Appellation
Saumur
Identity card
RegionalAOPWhiteRedRoséSparkling
Loire Valley · Recognised on 14 November 1936
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- Sparkling: second fermentation in bottle, at least 9 months on lees.
- Reds: Cabernet Franc, at most 30% of accessory grapes.
- Cellars dug into the tuffeau serve as ageing cellars.
Grape varieties
Red
Accessory varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pineau d'Aunis (30% at most of the holding's vines)
Cabernet Sauvignon, Pineau d'Aunis · 30% at most of the blend
"Puy-Notre-Dame": Cabernet Sauvignon at most 15%, no Pineau d'Aunis
Rosé
Allowed varieties
Cabernet FrancCabernet Sauvignon
Still rosé; rosé sparkling wine follows the sparkling list
Sparkling
Allowed varieties
Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Grolleau Gris, Grolleau, Pineau d'Aunis, Pinot Noir
Sauvignon Blanc · 10% at most of the blend
White blend: at least 60% Chenin Blanc; rosé: at least 60% Cabernet Franc
In italics, without a link: grapes with no entry yet.
Production rules
Red
57
hl/ha
Maximum yield
10.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
White
60
hl/ha
Maximum yield
10.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
Rosé
57
hl/ha
Maximum yield
10
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
Sparkling
67
hl/ha
Maximum yield
Minimum ageing: At least until the next 15 January (white, red); 9 months on lees (sparkling)
- 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.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Soils: Turonian tuffeau chalk: rendzinas, brown limestone soils
- Lie of the land: Slopes of the Thouet and Dive valleys, 40 to 110 m up
- Climate: Oceanic, sheltered by the Mauges: 550 to 600 mm a year
Wine style
- White
- dry, pale yellow
- fruit and white flowers
- fresh on the palate
- Red
- Strawberry
- Raspberry
- Cherry
- silky, supple tannins
- Sparkling
- fine, abundant bubbles
- fruit and white flowers
- pastry notes
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
13 May 2026
Order of 13 May 2026 approving the specification of the AOC “Saumur”, JORF no. 0116 of 19 May 2026, text no. 6 (BO no. 21 of 21 May 2026). Appellation first recognised by the decrees of 14 November 1936 (still whites), 9 September 1937 (still reds and rosés), 14 May 1938 (white sparkling wines) and 31 December 1957 (rosé sparkling wines).
Labelling terms
- "Puy-Notre-Dame": reds only, at most 50 hl/ha, at least 12% natural alcohol
- "Puy-Notre-Dame": aged until at least the next 1 June, vintage-dated
- Still rosé: "primeur" or "nouveau" allowed, then vintage-dated
- The geographical name "Vin de Loire" may be added
- 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 « Saumur »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
Around Saumur, south of the Loire, the appellation spreads over communes of Maine-et-Loire, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne, along the Thouet and Dive valleys. It makes still whites from Chenin Blanc alone, reds built on Cabernet Franc, rosés from the two Cabernets, and white and rosé sparkling wines made by a second fermentation in bottle. The soils lie on Turonian tuffeau chalk, into which the cellars used for ageing the wines are dug. Reds may carry the complementary geographical name "Puy-Notre-Dame".
Mini-challenge
Saumur
3 questions on Saumur, all answered right, and the appellation is mastered in your Atlas.
Preparing the mini-challenge…