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The wines of Ventoux grow in a protected ter- roir with exceptional levels of biodiversity.

The Mont Ventoux area has been listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1990. The vineyards are worked in harmony with nature and with respect for the region’s historical and cultural heritage. Ventoux’s red wines are supple and aromatic, their scents ranging from red fruit and spices to leather, liquorice and truffles. Their fame has spread to the other side of the Atlantic. In their wake come the appellation rosés – fresh, with good length of flavour and notes of cherries, raspberries and flowers. Ventoux whites hint at iris, acacia and citrus.

Ventoux

History

1973
1973

Birth of AOC Ventoux

Vines have been grown in the Ventoux area since ancient times; archaeological digs around the village of Mazan uncovered a potter’s workshop dating from the 1st century BC, where the first known wine amphorae in France were produced. The vineyards flourished during the Avignon Papacy, and over the centuries Ventoux wines, alongside other leading French wines, were served to the kings of France at the Royal Court.

In 1939, Ventoux’s winegrowers formed a union, the Syndicat des Vins de Ventoux to promote the quality and characteristics of the region’s wines. Thanks to their efforts, their wines were awarded Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS) status in 1953, and were promoted to AOC in 1973.

View the decrees granting appellation status (INAO)
Geography

Territory

The vineyards lie in the east of the Rhône Valley, across 51 communes in the Vaucluse, bordered in the south by the Calavon. The area is listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. 

Climate

Moderate Mediterranean climate, influenced to some degree by the proximity of the mountains. (Mont Ventoux and the mountains of Vaucluse).

Soils

A particular geology

The Vaucluse terroirs are made up of sediment deposited by seas in the Tertiary at the base of the limestone massif of Mont Ventoux. They show an astonishing range of geological formations including three types of soil:

  • red soils resulting from limestone degradation;
  • soils comprising a mix of sand and ochre clay; and
  • detrital soils with a covering of rounded cobbles or limestone scree broken away from the mountain.
Key figures

Key figures of the appellation

54% red
38% rosé
8% white

Colors

36 hl/ha

Average annual yield

6 623 ha

Production surface area

201 780 hl

Total production

24%

Exportation

Découvrez le vignoble en chiffres

Discover key figures

Inter Rhône - Key Figures 2021

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Find out about the Rhone vineyards : terroirs, soils, climate, grape varieties and, of course, flavours… as if you were visiting in person.