Appellation
Quarts de Chaume
Identity card
VillageAOPSweet
Loire Valley · Recognised on 10 August 1954
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- Some forty hectares of the Chaume lands, at Rochefort-sur-Loire.
- At most 20 hl/ha; at least 18% natural alcohol; over 85 g/l of sugar.
- No enrichment; hand-picked in successive passes.
Grape varieties
Production rules
20
hl/ha
Maximum yield
18
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
5,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: At least until 1 July 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: 20 hl/ha to 50 hl/ha across 9 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: 12 % ABV to 18 % ABV across 9 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 6,500 vines/ha across 6 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Aspect: Foot of a steep south-facing slope, in a river bend
- Soils: Brioverian schist; very thin clay soils
- Climate: Tempered oceanic, sheltered by the Mauges: 600 mm a year
Wine style
- powerful and delicate
- great complexity
- sweetness and nerve
- touch of bitterness
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
7 October 2022
Order of 7 October 2022 approving the specification of the AOC “Quarts de Chaume”, JORF no. 0238 of 13 October 2022, text no. 20 (BO no. 43 of 20 October 2022). Appellation first recognised by the decree of 10 August 1954.
Labelling terms
- The term "grand cru" may follow the appellation's name
- The geographical name "Val de Loire" may be added
- A registered lieu-dit may be named, in smaller type
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Quarts de Chaume »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
On the single commune of Rochefort-sur-Loire (Maine-et-Loire), Quarts de Chaume covers some forty south-facing hectares at the foot of a steep slope, inside a bend of the Layon. Recognised in 1954, the appellation makes only sweet white wines from Chenin Blanc alone, from overripe grapes concentrated on the vine, with or without noble rot, and picked by hand in successive passes. Enrichment of any kind is banned, and the appellation's name may be followed by the term "grand cru".
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Quarts de Chaume
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