Vin des Allobroges is the IGP title for red, white and rosé wines from certain parts of the Savoie and Haute-Savoie administrative departments of eastern France. The zone it covers corresponds roughly to the boundaries of the AOC-level appellations of Vin de Savoie and Roussette de Savoie, along with Seyssel, which just crosses over into the Ain department.
© Wikimedia/Gnomefilliere
The entire Allobroges area (named after the Gaulish Allobroges tribe who once lived here) is characterized by its mountainous Alpine topography, on France's border with Switzerland and Italy. The peaks here reach elevations of more than 6000ft (1800m) and the highest vineyards are located at 2000ft (600m). This relatively high altitude means that the area's continental climate is decidedly cool and regularly disrupted by mountain storms. The resulting wines are typically light bodied and fruity in style, with marked acidity.
Most vineyards in the region are planted on south-facing slopes, where efficient exposure to sunlight helps to mitigate the cold alpine climate. The natural drainage of the slopes, along with the limestone scree soils ensures that vineyards are not waterlogged, despite the high levels of rainfall.
Like the three corresponding AOC titles, Vin des Allobroges IGP wines employ the region's traditional early-ripening grape varieties to allow for the cooler growing season. The IGP laws do permit the use of slightly different varieties, although the core grapes remain the same. Burgundy grape varieties like Aligote, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir are planted alongside the regional specialties Jacquere, Altesse and Mondeuse. Even Poulsard, the native of the Jura wine region just to the north, is permitted in the wines, although this is rare.
Vin de Allobroges IGP has replaced the previous Vin de Pays d’Allobrogie classification that covered the regional wines here prior to 2009. This is part of a French-wide changeover to the new Indication Géographique Protégée, a classification that is more closely aligned with the PGI category of the European Union’s labeling standards.
