are vineyards that have the special status of Cru Vin de Savoie Ripaille . The castle of Ripaille is located on the peninsula near Thonon. Count Amédée VI. had a castle built here around 1371, of which there is no trace today. Around 1434, Duke Amédée VIII built a new castle with seven towers on the same site , which can still be seen today in a modified form. He retired with six knights to his castle, where he founded the Moritz Order , an order of knights . When he was elected the last antipope in 1439, ownership passed to the Carthusian Order . The layout of the vineyards around the castle goes back to the early days under the direction of the Carthusians. Today there are around 22 hectares of vineyards around the castle, which enjoy the special status of Vin de Savoie Ripaille. The areas are 10 to 25 m above the level of the water surface on a sandy subsoil interspersed with gravel. This subsoil was deposited by the Dranse River in the form of an alluvial cone . Ripaille Castle is on the orographic left side of the river.

On the opposite side of the Dranse are the communities of Marin and Publier .

On the southern bank of the lake you can see the outlines of the peninsula-shaped alluvial cone of the Dranse, which is home to the vineyards of Ripaille and Marin

The wines made from the Gutedel grape are marketed under the name Vin de Savoie Marin . The area under vines decreased continuously for almost 100 years, but seems to have stabilized at a low level since 1972. With 14.80 hectares of declared area, barely 50 percent of the previous area is left. The dry wines are made slightly sparkling and, with their aromas of lemon and pineapple, are often drunk when they are young. However, individual winemakers also develop storable wines. As a local peculiarity one can still occasionally find a vine training type, which is here called Crosse . Six to ten meter long trunks made of chestnut wood are anchored in the ground and serve as a climbing aid for the vines that are planted around the trunk. The vines that ripen at the bottom can be harvested about six to nine days before those that ripen at the top of the trunk. In addition, the south and east facing vines ripen earlier on the trunk. The advantage is that the vines hanging above avoid strong spring frosts. In addition, the grapes are less affected by fungal diseases. Disadvantages are inadequate volume control of the yield and the high workload, since several harvesting operations have to be carried out.

The Vin de Savoie Marignan is produced on the territory of the municipality of Sciez . This cru takes its name from the Château de la Tour de Marignan , which also gave the district of Marignan its name. The winemaking tradition began in the early 10th century with the establishment of the Filly Monastery. The Château de la Tour Marignan was annexed to the monastery in 1258 and is now home to the oldest wine cellar in Savoy. Only wines of the Gutedel grape variety are marketed under the name of the Crus. They are a little sweeter than the wines with the name Crépy and are slightly foamy. The taste of flint is characteristic of the wines of Cru Marignan.

In the valley of the Arve

In the immediate vicinity of the municipality of Bonneville , a wine called Vin de Savoie Ayze grows on the slopes of Le Môle .

Le Môle mountain in winter; Vin de Savoie d'Ayze wine grows on its south-facing slopes

The mountain Le Môle is still part of the limestone mountains Chablais . The region's winemakers paid their tithes as early as 1270, and Francis de Sales reports in his works about a parish of Mère l'Église sur les vignes . In the 18th and 19th centuries, i.e. in the time before the phylloxera disaster, a total of 600 hectares were planted with vines and the vineyards stretched from Châtillon-sur-Cluses to Bonne-sur-Menoge . Today only 30 hectares in the municipalities of Ayse , Bonneville and Marignier provide the basis for a sparkling wine or, less often, a still wine. In addition to the idiosyncratic Savagnin grape variety , called Gringet here, a maximum of 30% of the indigenous Roussette d'Ayze variety may be added to the base wine . Both varieties are sufficiently winter-proof to be able to grow at an altitude of 600 m above sea level. NN to survive. The sparkling wine is usually produced in classic bottle fermentation. The wine matures on the yeast for at least eight months before it is disgorged - i.e. drained. The Savagnin variety in particular gives the sparkling wine a somewhat rough and rustic character, which is refined by storage. Since this grape variety has little tendency to rot due to its thick berry skin, the grapes can be left on the vine for a long time and harvested when overripe. In this case, a rare still wine with a distinctive honey aroma is created under the name Vin de Savoie Ayze.

The left bank of the Rhône - the Alpine foothills of Savoy

Between Geneva and the two sister communities Seyssel (Haute-Savoie) and Seyssel (Ain) there is an abundance of small vineyards.

In the Vallée des Usses - the valley of the river Usses - you will find some vineyards in an ideal south-facing position at heights of up to 500 m. The valley itself is one of the warmest in the Haute-Savoie department. It is traversed by the Usses , a left tributary of the Rhône, in an approximately 500 m wide flat valley floor from east to west. The river flows into the Rhône immediately north of Seyssel; the vineyards are about 10 km northeast of the estuary. The valley is sunk around 150 to 200 m into the surrounding plateaus. The Altesse grape variety thrives on a subsoil of molasses from the Miocene , overlaid by moraines from the Worm Ice Age. While the areas of Bassy , Challonges , Chessenaz , Clarafond-Arcine , Franclens , Musièges , Usinens and Vanzy are marketed as simple Roussette de Savoie , the areas of Chaumont , Desingy and Frangy enjoy the special status of Roussette de Savoie Frangy . The growing area is mentioned in a document from Cluny Abbey from 1036. Up until the middle of the 18th century, wines were very popular in the Geneva area. In the second book (1728-1731) his autobiography Confessions (to German Confessions ) mentions the writer and philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau wine of Frangy praise. After the disappearance of the Swiss market and the subsequent crises caused by phylloxera and fungal diseases, viticulture was practically completely abandoned. Viticulture could only be revived through the special position within the Roussette de Savoie designation of origin. In the valley there are also some interesting red wines made from the Mondeuse grape, which are marketed under the regional appellation Vin de Savoie.

The Chautagne region lies north of Lac du Bourget between the lake and the Rhône.

The northern end of the Lac du Bourget; The beginning of the Chautagne can be seen in the background

The lake is drained by the Leysse river, which flows through the Chautagne to the Rhône. During floods, the Chautagne is inundated by the Rhône and there is a backflow from the Rhône into the Lac du Bourget, which thus serves as a catchment basin to regulate the Rhône. The Chautagne valley floor is therefore a marshland, and viticulture uses the slopes to the east on the Gros Foug, which is part of the Bauges massif. The vineyards are at an altitude of 250 to 500 m above sea level around the municipalities of Chindrieux , Ruffieux , Serrière and Motz . The Chautagne is known for its mild, almost frost-free climate. Annual mean temperatures of almost 20 ° C could be measured in preferred locations. The region's viticulture is already known in writing in the 10th century. From the 14th century, there was a lively trade in the region of nearby Geneva. The wine was one of the preferred at the court of the Dukes of Savoy and later at the court of the kings of Sardinia . However, the wine of that time cannot be compared with the Vin de Savoie Chautagne known today . The Gamay grape variety plays an important role in the 1973 cru. However, this grape variety found its way to Savoy late and has only played an important role since the late 1960s. Today the Gamay in Chautagne makes up almost 45 percent of the forested area.

Monday you chat

Further south on the slopes around Lac du Bourget to Val du Bourget north of Chambéry, there are no areas with special status. The former Cru Charpignat almost completely fell victim to increasing urbanization. In this region, classic red and white Vin de Savoie and Vin de Pays d'Allobrogie are still occasionally grown near Brison-Saint-Innocent . The situation is different on the western slopes of the massifs of the Montagne du Chat, the Épine and the Charvaz between the lake and the Rhône. Although the 1150 m high mountain range acts as a barrier between the Rhône with the vineyards and the lake, it is climatic of the lake can still be felt to be milder. The areas of the Montagne du Chat are essentially the natural extension of the Vin du Bugey wine-growing region on the other side of the Rhône and are therefore also called Petit Bugey. The area is known for the three crus Marestel , Jongieux and Monthoux , most of which are assigned to the Roussette de Savoie. The vineyards are located at 250–560 m above sea level, depending on where they are grown. NN.

The Montagne de Chat at Lucey; in the foreground the Rhône

The Cru Vin de Savoie Jongieux is defined over the areas in the communities Billième , Jongieux , Lucey , Saint-Jean-de-Chevelu and Yenne and has only existed since 1989. This probably also explains that the Jongieux wine is comparatively unknown, although 5% of the red wine of Savoy comes from here. As in Chautagne, the Gamay grape now predominates.
In 1973 the Cru Roussette de Savoie Marestel was defined. The approved vineyards are located in the municipalities of Jongieux and Lucey and thus partially overlaps with the aforementioned Vin de Savoie Jongieux. This wine is named after the Mareste family, who ruled the area from Lucey until the French Revolution. The vineyards are located above the villages in steep slopes (→ steep slope viticulture ). The ground lies on a limestone plinth from the Kimmeridgian geological age . Due to the growing success of white wine, additional terraces are being laid out and areas broken up with hammer drills due to the lack of usable agricultural land. The amount of wine produced is over 1000 hl.
Just a few kilometers further south is the Cru Roussette de Savoie Monthoux . Only the steep slope above the municipality of Saint-Jean-de-Chevelu enjoys this status. Due to the strong geographical restriction of the designation of origin, the amount of wine produced is approx. 110 hl (this corresponds to approx. 15,000 bottles), so that the marketing value of the Crus appears questionable. The legislation is all the more difficult to understand as the character of the wines of Marestel and Monthoux is almost identical.

Cluse de Chambery

Between the city of Chambéry and the Isère valley, between the limestone massifs Chartreuse and Bauges, in the extension of Lac du Bourget, lies the wide Cluse de Chambéry valley. This valley was carved out by glaciers during the ice ages.

Vineyards near Saint-Baldolph; in the background you can see Mont Granier, whose landslide in 1248 was so decisive for the region

It is home to the Mondeuse and Jacquère grape varieties and provides more than 50 percent of Savoy's wine. While the majority of the subsoil comes from the geological age of the Younger Upper Jurassic , the vineyards of the north-eastern valley lie on soils of the Callovian and Oxfordian . On the opposite side, the areas nestle against the Chartreuse massif and the floors of this part come from the Kimmeridgium.

The history of viticulture in Crus Roussette de Savoie Monterminod is long. As early as the 11th century, the well-known vineyards, which are today on the border of the agglomeration of Chambéry, were donated to the Cluny monastery . He was already mentioned as Mons Ermenaldi by Berold, father of Humbert I (Savoy) and in 1042 Aymon de Pierreforte bequeathed the area to the abbot Odilo of Cluny . Today, the vineyards largely belong to the Château de Monterminod in Saint-Alban-Leysse , which cultivates a total of 9 hectares of vineyards near the hamlet of Montlevin on the Nivolet mountain. The winery has been owned by the Maison Perrier et Fils wine company since 2002. The maximum extension of the recognized areas on a floor of the Berriasium is 12 hectares, but the increasing urbanization near Chambéry stands in the way of enlarging the areas. Due to the high requirements, hardly more than 2.5 - 3 hectares are dedicated to this Altesse grape variety annually.

Further south, but still on the side of the Bauges massif (i.e. on the left side of the A43 autoroute from Chambéry) are the areas of the Cru Vin de Savoie Saint-Jeoire-Prieuré . The 21 hectares are located on Oxfordian soil and both the red Mondeuse grape and the white Jacquère and Altesse varieties grow on this south-facing hillside. The results of both wines (red and white) are usually reliably good.

Further south, the vineyards get bigger and bigger. Under the name Vin de Savoie Chignin arises in the area of the municipality Chignin at an altitude of 300 to 400 m above sea level. NN an abundance of red and white wines. The Jacquère grape variety grows in the upper area of the south to south-west facing slopes, which is represented in this appellation alone with a special status of almost 110 hectares. Further down on the slope, the red grape varieties Gamay, Pinot Noir and Mondeuse thrive to a lesser extent and go into both red and rosé wine. The proportion of red varieties is limited to max. 10 percent of the total area of the crus of chignin.

Up on the slopes of Chignin, not only the Jacquère variety, which is decried as a mass bearer, but also the Roussanne variety, known from the Rhône Valley, thrives. This grape variety is called Bergeron in Savoy and received a special status under the name Vin de Savoie Chignin-Bergeron . The areas can spill over to the neighboring communities of Francin and Montmélian . The golden yellow wines with an abundance of aromas such as lemon, mango and quince enjoy an excellent reputation. The best examples can compete with the excellent white wines of the northern Rhône. Almost 3000 hectoliters of wine are bottled under this name every year.

The cheese fondue known as fondue savoyarde is often accompanied by a Crus Apremont wine

On the opposite side of the valley lies the Vin de Savoie Apremont, the most important cru of the entire Savoie wine-growing region. Almost 28 percent of Savoy's white wines come from here. Approved vineyards are on the one hand in the eponymous municipality of Apremont , but also in Les Marches and Saint-Baldoph . The designation of origin is entirely dedicated to the Jacquère grape variety. The winemaker's goal is to keep the wine as fresh as possible. After fermentation , the wine is left on the yeast for as long as possible so that it will still sparkle slightly after being bottled. Apremont is often served with fondue savoyarde on site . Although it is the most famous wine in Savoy due to the volume of almost 26,000 hectoliters produced, it is certainly not the top quality in the region.

In the area of Apremont, the Mont Granier landslide occurred in 1248 (see also the history section). In this landslide, almost twelve square kilometers of land were devastated and several hamlets were buried. For almost 500 years this area, called Abymes, lay completely fallow. From the 18th century, the farmers began to grow wine on the barren area. Along with the Cru Vin de Savoie Apremont, the Vin de Savoie Abymes Denomination of Origin is the second most important in the Cluse de Chambéry. In parts of the municipalities of Apremont, Les Marches, Chapareillan and Myans , as in the case of Apremont, the Jacquère variety is grown. The special position only occurred from the point of view of a different terroir .

Combe de Savoie

The Grésivaudan (Vallée du Grésivaudan) is mainly located in the Isère department ; it is a valley of the French Alps and includes part of the lower reaches of the Isère river .

Panorama of the Grésivaudan as seen from Sept-Laux ;. Grenoble is on the left , Le Touvet in the middle , and the Savoie department on the right

The alluvial plain of the Isère between Grenoble and the mouth of the Arc is usually referred to as Grésivaudan . The area known as Combe Savoie lies between Montmélian at the intersection with the Cluse de Chambéry up to approx. 6 km before Albertville .

Immediately next to the Vin de Savoie Chignin wine-growing region, which is still in the Cluse de Chambéry, the Vin de Savoie Montmélian designation of origin follows . Distributed between the municipalities of Francin and Montmélian, the vineyards are in a good south-east orientation in the higher steep slopes of the municipalities. The lower plots have already fallen victim to the increasing development of the area. The most important grape variety is the white Jacquère, but encouraged by the success of the Roussanne variety in the nearby area of the Vin de Savoie Chignin-Bergeron (see Cluse de Chambéry), this variety from the Rhône is increasingly being tried.
The neighboring municipality of Montmélian, Arbin is home to almost 30 hectares of the Crus Vin de Savoie Arbin . Despite the geographical proximity, the type of wine is completely different. The black soils of the Oxfordium opened up here favor the cultivation of the red Mondeuse variety. Almost 2000 hectoliters of storable wine are produced annually and are an eloquent example of the influence of geology on the type of wine. The island location of this type is reinforced by the fact that white wine again dominates not far to the northeast near Cruet.
In the municipality of Cruet , a total of 70 hectares are approved for growing the Crus Vin de Savoie Cruet . However, significantly less is actually grown, so that an average of 1500 hectoliters of white grape varieties Chardonnay, Jacquère and Altesse as well as the red Gamay and Mondeuse are produced.
Not far from Cruet is the commune of Saint-Jean-de-la-Porte . Viticulture is only slowly gaining a foothold here. Currently, 1200 hectoliters of a red wine from the Mondeuse grape variety, which bears the name Vin de Savoie Saint-Jean-de-la-Porte , are produced with an increasing tendency .

At Cruet, the Chardonnay, Jacquère and Altesse grape varieties dominate
Vineyards near Montmélian
The Savoie wine-growing region near Chignin

Grape varieties

Compared to the size of the wine-growing area, the variety of grape varieties grown is high. The mix of varieties is the result of a mixture of influences from the Rhône and the Jura as well as alpine-specific conditions: with almost 70 percent of the vineyard area, the white varieties predominate. The hybrid vines Noah , Othello , Clinton , Jacquez , Isabella and Herbemont , which are banned in France, have completely disappeared .

White grape varieties

The most important variety in Savoy is the Jacquère grape variety . With almost 1,000 hectares of planted vineyards, which are almost exclusively in the Savoie department, it covers almost half of the total area of the cultivation area. In particular, in the vineyards of the Cluse de Chambéry and the Combe de Savoie, it represents the livelihood of the winemaker. In deep, fertile soils their income without a corresponding rigorous is Vines very high. Under these conditions, as a mass carrier, it produces weakly aromatic, dry white wines. On the other hand, the variety has a reputation for absorbing the different site conditions (→ terroir ) on a par with a sponge and lending each wine its own character. It is worth comparing the white wines of the Crus Vin de Vavoie Abymes and Vin de Savoie Chignin . Both plants are within the Cluse de Chambéry barely 2 km apart. Chignin's wines are light and aromatic. The vines grown on the opposite side of the valley, on the other hand, produce heavier but less aromatic wines.

The Altesse grape variety , which is called Roussette in Savoie , is becoming increasingly popular . In Savoie, the variety is called Roussette (French: Roux) because of its slightly rusty red color. The name Altesse (literally Highness) describes their quality as a supplier of interesting and good white wines more aptly. Similar to the Hungarian Furmint, their wine is characterized by a fine, almost exotic scent. Pierre Galet also recognizes a great similarity between the two varieties in the ampelographic description . Because of its quality, the variety has its own designation of origin. The Roussette de Savoie appellation, with its sub-regions Marestel , Monterminod , Monthoux and Frangy, knows the most suitable locations for this variety. But the wines also convince in the Roussette de Seyssel and Roussette du Bugey appellations. The only downer of this grape variety is its susceptibility to frost and gray mold rot . This susceptibility leads to irregular yields of this already weak and late-ripening variety. At the end of the 1990s, the area under vines in the Savoie department was 156 hectares, in Haute-Savoie 31 hectares and in the Ain department 105 hectares.

The Chardonnay grape has been known in Savoy since the late 1950s. Only since the end of the 1990s have attempts been made to develop the character of the internationally known variety of Burgundy separately. Originally, however, it was intended as a blending partner to the Jacquère variety to give the wine more aroma and finesse. However, this rarely succeeded. Since the 2000 vintage , its importance as a blending partner for the Roussette grape has also declined. In the white wine Roussette de Savoie, the proportion of Chardonnay was at least 50 percent. The grape variety thrives more successfully and better in the Ain department, where it is the most common white variety in the Bugey wines. At the end of the 1990s, the area under vines was 98 hectares in the Savoie department, 7 hectares in the Haute-Savoie and 183 hectares in the Ain department.

The Gutedel grape variety plays an important role, especially near Lake Geneva

The Gutedel ( called Chasselas here ) has been proven to have flourished on the shores of Lake Geneva since the 13th century. The variety known in Switzerland as Fendant makes light white wines with a very delicate aroma. In addition to the designation of origin Crépy , which is exclusively dedicated to the Gutedel, it is included in the three Crus Ripaille , Marin and Marignan , all of which are defined as a sub-region of Vin de Savoie.

Roussanne got its name similar to the Roussette variety, presumably because of its rust-red color, which the berries show when fully ripe. The wines have a strong acidity and a long-lasting aroma. Similar to the Roussette variety, however, the yields are weak and irregular. In Savoie, the variety is often called Bergeron and provides the basic material for the Crus Vin de Savoie Chignin . The storable wines are fine and aromatic. At the end of the 1990s, the area under vines in the Savoie department was almost 50 hectares.

The Molette variety produces neutral wines with a very strong, almost steely acidity. It is therefore used to produce basic wines for Seyssel's sparkling wines . The aroma of this sparkling wine is contributed by the Roussette grape variety.

The Savagnin grape variety , which is mainly distributed in the Jura , grows under the name Gringet near the municipality of Ayse . Together with the base wines of Altesse and Roussette d'Ayze , a sparkling wine with the name Vin de Savoie d'Ayze is created . The sparkling wines have a very strong acid structure.

In addition, one can find the grapes very modest extent Aligoté , Mondeuse Blanche , Pinot Gris (here Pinot gris called) Verdesse , Gouais Blanc , early Roter Veltliner , Bia Blanc , Bourboulenc , Clairette Blanche , Marsanne and Gros Meslier . Small remnants of the hybrid grapes Seyval Blanc and Rayon d'Or are still used in inferior table wines of the region.

Red grape varieties

Although the Gamay made its way from the northern Rhône valley to the Savoie late, it has been the most widespread red grape variety since the 1970s. Logically, it is one of the leading varieties of red and rosé wines in the regional appellation of origin Vin de Savoie. Despite its wide distribution, the Beaujolais variety is not one of the typical representatives of the alpine grape varieties and consequently only finds the ideal site conditions in the Chautagne region north of Lac du Bourget.

The most typical of the red grape varieties is the mondeuse . It was the main variety in the region before phylloxera destroyed almost all of the viticulture. The subsequent concentration on the poor soils that really appealed to it led to a renaissance of the Mondeuse in the last 15 years (as of 2008). It delivers deep red wines with a strong taste that are reminiscent of top Italian wines from the north. Although it is often confused with the Terrano grape variety from Friuli , known as Refosco nostrano , according to Pierre Galet, both grape varieties are at best related to one another, but not identical. A relationship would be conceivable due to the close ties between Savoy and northern Italy. Attempts with the aging in small oak barrels (see also the article Barrique ) are very promising, as the wine loses its strong bite and its peppery note a little.

The third leading variety in the region is the Spätburgunder (Pinot noir), which, like the Gamay, came to the region late and has only been grown to a significant extent since the 1980s. In particular, in the Cluse de Chambéry, the valley furrow near Chambéry, appealing red wines are produced and thus a further expansion of the vineyard area with Pinot noir can be expected.

In addition to the three leading varieties , the autochthonous varieties Persan and Étraire de la Dui are also grown, both of which can produce wines similar to the Mondeuse variety, but are more critical in terms of cultivation. Smaller experimental cultivations with the Cabernet varieties Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon are still unsatisfactory. The Douce Noire Grise variety, still very popular in the late 1960s, has almost completely disappeared due to its poor yields. The varieties Poulsard , Merlot , Durif , Aramon , Servanin , Hibou Noir and the colored grapes Gamay de Bouze , Gamay de Chaudenay and Gamay Fréaux lead a shadowy existence .

The hybrid vines Plantet , Chambourcin , Landal Noir , Grand Noir de la Calmette , Alicante Bouschet , Maréchal Foch , Florental , Chancellor , Baco Noir , Roi des Noirs , Rosette , Seinoir , Oberlin Noir and Villard Noir are only used in households in climatically unfavorable locations or go to inferior table wines (Vin de table).

climate

Much of the region is too mountainous to cultivate wine there. According to Mortillet, the average annual temperature in the region drops by 1 ° C for every 116 meters of altitude. Above 600 m, the temperature difference is 1 ° C for every 247 m difference in altitude.

Average temp.	Jan.	Feb	March	Apr	May	Jun.	Jul.	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	year
Albertville (340 m)	0.7 ° C	2.6 ° C	6.9 ° C	10.6 ° C	14.6 ° C	18.2 ° C	20.1 ° C	19.4 ° C	16.2 ° C	11.1 ° C	5.8 ° C	2.2 ° C	10.7 ° C
Annecy (448 m)	- 0.6 ° C	1.2 ° C	5.3 ° C	9.0 ° C	13.2 ° C	14.6 ° C	19.0 ° C	18.0 ° C	15.1 ° C	9.7 ° C	4.9 ° C	0.9 ° C	9.4 ° C
Bourg-Saint-Maurice (841 m)	- 1.1 ° C	- 0.1 ° C	3.0 ° C	7.2 ° C	11.0 ° C	15.2 ° C	18.0 ° C	17.0 ° C	14.3 ° C	9.0 ° C	4.0 ° C	- 0.3 ° C	8.1 ° C

Even in valleys, days with frost are frequent and even near the city of Chambéry there are almost 100 days a year when the thermometer occasionally sinks below 0 ° C. The local grape varieties are ideally adapted to this situation.

However, the influence of the Mediterranean climate can already be felt in particularly protected locations near large bodies of water. Almond, apricot and olive trees thrive on the shores of Lac du Bourget and in the Chautagne to the north of the lake. The higher the vineyard area, the more important it is to have a southern exposure in a steep location. In this way, the solar radiation can be optimally used and cold air can flow into lower areas.

On average, the sun shines for almost 1870 hours a year. Due to early shadow formation in the morning and evening hours, this value can be corrected to almost 2000 hours / year for viticulture. In France, the area ranks in the middle, as the sunshine duration there is between 1600 and 2800 hours, depending on the location.

According to the climate classification by Albert Julius Winkler and Maynard A. Amerine , Chindrieux has a 30-year mean heat total of 1,373.3 ° C. To determine this total, the daily mean temperatures of all days between the beginning of April and the end of September are added, provided the mean value for the day is greater than or equal to 10 ° C. According to the results of the Americans Winkler & Amerine, viticulture is only commercially possible if the total heat is at least 1000 ° C and the annual mean temperature is 10 ° C.

With a value of 1373.3 ° C, the conditions in Chindrieux on the north bank of Lac du Bourget are significantly more favorable than those in Epernay in Champagne (1170 °) or in Colmar in the Alsace wine-growing region (1113.3 °). In the German city of Geisenheim at the 50th parallel, the long-term average is approx. 1040 ° C.

The region is one of the wettest in France. The annual rainfall increases from south to north, so that the areas in the northern Haute-Savoie department receive the highest amounts of rainfall after the Jura department . While the amount in the areas reserved for viticulture is approx. 1000 to 1200 mm / year, in the high mountains it increases to over 2000 mm / year, provided that the location is on the windward side of the mountain ranges.

Rainfall	Jan.	Feb	March	Apr	May	Jun.	Jul.	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	year
Albertville (340 m)	84 mm	83 mm	102 mm	92 mm	82 mm	90 mm	90 mm	103 mm	95 mm	117 mm	105 mm	118 mm	1161 mm
Annecy (448 m)	67 mm	72 mm	111 mm	111 mm	122 mm	114 mm	103 mm	124 mm	113 mm	141 mm	119 mm	116 mm	1313 mm
Bourg-Saint-Maurice (841 m)	58 mm	61 mm	86 mm	94 mm	81 mm	84 mm	84 mm	93 mm	72 mm	107 mm	74 mm	89 mm	983 mm

The moisture is mostly brought into the area with the prevailing winds from the south-westerly direction. This wind is called Traverse in Savoie . Most of the vineyards are located on south-facing slopes to protect themselves from the cold north wind, the Bise , which is also frequently blowing . In spring, the wind bise can bring devastating frosts for viticulture.

In autumn, warm, humid south winds often bring thunderstorms.

geology

An overview of the French western Alps; the vineyards are formed around the pre-alpine mountains of Chablais, Bauges and Chartreuse, which are part of the French Limestone Alps

The Grésivaudan marks the border between the French pre-Alps , which consist mainly of limestone massifs ( Bauges , Chartreuse and Vercors ), and the actual Alps, which consist predominantly of granite and metamorphic rocks ( Vanoise massif , Belledonne ). It is part of the alpine furrow ("Sillon alpin"), a group of valleys and depressions in the south-south-west - north-north-east orientation, and includes the lower reaches of the Drac , the upper Grésivaudan, the valley of the Arly and the upper reaches of the Arve and partly the valley from Chamonix . Geologically, one can also add the upper reaches of the Rhone in Switzerland ( canton Valais ). The Sillon alpin thus extends over the departments Isère, Savoie and Haute-Savoie.

From a structural geological point of view, the Chablais, Bauges and Chartreuse foothills each form a mountain range on the edge of the western Alps. They consist of a thick layer of Mesozoic sediments deposited in the Tethys Ocean . The sequence of layers extends from the lower Jurassic period (Lias, about 200 million years ago) to the Upper Cretaceous (about 65 million years ago). During this long period of time, numerous clayey, marly layers and limestone layers were sedimented. While the latter indicate conditions in a warm shallow sea , the marly layers mainly originate from periods with cooler water and at least partially deep-sea conditions (sediments were deposited in the deep sea). The thickness of the sediment layers shows considerable regional variations within the individual massifs. For example, the thickness of the layers from the Lower Cretaceous increases significantly in a profile from west to east.

In the early Tertiary, more sands, marls and limestone settled over the sediments of the Mesozoic . In the course of the Tertiary, these sediment layers were lifted above sea level in the course of the folding of the Alps and pushed together to form a mountain range of folds. From this point on, erosion (by water, wind and ice) started and transported the debris to the foothills of the Alps. The ancient tertiary sediments were therefore largely eroded. In the Miocene, a sea basin opened on the western edge of the massif, which was filled over time by the erosion material from the rising mountains.

The various uplift and subsidence processes led to the formation of numerous faults , fault lines and displacements. During the Ice Ages , the glaciers made a significant contribution to the modeling of the relief and the planing of the broad valley furrows that border the individual massifs of Chablais, Bauges and Chartreuse.

Economic importance of viticulture in the Savoie department

In 2006, the winegrowers' turnover was 19 percent of the total added value produced by agriculture. A total of 800 winemakers are registered, 50% of whom are part-time winemakers. The area under vines has increased by 30% in the last ten years (as of 2006), and half of the 135,000 hectoliters of wine (this corresponds to approx. 18 million bottles) remains in the department for local consumption. The rest is mainly consumed in the rest of France or bought by the numerous tourists in the region. For a number of years it has been noted with concern that stocks at winegrowers are increasing. As in other wine-growing regions in France, this is seen as a sign of the global wine-growing crisis .

history

The presence of the wild grapevine Vitis vinifera sylvestris can be traced back to the Paleolithic in the nearby French Mediterranean region . With a gradual global warming after the last ice age, the distribution area of the wild grapevine expanded to the north via the Rhône valley. In the Alpine foothills of the French department of Savoy, the presence of the vine can be traced back to the 6th century BC. And in archaeological sites at Lac d'Annecy , the cores of noble vines could be dated back to the Iron Age .

The Roman occupation

While it is generally accepted that the art of viticulture was brought to the south of France in a perfect form by the Greeks, genetic analyzes confirmed that the French grape varieties differ significantly from the Greek and Italian. It is therefore considered certain that the wine produced by the Celtic people of the Allobroger was pressed using autochthonous varieties. The Roman historians Pliny the Elder and Columella report on Celtic viticulture and mention the Vitis Allobrogica grape variety , whose identity has not yet been clarified. Columella in particular mentioned that the Romans arrived in the region between the Rhône and the Alps around the year 120 BC. Vines found. It can be assumed that they were responsible for an expansion of the vineyards and also made it possible to export the wine to Italy. The Allobrogers used the wine primarily as a commercial good, which they exported to the higher regions of Savoy.

In the Archaeological Museum of Aix-les-Bains there is an 11th century stone on display, the inscription of which attests to local viticulture.

The growing influence of the monasteries

The Novalese Abbey

The will drawn up in 739 by Abbo of Provence in favor of the Novalese monastery is an important source for the history of Provence in the early 8th century and is the first written testimony to viticulture in Savoy. Up until the 11th century, the proportion of vineyards cultivated by monasteries increased steadily through a series of donations.

The cultivated areas spread during the Medieval Warm Period up to altitudes of up to 1000 m and more. In addition to satisfying local needs, the wines could be exported to nearby Switzerland and Avignon . The largest customer at that time, however, was the diocese of Grenoble.

In addition to an abundance of badly made wines, some privileged locations such as the south bank of Lake Geneva, the region around Seyssel, the Chautagne north of the Lac du Bourget, the locations west of the Montagne du Chat, the Cluse de Chambéry and the Combe de peeled off over the centuries Savoie out. These locations experienced their first heyday in the 13th century, as consumption increased due to the growing interest of a growing middle class and aristocratic houses.

The Mont Granier disaster

On the night of November 24th to 25th, 1248, after heavy rains, a landslide occurred on the 1933 m high Mont Granier .

The Mont Granier; The place where Mont Granier broke apart can still be recognized from the steep face

The Mont Granier is located at the southern end of the Cluse de Chambéry not far from the intersection of the mountain valleys Vallée du Grésivaudan and Combe de Savoie. The loosened rock mass was only stopped at a distance of 7.5 km on the moraine hills of the villages of Les Marches and Myans. The parishes of Cognin, Vourey, Saint André (seat of a deanery), Granier and Saint-Péran, which were made up of a total of 16 hamlets, were buried under the rubble. The rock mass spread over an area of almost 25 km² with a maximum width of 6.5 km and a height between 10 and 100 m, which equates to an estimated volume of at least 250 million cubic meters, but more likely almost 500 million cubic meters. The exact number of victims is not known, but today it is estimated from 1000 to 2000 victims. Reports of up to 5,000 deaths seem unrealistic, since at the time the city of Chambéry had hardly more than 3,000 inhabitants and was by far the largest municipality in the region.

The scree field was subsequently called Abymes by the inhabitants of the area, which corresponds to an old French expression for throat, throat or abyss (see also the expression mise en abyme ). Only a few centuries later, the scree field was made usable for viticulture. Vin de Savoie Abymes Designation of Origin wines are made from vines that grow on this soil.

Savoy under the Dukes of Savoy

In 1556, Emanuel Philibert was forced to curb the overproduction of wine. In a first phase, he stipulated that the area under vines in a region could not exceed 30% of the total agriculturally usable area. Three years later he issued the first regulations regulating the harvest, and from 1567 the duke levied a tax on wine.

Viticulture flourished between the 16th century and the end of the 19th century. Due to the geographically and politically isolated location of Savoy, the wines could be sold on the local market with practically no competition. For a long time the classic tree training of the vines was used. The vine is a climbing plant , the wild vines grow on trees and spread their leaves over the treetops. The winemakers made this natural growth their own. However, they did not let the vines grow beyond the treetop because the grapes were difficult to harvest at this height, but instead stretched the growing shoots from tree to tree at overhead height so that they formed garlands. It was not until the 18th century that new systems of vine training were introduced, which had a positive influence on the quality of the wines through a corresponding correction in yield. In addition, the practice of the mixed rate was abandoned and the vineyards were planted in rows according to grape varieties.

Savoy as the 84th department of France

On September 22, 1792, French revolutionary troops entered the area without declaring war. Just seven days later, the region was defined as the 84th department of France. Between 1792 and 1815, Savoy was part of France and initially formed the Mont-Blanc department. Following a general movement of the French Revolution, the possessions of the church and the nobility were expropriated. The larger wineries were first owned by the local bourgeoisie. In this short time, however, contacts were made with recognized experts in viticulture in France. The improvements in hygiene in the wine cellar suggested by Jean-Antoine Chaptal were therefore quickly adopted.

On the occasion of the Second Paris Peace was on November 20, 1815 by King Friedrich Wilhelm III. Signed by Prussia , Emperor Franz I of Austria and Tsar Alexander I of Russia . France was given the borders of 1790. After the fall of Napoleon in 1814, Victor Emanuel got the Piedmont and Savoy back, after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 he also received the former Republic of Genoa . After the death of his brother in 1819 he became Duke of Savoy. Viktor Emanuel was a reactionary ruler who was unpopular with the people. After a Carbonari uprising , he abdicated on March 13, 1821 as King of Sardinia in favor of his brother Karl Felix (but remained Duke of Savoy until his death). Because he was not present, he first appointed his liberal nephew Karl Albert as regent, who immediately initiated measures to liberalize the situation and passed a new constitution. A few days later, however, Karl Felix arrived with an Austrian army. He reversed the actions of Karl Albert and sent him to Spain. Nevertheless, Karl Albert was to become his successor in 1831. From 1831 the large wineries, which were initially managed by the bourgeoisie, were definitely broken up and the vineyards were transferred to the farmers of the region.

In the first half of the 19th century, Sardinia-Piedmont then played - with French support - the decisive role in the Italian unification process. In gratitude for the help in the war against Austria and in the unification of Italy, the Risorgimento , which made the kings of Sardinia-Piedmont become kings of Italy, Sardinia-Piedmont joined its ancestral home Savoy and the county of Nice on March 24, 1860 French Empire.

The time of crises

On October 20, 1856, the railway line from Aix-les-Bains to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne was inaugurated. The resulting simplified trade made the importation of wines from the south of France much easier and led to new consumer behavior among the local population. Between 1876 and 1893, the growing area was finally hit by powdery mildew , phylloxera , downy mildew and finally black rot of the vine (also known as black-red ).

From 1892 on, renovation measures began in the vineyards. On the one hand, hybrid vines (e.g. varieties of the Seibel vine family ) were increasingly used, to which a corresponding resistance was crossed by crossing European noble vines with phylloxera-resistant American wild vines. In addition to the resistance, some of these varieties had the advantage of early ripeness with high frost resistance at the same time, so that they were used especially in the highlands of Savoy. As an alternative to the fight against phylloxera, European noble vines were grafted onto a resistant rootstock . The latter technique has become the norm in European viticulture and represents the proportion of vines that are suitable for quality viticulture.

As part of the new planting of the vineyards, the quality-oriented wire frame training of the vines was consistently applied and the traditional tree training abolished. The reform in agriculture carried out from 1831 by distributing the land to the rural population was accelerated considerably by the crisis situation.

The 20th century

The crisis in viticulture would last until 1905. After that, most of the areas were laid out again and were in production.

The loss of earnings in the course of the phylloxera crisis and the lack of vigorous wines, as they come from young vineyards, were met with dubious methods by the wine trade. After the difficult years of World War I, 1922 turned out to be fatal. Rioting led to a sharp drop in prices and consumer confidence was no longer there. In addition to falling prices, the wine trade collapsed. Several winters with heavy frosts and the global economic crisis in 1929 caused further setbacks. During this time, the area under vines in Savoy was reduced by almost 50 percent.

In order to restore the damaged reputation, a first law was passed in Paris as early as 1911, which delimited the areas of origin and was intended to put an end to the usual panhandling. This law was confirmed in 1936 with the introduction of the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée . The winemakers around Seyssel on the Rhône were the first to apply for AOC status in the Savoy region in 1937. They finally received the status in 1942 after extensive preparatory work. In 1948, the definition of the Crépy wine region followed. Six years later, the Vin de Savoie Denomination of Origin was introduced. The designation of origin, initially classified as VDQS, rose to the rank of AOC in 1973.

The situation today

The reorganization of the vineyards resulting from the definition of the designation of origin is clearly evident in the current age structure of the vineyards. Only 26% of the area is planted with vines that are younger than 10 years old. Almost half of the sticks are more than 20 years old, 40% are more than 30 years old.

In line with an international trend, the proportion of part-time winemakers with areas smaller than one hectare is decreasing. While the production volume has been increasing slowly since 1980, the number of winemakers is decreasing by four to five percent annually. The areas abandoned by the part-time winemakers are mostly taken over by larger wine-growing businesses. As a result, the proportion of businesses with areas of more than five hectares is constantly increasing.

literature

Jancis Robinson : The Oxford Wine Lexicon. 2nd, completely revised edition. Hallwag, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-7742-0914-6 .
Pierre Galet : Cépages et Vignobles de France . Lavoisier Publishing House, Paris 2004, ISBN 2-7430-0585-8 .
Benoît France: Grand Atlas des Vignobles de France . Éditions SOLAR publishing house, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-263-03242-8 .

Individual evidence

↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from August 8, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. La Savoie au Moyen-Age, 1032-1536 in French, author: Guido Castelnuovo @1@ 2

↑ Christopher Foulkes and Michael Broadbent; Wine Encyclopedia: The world's wine regions; ECO Verlag, p. 261; ISBN 3-934519-28-8

↑ La vigne dans l'Isère , in Journal de viticulture pratique , N ° 245, published in 1872

^ Pascal Ribéreau-Gayon : Traité d'oenologie; Microbiologie du vin , 5th edition, Dunod-Paris, 1998-2004, ISBN 2-10-007301-X

↑ GERBER Frédéric, GRANCHA Christophe, SILHOUETTE Hélène. You vin dans la ville: you pépin de raisin au double casse-cou. In Archéologia, 424, July-August, 2005.

[1] Archived copy ( memento of the original from August 8, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. La Savoie au Moyen-Age, 1032-1536 in French, author: Guido Castelnuovo @1@ 2

[2] Christopher Foulkes and Michael Broadbent; Wine Encyclopedia: The world's wine regions; ECO Verlag, p. 261; ISBN 3-934519-28-8

[3] La vigne dans l'Isère , in Journal de viticulture pratique , N ° 245, published in 1872

[4] Pascal Ribéreau-Gayon : Traité d'oenologie; Microbiologie du vin , 5th edition, Dunod-Paris, 1998-2004, ISBN 2-10-007301-X

[5] GERBER Frédéric, GRANCHA Christophe, SILHOUETTE Hélène. You vin dans la ville: you pépin de raisin au double casse-cou. In Archéologia, 424, July-August, 2005.