Saussignac () is a
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
appellation (
Appellation d'origine contrôlée
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...
, AOC) in
South West France. The Saussignac AOC is used exclusively for a sweet white
dessert wine
Dessert wines, sometimes called pudding wines in the United Kingdom, are sweet wines typically served with dessert.
There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal ...
, similar to
Monbazillac
Monbazillac (; oc, Montbasalhac) is a Communes of France, commune in the Dordogne Departments of France, department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.
Population
See also
* Monbazillac AOC
*Communes of the Dordogne department
R ...
but a little drier. The grapes used are generally
Sémillon
Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, mostly in France and Australia. Its thin skin and susceptibility to botrytis make it dominate the sweet wine region Sauternes AOC and Barsac AOC.
History
The Sémill ...
grapes which have been affected by ''
Botrytis cinerea
''Botrytis cinerea'' is a necrotrophic fungus that affects many plant species, although its most notable hosts may be wine grapes. In viticulture, it is commonly known as "botrytis bunch rot"; in horticulture, it is usually called "grey mould" or ...
''. To qualify for the appellation, the grapes must be grown, and the wine produced, in the four communes of
Saussignac
Saussignac (; oc, Saussinhac) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is in the heart of Bergerac wine country and produces sweet white wines. Its village centre has a Poste and Mairie. The villag ...
,
Razac-de-Saussignac,
Monestier and
Gageac-et-Rouillac.
A fundamental difference between Saussignac and all other sweet or late-harvest wines is that
chaptalization
Chaptalization is the process of adding sugar to unfermented grape must in order to increase the alcohol content after fermentation. The technique is named after its developer, the French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal. This process is not in ...
, or the addition of sugar, is forbidden under the rules of the AOC.
References
External links
AOC Saussignac - Avenue des Vins
South West France AOCs
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