New AOC: Beaume de Venise

INAO has approved Beaume de Venise as a new AOC. The wine was previously part of Côtes du Rhône Villages. Permitted grape varieties are Grenache (minimum 50%) and Syrah (min 25%), with the rest being made up of other varieties permitted in Côtes du Rhône. Maximum yield is 38 hl/ha (”rendement de base”) and harvest must be manual. Beaume de Venise thus joins the group of “cru appellations” in Rhône (Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, Lirac, Tavel, Vacqueyras, Château Grillet, Condrieu, Cornas, Côte-Rôtie, Crozes Hermitage, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Saint-Peray).