Appellation
Muscat de Lunel
Identity card
AOPFortified
Languedoc-Roussillon · Recognised on 27 October 1943
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- A white vin doux naturel from Muscat à Petits Grains alone, on four communes.
- Musts of at least 252 g/l of sugar; at most 30 hl of must/ha.
- Mutage: neutral spirit, 5–10% of the must in pure alcohol.
Grape varieties
Production rules
Minimum ageing: Except Muscat de Noël: at least until 31 January of the year after the harvest
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: Gently sloping hills between Nîmes and Montpellier
- Soils: "Gress": rounded pebbles in red clay
- Climate: Mistral and sea breeze; rarely over 700 mm a year
Wine style
- fresh Muscat
- sometimes lemony
- full and rich
- citrus on the palate
- freshness
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
29 December 2025
Order of 29 December 2025 approving the specification of the AOC “Muscat de Lunel” (JORF no. 0005 of 7 January 2026, text no. 13; BO agri no. 03 of 15 January 2026). Appellation first recognised by the decree of 27 October 1943.
Labelling terms
- "Muscat de Noël": bottled by 1 December of the harvest year
- "Muscat de Noël": the vintage must appear on the label
- The words "vin doux naturel" appear on the label
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Muscat de Lunel »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
An appellation for white vins doux naturels on four communes in the east of the Hérault, around Lunel, between Nîmes and Montpellier. The vines grow on gently sloping hills built from Rhône alluvium, on rounded pebbles bound in red clay, known locally as "gress". The wine comes solely from Muscat à Petits Grains, fortified with neutral spirit during fermentation. The term "Muscat de Noël" marks a wine bottled in the year of the harvest.
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Muscat de Lunel
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