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Mont Caume is the IGP title for red, white and rosé wines from a particular area of the Var administrative department in the region of Provence in southern France. The area in question runs along the coast around Bandol, one of the better-known wine towns along the Mediterranean coast.
The Mont Caume that gives the IGP its name is a large hill above Toulon: the city just east of Bandol and the administrative center of Var. The hill towers 2625ft (800m) above Toulon's northern edge, casting a morning shadow over the vineyards east of Bandol.
Var forms the eastern half of the main Provence wine region, so the terroir here is defined by coastal hills and a definitively Mediterranean climate. Red clay and sandstone soils dominate the vineyards here, and the slopes have been cut into terraces to accommodate the vineyards and reduce erosion. The cold, dry Mistral wind provides cooling influences during the sunny growing season, slowing ripening and ensuring that the grapes retain acidity. This wind also reduces disease pressure by drying vineyards after heavy rain.
The grape varieties used to make Mont Caume IGP wines are mainly those which are traditional in Provence – particularly Mourvèdre and Grenache, which form the mainstay of wines from this area. Red and rosé wines make up the majority of Mont Caume IGP wines, with just a small percentage of whites, mainly from Bourbolenc and Ugni Blanc.
The Mont Caume IGP covers a similar area to the previous Vin de Pays de Mont Caume appellation. The Vin de Pays classification has been phased out of French wine law since 2009, to be replaced with the Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP). This classification more closely resembles the European Union PGI classification, which acts as a legal statement of quality and origin throughout Europe.
