Beaumes de Venise AOC

In 1248, St. Louis is claimed to have taken supplies of the local wine with him on his 7th Crusade, and during the early 14th century, at the time of the reign of Pope Clement V, production was increased by 70 hectares to cater for the demand from the Popes' Palace in Avignon. A unique feature of the way the grapes ripen is the way in which the warmth of the sun reflects and radiates down over the vines from the huge vertical limestone slabs of the Dentelles de Montmirail – the "Lace of Montmirail". Just under 500 hectares are currently under cultivation. The average yield is approximately 28 hectolitres per hectare. The wine is produced from a single variety, the small berried Muscat which is also known as the Muscat de Frontignan, and must contain a minimum alcohol level of 15%. Mutage is carried out during the fermentation by the addition of 95° (minimum) proof spirit. ==Beaumes de Venise AOC==

The vineyard is surrounded by the communes of Beaumes de Venise, Lafare, Suzette, and La Roque-Alric, all in the department of Vaucluse, and is situated on the southeastern flank of the Dentelles de Montmirail at an altitude of 100 to 600 metres. About 100 growers/producers are concerned with the average annual production of around 18,000 hectolitres for an average yield of 33 hectolitres per hectare and the grapes are manually harvested. Varieties that are blended to produce the red AOC are Grenache noir min. 50%, Syrah 25%, Mourvèdre and other varieties permitted by the appellation to a maximum of 20% with 5% of white grapes. ==References==