Appellation
Ajaccio
Identity card
RegionalAOPWhiteRedRosé
Corsica · Recognised on 21 April 1971
Key points
- Recognised in 1971 as "Coteaux d'Ajaccio"; "Ajaccio" since 1984.
- Sciaccarello, "le craquant", is most at home here.
- At most 45 hl/ha; reds: at least 12% natural alcohol.
Grape varieties
White
Accessory varieties: Biancu Gentile (grape entry not yet written), Codivarta (grape entry not yet written), Genovese (grape entry not yet written), Ugni Blanc
Vermentino · at least 80% of the holding's vines
Biancu Gentile, Codivarta, Genovese · 10% at most of the holding's vines
Vermentino: at least 80% of every blend too
RedRosé
SciaccarelluNiellucciuBarbarouxVermentino
Accessory varieties: Grenache Noir, Cinsaut, Carignan, Aleatico (grape entry not yet written), Carcajolo (grape entry not yet written), Morrastel (grape entry not yet written)
Sciaccarellu, Niellucciu, Barbaroux, Vermentino · at least 60% of the holding's vines
Sciaccarellu · at least 40% of the holding's vines
Carignan · 15% at most of the holding's vines
Aleatico, Carcajolo, Morrastel · 10% at most of the holding's vines
Sciaccarello: at least 40% of every blend too
Production rules
45
hl/ha
Maximum yield
11.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
4,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are. For reference: 35 hl/ha to 80 hl/ha across 129 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 14 % ABV across 79 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 136 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
Terroir
- Soils: Light, poor, free-draining granite sands
- Lie of the land: East–west valleys opening onto the gulfs, up to 400 m
- Climate: Strongly maritime Mediterranean; 2,728 h of sun at Ajaccio
Wine style
- Red
- Blackcurrant
- Almond
- fine and elegant
- discreet tannins
- Rosé
- elegant and fine
- fruity
- spicy, sometimes mineral
- White
- dry
- minerality
- floral finesse
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
6 December 2019
Arrêté du 6 décembre 2019 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Ajaccio » (JORF du 8 décembre 2019, publié au Bulletin officiel le 12 décembre 2019). Le texte homologué situe la reconnaissance initiale au décret du 21 avril 1971, sous le nom « Coteaux d'Ajaccio » ; l'appellation propre « Ajaccio » n'est accordée que le 3 avril 1984, après réduction de la zone de 85 à 36 communes.
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Ajaccio »— INAO / Ministère de l'agriculture (Bulletin officiel)
- Official sourcePl@ntGrape — le catalogue des vignes cultivées en France— IFV, INRAE et Institut Agro Montpellier (UMT Géno-Vigne®)
- Official sourceVIVC passport data — SCIACCARELLO (variety number 10837)— Julius Kühn-Institut — Vitis International Variety Catalogue
An appellation built on the granite that dominates western Corsica, from the Gulf of Porto to the Gulf of Valinco, across 36 communes of Corse-du-Sud. Recognised as "Coteaux d'Ajaccio" by the decree of 21 April 1971, it took the name "Ajaccio" on 3 April 1984. Sciaccarello N, the principal red and rosé variety its cahier des charges nicknames "le craquant", finds its favoured ground here; vermentino B dominates the whites, with a minimum 80% share.
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