📜 Vinsobres

Vinsobres is a French protected designation of origin (AOC, PDO) used only for still red wine from the municipality of Vinsobres in the Drôme department, in the southern Rhône Valley. The EU register shows a registration date of 14 December 2011.

The wines are made mainly from Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Grapes are harvested and wines made, developed and aged in the municipality of Vinsobres. The area lies in the Miocene sedimentary basin of Valréas and the alluvial basin of the Aygues, on hilly terrain above 500 metres. The soils are stony and red to brown. The climate is Mediterranean.

The specification gives the wines an intense red colour. Total strength may not exceed 14.5% vol, and minimum actual strength is 12.5% vol. Volatile acidity is at most 14.28 meq/l and malic acid at most 0.4 g/l. Modified colour intensity must be at least 8 and the total polyphenol index at least 52. Fermentable sugar is limited to 3 g/l for wines up to 14% vol natural strength and 4 g/l above that. The wines are aged at least until 15 March of the year after the harvest. The use of wood chips is prohibited.

The maximum yield is 42 hectolitres per hectare. Vines are pruned short (Gobelet or Cordon de Royat) with at most six spurs of two buds each. The label may carry a smaller geographical entity, or the larger units Cru des Côtes du Rhône or Vignobles de la Vallée du Rhône.