Savoie: Appellations, Crus and Grapes

Savoie is a wine region of France, set in the Alpine foothills and organised around three protected designations of origin. INAO describes the Savoie vineyard as running in an arc on the foothills of the Alpine massif, from Thonon-les-Bains in the north to the west of Albertville in the south, with a geographic area for Vin de Savoie that takes in 53 communes of Savoie and Haute-Savoie, two communes of the Ain and one commune of the Isere. The appellation d'origine was recognised in 1957 and confirmed in 1973, and its cahier des charges was homologated by the arrete of 14 June 2023 published in the JORF of 22 June 2023. The CIVS, the Comite Interprofessionnel des Vins de Savoie, sets out an identity card for the region of 2,000 hectares of vines in production, three AOP, namely Savoie, Roussette de Savoie and Seyssel, and 20 geographic denominations alongside Cremant de Savoie. It counts 22 grape varieties, of which some exist nowhere else, and a trade of 375 members: 179 growers with their own cellars, 101 co-operators spread across two cooperative cellars, 87 grape suppliers to the merchant houses and 8 merchant houses. The Syndicat Regional des Vins de Savoie is the organisme de defense et de gestion of the AOP, while the CIVS handles market watch, communication and promotion. The CNIV lists the CIVS among the French wine interprofessions.

• Vineyard in an arc on the Alpine foothills, from Thonon-les-Bains to the west of Albertville (INAO)
• Vin de Savoie appellation d'origine recognised in 1957 and confirmed in 1973 (INAO)
• 2,000 hectares in production, three AOP and 20 geographic denominations (CIVS)
• 375 members in the trade: 179 estate growers, 101 co-operators, 87 grape suppliers and 8 merchant houses (CIVS)

The CIVS attributes the region's microclimates to the Alpine location of the vineyard, which stretches along the foothills of the massif. Seyssel sits about 40 kilometres north of Chambery as the crow flies and 24 kilometres west of Annecy, and INAO describes it as running mainly on sometimes steep slopes overlooking the Rhone, chiefly on the commune of Corbonod and in lesser proportion on the two communes of Seyssel, in the Ain and in the Haute-Savoie, which the Rhone separates. Further west, the Bugey zone extends in the southeast of the Ain department, in the heart of the triangle formed by Lyon, Grenoble and Geneva, within the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region; INAO notes that the Bugey country forms the southern tip of the Jura massif, curled into a bend of the Rhone, and that its vineyard is dispersed. The CIVS describes soils that came out of the geological history of the Alps, and in the Chautagne sector of the Jura chain. The great majority are limestone in composition, popularised as limestone scree fallen from the mountains, alongside soils of glacial moraine left where retreating glaciers scoured the valley floors, veins of clay as in the Arbin sector, and marls, quartz and schists. Altitude has long been part of the picture: the CIVS records that between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries the vines ran from the plains up to slopes of more than 1,000 metres of altitude, and that an edict of 1559 by duke Emmanuel Philibert set a ban des vendanges to hold that spread back and encourage harvesting at proper ripeness.

• Microclimates influenced by the Alpine location of the vineyard (CIVS)
• Seyssel lies 40 kilometres north of Chambery and 24 kilometres west of Annecy, on slopes overlooking the Rhone (INAO)
• Soils are mostly limestone scree, with glacial moraine, clay veins as at Arbin, marls, quartz and schists (CIVS)
• Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries vines ran from the plains to slopes above 1,000 metres (CIVS)

INAO describes the AOP Savoie or Vin de Savoie as a white, red or rose wine produced in the Savoies, which may also designate a white or rose sparkling wine. The AOP may be completed by the name of 16 communes, sometimes in white only, sometimes in red, sometimes in both colours, and may also carry the mention Cremant for its sparkling wines, possible since 2015. The CIVS presents 20 geographic denominations alongside Cremant de Savoie, and its denominations page lists Ayze, Crepy, Marignan, Ripaille, Marin, Frangy, Seyssel, Chautagne, Marestel, Jongieux, Monthoux, Monterminod, Saint Jeoir du Prieure, Apremont, Les Abymes, Chignin, Chignin Bergeron, Montmelian, Arbin, Cruet and Saint Jean de la Porte. Roussette de Savoie is a separate AOP, an exclusively white wine made from altesse alone, whose cahier des charges was homologated by the arrete of 24 August 2021 published in the JORF of 31 August 2021; it may be followed by four particular geographic mentions, Frangy, Marestel, Monterminod and Monthoux. Seyssel is the third AOP of the CIVS trio, recognised as an appellation d'origine in 1942 and governed by decree n° 2011-1168 of 22 September 2011. Bugey, in the Ain, is a further appellation d'origine, recognised in 1958, whose cahier des charges was homologated by the arrete of 1 September 2025 published in the JORF of 5 September 2025; the name Bugey is followed by the denomination Cerdon for its ancestral-method rose sparkling wine, and may also carry the geographic mentions Manicle, for reds or whites, or Montagnieu, for reds or sparkling wines.

• Vin de Savoie may be completed by the name of 16 communes, and by the mention Cremant for sparkling wines (INAO)
• Roussette de Savoie may be followed by Frangy, Marestel, Monterminod or Monthoux (INAO)
• Seyssel recognised as an appellation d'origine in 1942; Bugey in 1958 (INAO)
• Bugey may also carry the geographic mentions Manicle or Montagnieu (INAO)

The eleven articles below cover the appellations and named crus filed under Savoie in this wiki. Their facts come from the INAO product records and from the CIVS pages on grapes and geographic denominations.

• Vin de Savoie AOC: INAO describes a white, red or rose wine produced in the Savoies, which may also designate a white or rose sparkling wine, drawn from a geographic area of 53 communes of Savoie and Haute-Savoie plus two communes of the Ain and one of the Isere. The appellation d'origine was recognised in 1957 and confirmed in 1973.
• Roussette de Savoie AOC: an exclusively white wine from altesse alone, named Roussette after the russet colour the berries take at maturity, according to INAO. Its area covers 53 communes of Savoie and Haute-Savoie plus one commune of the Isere, and it may be followed by Frangy, Marestel, Monterminod or Monthoux.
• Seyssel AOC: a still or sparkling white produced on both sides of the Rhone on the two communes of Seyssel and on the neighbouring commune of Corbonod. INAO records that the still wine comes from altesse unless it carries the variety mention molette, and that the sparkling wines are blended from molette and altesse, possibly with chasselas.
• Bugey Cerdon AOC: INAO describes an aromatic rose sparkling wine made by the methode ancestrale, in which alcoholic fermentation is stopped by cold before being allowed to restart in bottle, giving an abundant and fine mousse, a low degree of 8 percent, a high sugar content and an aromatic expression of fresh red fruits.
• Vin de Savoie Cru Apremont: Apremont is one of the sectors the CIVS associates with jacquere, the most widespread white variety of the Savoyard vineyard, and it appears on the CIVS list of geographic denominations.
• Vin de Savoie Cru Abymes: Les Abymes appears on the CIVS list of geographic denominations and is one of the sectors the CIVS associates with jacquere.
• Vin de Savoie Cru Chignin: Chignin appears on the CIVS list of geographic denominations, and the CIVS associates the commune with jacquere, gamay and mondeuse.
• Vin de Savoie Chignin-Bergeron: roussanne, called bergeron in Savoie, is planted only on the communes of Chignin, Francin and Montmelian, over 100 hectares, and the CIVS ties it to the Chignin-Bergeron denomination.
• Vin de Savoie Cru Arbin: the CIVS records veins of clay in the Arbin sector and lists Arbin among the places planted to mondeuse, the region's typically Savoyard red variety.
• Vin de Savoie Cru Crepy: Crepy is one of the Haute-Savoie denominations the CIVS links to chasselas, a variety present only in Haute-Savoie, where it covers 80 hectares.
• Vin de Savoie Cru Ripaille: Ripaille sits with Crepy, Marignan and Marin among the CIVS denominations planted to chasselas in Haute-Savoie.

The CIVS counts 22 varieties in Savoie, of which seven are unique in the world: jacquere, altesse, gringet, mondeuse blanche, molette, mondeuse noire and persan. Chardonnay, pinot and gamay, which come from Burgundy, have acclimatised to the region. Jacquere is the most widespread white variety, at about 40 percent of the Savoyard vineyard, or some 800 hectares, and the CIVS ties it to Abymes, Apremont, Chignin, Cruet, Jongieux and Saint-Jeoire-Prieure. Altesse, an endemic variety, accounts for about 340 hectares and is linked to Frangy, Marestel, Monterminod, Monthoux and the AOP Seyssel. Among the reds, gamay covers 270 hectares, with the CIVS noting stability in the trend, and is found at Chautagne, Chignin and Jongieux. Mondeuse, typically Savoyard, is progressing and covers about 240 hectares, at Arbin, Chautagne, Chignin, Jongieux and Saint-Jean-de-la-Porte. Pinot covers 100 hectares, at Chautagne, the Combe de Savoie, Chignin and Jongieux. On the white side, roussanne, called bergeron in Savoie, is planted only at Chignin, Francin and Montmelian over 100 hectares, chardonnay covers 90 hectares across the whole vineyard, chasselas 80 hectares in Haute-Savoie alone, and gringet just 23 hectares at Ayze, Bonneville and Marignier. Cremant de Savoie, the newest addition to the range in September 2015, draws mainly on the native varieties.

• Jacquere: about 40 percent of the Savoyard vineyard, some 800 hectares (CIVS)
• Altesse: an endemic variety over about 340 hectares (CIVS)
• Gamay 270 hectares, mondeuse about 240 hectares and pinot 100 hectares (CIVS)
• Roussanne, called bergeron, 100 hectares at Chignin, Francin and Montmelian; gringet 23 hectares at Ayze, Bonneville and Marignier (CIVS)

According to the CIVS identity card for Savoie wine, published on vindesavoie.fr and fetched on 16 September 2026, the region works 2,000 hectares of vines in production across three AOP and 20 geographic denominations plus Cremant de Savoie. The CIVS press page repeats the same three figures, 2,000 hectares, three AOP and 20 geographic denominations. According to the CIVS, the trade is made up of 375 members: 179 growers working from their own cellars, 101 co-operators spread across the two cooperative cellars, 87 grape suppliers to the merchant houses and 8 merchant houses. The CIVS places viticulture as the first plant-crop sector in Savoie Mont Blanc and the second agricultural sector in Savoie Mont Blanc after dairy. The CNIV, the national federation of French wine interprofessions, lists the Comite Interprofessionnel des Vins de Savoie among its member interprofessions.

• According to the CIVS, 2,000 hectares of vines in production across three AOP and 20 geographic denominations
• According to the CIVS, 375 members in the trade, including 8 merchant houses and two cooperative cellars
• According to the CIVS, viticulture is the first plant-crop sector in Savoie Mont Blanc
• According to the CNIV, the CIVS is one of the French wine interprofessions

Primary sources (CIVS and INAO): https://vindesavoie.fr/, https://vindesavoie.fr/cepages, https://vindesavoie.fr/denominations-geographiques, https://vindesavoie.fr/histoire, https://www.inao.gouv.fr/produit/vin-de-savoie-ou-savoie-blanc-17290, https://www.inao.gouv.fr/produit/roussette-de-savoie-16752, https://www.inao.gouv.fr/produit/seyssel-13180, https://www.inao.gouv.fr/produit/bugey-cerdon-methode-ancestrale-21075, https://vindesavoie.fr/espace-presse. Secondary source: https://www.intervin.fr/interprofessions/interprofessions-vinicoles. Last verified 2026-09-16