Appellation
Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh
Identity card
AOPWhiteSweet
South West France · Recognised on 10 July 1948
Key points
- The name alone is the sweet wine; the dry one says "sec".
- Sweet: hand-picked, Petit Manseng in successive passes.
- Sweet: at least 45 g/l of sugar; "sec": at most 4 g/l.
Grape varieties
Sweet
Accessory varieties: Arrufiac (grape entry not yet written), Courbu, Gros Manseng, Petit Courbu, Sauvignon Blanc
Petit Manseng · at least 60% of the holding's vines
Petit Manseng · at least 60% of the blend
Sauvignon Blanc · 10% at most of the holding's vines
White
Petit CourbuPetit MansengGros Manseng
Accessory varieties: Arrufiac (grape entry not yet written), Courbu, Sauvignon Blanc
Petit Courbu, Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng · at least 60% of the holding's vines
Petit Courbu, Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng · at least 60% of the blend
Sauvignon Blanc · 10% at most of the holding's vines
Production rules
40
hl/ha
Maximum yield
14.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
Minimum ageing: Sweet: at least until 15 March of the year 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 110 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 14.5 % ABV across 59 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: Five north-south ridges (échines), west of the Adour
- Soils: Clay-limestone on molasse; boulbènes on gentle slopes
- Climate: Mild oceanic; a warm, dry foehn in autumn
Wine style
- White
- white and tropical fruit
- floral
- acidity wrapped in richness
- Sweet
- fruit to the fore
- rich texture
- candied, honeyed with age
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
26 November 2025
Order of 26 November 2025 approving the specification of the AOC “Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh” (JORF no. 0280 of 29 November 2025, text no. 38; published in the Bulletin officiel of the Ministry of Agriculture on 11 December 2025). Appellation first recognised by the decree of 10 July 1948.
Labelling terms
- "Sec": compulsory for the dry wine, right after the name
- A registered lieu-dit may appear, just below or above the name
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
The white appellation of the Vic-Bilh, Madiran's neighbour, across the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées and Gers. The name alone means a sweet wine, from hand-picked grapes, Petit Manseng in successive passes as it shrivels on the vine; the word "sec" marks the dry wine. Petit Manseng is a principal variety for both.
Mini-challenge
Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh
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