Appellation
Fitou
Identity card
RegionalAOPRed
Languedoc-Roussillon · Recognised on 28 April 1948
Key points
- Red only: at most 45 hl/ha, at least 12% natural alcohol.
- Four grapes, no Cinsault: Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah.
- Released from 1 May after the harvest.
Grape varieties
Red wine onlyCarignanGrenache Noir
Carignan, Grenache Noir · at least 60% of the holding's vines
Carignan · at least 20% of the holding's vines
Grenache Noir · at least 20% of the holding's vines
Mourvèdre, Syrah · at least 10% of the holding's vines
At least 2 grapes; none above 80% of the blend
The principal grapes are the majority of the blend
Production rules
45
hl/ha
Maximum yield
12
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
4,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: Until at least 15 April after the harvest
- 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 67 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 12.5 % ABV across 63 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 75 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: Two zones: the Leucate coast and the foot of Mont Tauch
- Soils: Clay-limestone on the coast; schist, limestone, sandstone
- Climate: Hot, dry Mediterranean, very often windy on the coast
Wine style
- powerful, firmly built
- rich in tannin
- red fruit, spice
- black fruit with age
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
10 April 2019
Arrêté du 10 avril 2019 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Fitou » (JORF n°0102 du 2 mai 2019, texte n°41 ; publié au Bulletin officiel du ministère de l'agriculture le 9 mai 2019). Appellation initialement reconnue par le décret du 28 avril 1948 — la première appellation d'origine contrôlée rouge du Languedoc.
Labelling terms
- The label may add the larger geographical unit "Languedoc"
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Fitou » (BO n° 19 du 9 mai 2019)— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Fitou »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO)
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
- Trade bodyVins du Languedoc — site officiel du Conseil interprofessionnel des vins IGP et AOC du Languedoc (CIVL)— Conseil interprofessionnel des vins IGP et AOC du Languedoc (CIVL)
The first appellation d'origine contrôlée for red wines recognised in Languedoc-Roussillon, in 1948, spread over nine communes of the Aude in two separate zones: a coastal strip around the Leucate lagoons and an inland zone at the foot of Mont Tauch, in the Corbières. Exclusively red, it rests on Grenache and Carignan, filled out by Mourvèdre and Syrah.
Mini-challenge
Fitou
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