Appellation
Pécharmant
Identity card
AOPRed
South West France · Recognised on 12 March 1946
Key points
- Red only, from four communes, Bergerac among them.
- At least three grapes per wine, none above 65%.
- Aged at least until 15 August of the year after the harvest.
Grape varieties
Red wine only
Allowed varieties
MerlotCabernet FrancCabernet SauvignonCot
Merlot · 65% at most of the holding's vines
Cabernet Franc · 65% at most of the holding's vines
Cabernet Sauvignon · 65% at most of the holding's vines
Cot · 65% at most of the holding's vines
At least three grapes per wine, none above 65% of the blend
Production rules
50
hl/ha
Maximum yield
11.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
4,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: At least until 15 August 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 84 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 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 84 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: Hills north-east of Bergerac, curving to face south
- Soils: Sandy clays with flint and pebbles; iron-rich clay
- Climate: Tempered oceanic, sheltered from the north by forest
Wine style
- dark, dense colour
- full-bodied, firmly built
- rich in tannin
- for keeping
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
4 April 2018
Specification approved by decree no. 2011-1801 of 6 December 2011 (JORF no. 0284 of 8 December 2011), amended by the order of 24 April 2017, then by the order of 4 April 2018 (JORF no. 0085 of 12 April 2018, text no. 35). Appellation first recognised by the decree of 12 March 1946.
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Pécharmant »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
An appellation for red wine only, on the slopes overlooking Bergerac to the north-east, facing south and sheltered from northerly winds by forest. The four Bordeaux grapes (Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Côt, Merlot) are blended here, at least three in each wine and none above 65%. The name is said to come from a lieu-dit, "Pech-charman": "pech" is Occitan for hill, hence "charming hill".
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Pécharmant
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