Appellation
Cassis
Identity card
RegionalAOPRedWhiteRosé
Provence · Recognised on 15 May 1936
Key points
- In the single commune of Cassis, some twenty km from Marseille.
- Yield and maximum yield are equal: at most 45 hl/ha, for all three colours.
- Natural alcohol at least 11% for white and rosé, 11.5% for red.
Grape varieties
White
Accessory varieties: Bourboulenc, Pascal, Sauvignon Blanc, Terret Blanc, Ugni Blanc
Clairette, Marsanne · at least 60% of the holding's vines
Marsanne · 30 to 80% of the holding's vines
Terret Blanc · 5% at most of the holding's vines
In the blend: Marsanne 20 to 80%, principal grapes at least 60%
Rosé
Accessory varieties: Barbaroux, Bourboulenc, Carignan, Clairette, Marsanne, Pascal, Sauvignon Blanc, Terret Noir, Ugni Blanc
Cinsaut, Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre · at least 70% of the holding's vines
Bourboulenc, Clairette, Marsanne, Pascal, Sauvignon Blanc, Ugni Blanc · 20% at most of the holding's vines
Terret Noir · 5% at most of the holding's vines
Red
Allowed as a small share of the red wine: Barbaroux, Carignan, Terret Noir
Cinsaut, Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre · at least 70% of the holding's vines
Terret Noir · 5% at most of the holding's vines
Production rules
45
hl/ha
Maximum yield
11
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
Minimum ageing: Until at least 15 January 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 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 ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: Amphitheatre on the bay; vines at about 10 to 150 m
- Soils: Well-drained clay-limestone, often on terraces
- Climate: Sheltered from the mistral; 3,000 h of sun, 670 mm a year
Wine style
- White
- dry and round
- floral, fruity, balsamic
- almost salty liveliness
- Red
- Leather
- Forest floor
- present, rounded tannins
AOC geographical area (by commune; not a vineyard plot delimitation): INAO, geographical areas of quality and origin labels (October 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
5 December 2025
Arrêté du 5 décembre 2025 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Cassis » (JORF du 18 décembre 2025 ; publié au Bulletin officiel du ministère de l'agriculture le 25 décembre 2025), abrogeant le décret n°2011-1505 du 10 novembre 2011. Appellation initialement reconnue par le décret du 15 mai 1936.
Labelling terms
- The name of a registered lieu-dit may appear on the label
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Cassis »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
- Official sourceDélimitation des aires géographiques des SIQO (jeu de données ouvert de l'INAO)— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / data.gouv.fr
On the single commune of Cassis, at Marseille's doorstep, one of the very first appellations d'origine contrôlée in France, recognised by decree on 15 May 1936 — the same year as Châteauneuf-du-Pape. All three colours are authorised, but Cassis remains first and foremost a white wine appellation, built on Clairette and Marsanne, the latter required to make up between 30% and 80% of the vines planted for white wine.
Mini-challenge
Cassis
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