Wine region | |
Type | wine region, subregion of South West France |
---|---|
Year established | first appellations created in 1936 |
Country | France |
Size of planted vineyards | 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres)[1] |
Grapes produced | Red: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Côt, Fer, Mérille and Merlot. White: Chenin blanc, Ondenc, Muscadelle, Sauvignon, Sémillon and Ugni blanc. |
The Bergerac (French pronunciation: [bɛʁʒəʁak] ) wine-growing region, a subregion of South West France around the town of Bergerac in the Dordogne department, comprises 93 communes. Its boundaries correspond more or less with those of the Arrondissement of Bergerac, immediately east of the Bordeaux wine region. 1,200 wine-growers cultivate an area of 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres). The Bergerac area contains 13 Appellations d'origine contrôlées (AOCs) for red, white (dry, medium-sweet and sweet) and rosé wines.
The vineyards extend across the southern part of the Dordogne department, the Arrondissement of Bergerac. Bergerac soil also features excellent drainage as a result of its proximity to the river Dordogne.
Approximately fifteen per cent of Bergerac AOC wine is sold outside France mainly to Great Britain, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.[2]