Saint-Péray AOC

Saint-Péray is a French wine "Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée" (AOC) in the northern Rhône wine region of France. Located in the southernmost part of Northern Rhône, the appellation is very small and not very well known. The production is mainly white sparkling wine, somewhat like Champagne. However some still wine is also made. All Saint-Péray wine is white. [Niels Lillelund: "Rhône-Vinene" JP Bøger - JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. ISBN 87-567-7140-1, p. 113]

History

Plinius mentions the wine of Saint-Péray in his natural history, and Napoleon Bonaparte is to have said that he, when he was a young cadet in Valence, had his first experience of wine, drinking Saint-Péray. [Niels Lillelund: "Rhône-Vinene" JP Bøger - JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. ISBN 87-567-7140-1, p. 113] . In the wines prime in the 19th century, its sparkling wine was held in higher regard than Champagne itself, but since it's been down hill for the appellation. It was established as an official appellation in 1936 by which time it had shrunk to the meager 55 hectares. [Niels Lillelund: "Rhône-Vinene" JP Bøger - JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. ISBN 87-567-7140-1, p. 113]

Grapes and wine

There are two allowed grapes in Saint-Péray, Marsanne and Roussanne, with the former covering 90% of the plantet area. A third grape "Roussette" is alleged to also be grown, but apparantly only the wine growers themselves distinguish this from Roussanne. [Niels Lillelund: "Rhône-Vinene" JP Bøger - JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. ISBN 87-567-7140-1, p. 113]

Winemaking

Saint-Péray wines are meant to be drunk young, with 4/5 of the production being sparkling wine after the "Methode Champenoise". [Niels Lillelund: "Rhône-Vinene" JP Bøger - JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. ISBN 87-567-7140-1, p. 113] However, advances are being made with still wine. André Dominé (ed) "Wein" p. 288 Tandem Verlag GmbH, Königswinter 2004 ISBN 3833112085 ]

References

ee also

*French wine