French wines are world-renowned for their Top Quality and incredible taste, resulting from centuries of tradition and refinement.
After all, Wine in France is not a simple drink, it’s a religion! ;D
With over 200 indigenous wine varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Syrah… to name a few), 307 official wine label names (called AOP – AOP or Appellation d’Origine Protégée), over 27.000 wineries and a production of almost 4 million liters of wine every year (yes millions!), it’s very easy to realize the love of French people for fine wine!
Some French wine regions have been known around the world for centuries: think about the Bordeaux, the Champagne, or even the Bourgogne!
Said that, those big names are only the surface of the richness of the French wine culture and the incredible variety of still little-known wines that this country has to offer.
Today, I decided to talk in this article about the Pecharmant Wines, a denomination of French Wines widely enjoyed by locals, which managed to fly under the international radar for quite a while.
In recent years, the Pecharmant Wines raised a great buzz (after winning prestigious prizes in the London Wine Competition 2023) becoming incredibly sought-after wines by high-end restaurants and privates alike.
So I thought of investigating into the history and the character of this new trendy French Wine!
Let’s dive right in!
1. Where is the Pecharmant Wine Produced?
The Pecharmant wine is produced in the New Aquitaine Region, just outside of the market town of Bergerac and about 80km west of Bordeaux, in France.
2. What is defined as “Pecharmant” Wine?
The “Pecharmant” is a wine appellation of controlled origin, which is given only to the wines produced on the hills in the immediate proximity of the town of Bergerac (France), located just east of Bordeaux.
The complete growing area of the Pecharmant is around 400 hectares (divided between the communes of Creysse, Bergerac and Lembras) which leads to a production of around 15.000 hectolitres of red wine per year.
Here, the soil of the Pecharmant is constantly fed new life by the Dordogna river and the Caudeau river (a small tributary river): it is located right in that sweet tiny spot between the two rivers!
The soil here, is characterized by gravel and a sand soil cover, which cover a deeper layer of iron-rich clay known as “tran”.
This unusual soil, is one of the main factor that leads to the development of a strong flavour and the tannin in the grapes.
The fields in the Pecharmant region generate also a lower yearly yield compared to nearby vineyards of the Bergerac region, thus resulting in more flavourful, rich and concentrated wines.
The Pécharmant vineyards were first planted to vine back in the 11th Century, and the wine has been classified as an AOC wine in France (superior brand of certified quality) since 1936, almost 90 years ago!
It’s a wonder how this incredible millenial wine still managed to keep its fame within France borders until just recently!
3. Where does the Name “Pecharmant” come From?
The name Pecharmant comes from the combination of two French words: Pech (hill), and Charmant (charming), and translates to “the Charming Hill”.
The name describes the green, pictoresque and flatty hills where the fine varieties of Pecharmant wines are produced.
4. Which Types of Grapes
are Used to Craft the Pecharmant Wine?
The harmonious Blend that forms the Pécharmant wine is composed of four grape varieties:
- Cabernet Franc,
- Cabernet Sauvignon,
- Malbec
- Merlot
Thanks to the strong and recognizable character of these four kinds of grape varieties, the Pecharmant blend gets its full-bodied taste, and its dark-ruby color.
All Pécharmant AOC wines, to be certified as such, must be blends by law.
Also, no single grape variety may exceed 65% of the finished wine.
The vast majority of Pecharmant wines are dominated by Merlot, but still there’s a great variety from chateaux to chateaux and also within each winery’s selection.
In total, in the Pécharmant region there are around 50 producers only, of which very few large enough to produce bottles for export!
5. How the Pécharmant Wine Taste
and With Which Food You Should Pair It?
Intense, seductive, elegant, powerful and aromatic.
The Pécharmant wine is a full-bodied wine which gets better with age, best to be enjoyed between four and ten years old.
The taste is bold and mouth-filling, tannic with fruity aromas: a dense red wine to accompany hefty, savory and flavourful meals.
The best food pairs for a bottle of Pècharmant are therefore game, steak, charcuterie, duck, red meat and aged cheeses.
For sure, the Pécharmant is not a wine to be enjoyed lightly! ;D
Once poured in the glass, the local producers suggest to wait couple of minutes and “let it breath” before enjoying its full potential. In this way, you’ll be able to smell all notes of this fantastic wine, such as ripe blackberries, black cherries, and plums to name a few 🙂
In conclusion, whether your planning an important multi-course dinner, a special BBQ-night with friends or you just feel to enjoy a mouthful of precious wine, the Pécharmant is a blend that you might want to consider! 😉
6. Conclusion
And here we are beautiful people! 😀
In this article we have seen what is the Pécharmant wine, where it comes from and why it attracted such a strong degree of international visibility by storm, after one of its varieties, the Quintessence from the Chateau Beauportail, won the gold medal in the London LWC wine competition.
A millenial tradition, an incredibly layered soil, gently south-faced sloping hills, a low yearly yield and a solid full-bodied seductive taste, all contribute to make the Pécharmant wine a precious wine of which I am sure we will hear a lot more talking in the future!
Before going, I would like to ask you what do you think about French Wines? Which is your Favourite? Have you ever had the luck to try the Pécharmant wine before?
Let me know in the comments below! 🙂
Hereafter I will leave you also a few articles that you might be also interested to check out:
- 7 World-Class Museums You Never Heard Of
- Destinations of the World: Discover More Cool Destinations!
- Travel Italy: Discover the Most interesting, Curious and Unknown Places in Italy!
As always, I thank you for reading,
and see you in the next article! 😀
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