Pécharmant 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) for certain wines produced in the hills to the North-East of the market town of Bergerac, France. With a surface area of 400 hectares, the communes of Bergerac, Creysse, and Lembras produce nearly 15 000 hectolitres of red wine. Pécharmant is the best known of the

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is named af ...

region wines and has been classified AOC since 1936. The identification "Pécharmant" dates from 1946 and the new AOC on 13 March 1992.

History

First produced in the eleventh century, Pécharmant is the oldest collective of vineyards in the region of Bergerac. "Pécharmant" comes from the words "Pech" ( "Hill") and "Charmant" (Charming), thus meaning "the charming hill." Pécharmant vineyards are well exposed to the sun and the soil consists of sand and gravel from the Périgord, and contains a deep layer of ferruginous clay called "Tran."

Grapes and wine style

Pécharmant is a blend of four grape varieties,

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...

and Malbec. These varieties produce a wine suitable for holding from four to ten years, typically tannic and full-bodied, ruby colored with fruity aromas, that can be served with game, Périgord charcuterie, confits, duck, red meats and strong cheeses. The land used for growing Pécharmant was previously used to grow grapes for producing Rosette, a delicate white wine produced in the Bergerac region.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pecharmant South West France AOCs