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Alpilles is an IGP title for red, white and rosé wines produced in an area in the west of the Bouches-du-Rhone department on the southern coast of France. The Mediterranean terroir of the area has proved well suited to viticulture, and as such the land is covered by the Baux de Provence AOC. The Alpilles IGP provides a fallback for wines that are not made to the standards of this demanding appellation.

Limestone hills in Alpilles
© Wikimedia/Vi..Cult...

The official vineyard zone covers land on the eastern banks of the Rhone river, on the slopes of the limestone Chaîne des Alpilles hills. Here, wedged between the Rhone delta in the south and Avignon in the north, viticulture is torn stylistically between the Rhone Valley and Provence. While the culture and the scrubby limestone landscape are distinctly Provencal, the red wines made under the Alpilles IGP title are more southern Rhone in style. Red wines based on the classic Rhone GSM blend predominate in the area, although many roses are also made here.

The Mediterranean climate of Bouches-du-Rhone offers hot, dry summers and mild winters, with most of the sparse annual rainfall falling in autumn. High sunshine hours are tempered by the cool Mistral wind from the north, which finds its way into the vineyards via the narrow Rhone river valley. The dry, sandy alluvial soils have deterred phylloxera over the years, and the wind keeps fungal diseases at bay. As such, many producers in the area practice organic and biodynamic vineyard management.

Alpilles IGP wines may be made from numerous grape varieties. The traditional Provencal varieties include Carignan, Cinsaut, Grenache and Mourvedre for reds, and Grenache Blanc, Muscat and Rolle (Vermentino) for whites. Internationally popular varieties borrowed from other French wine regions are also used, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. The third category is a series of modern crossings developed specifically for IGP wines, involving otherwise-unheard-of names like Aranel, Arinarnoa, Arriloba, Marselan and Perdea.

The area was previously categorized as Vin de Pays, a classification that has been phased out of French wine law since 2009. It has been replaced with Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP), a category that brings French wine labeling closer to that of the European Union.

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