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. The vineyard runs 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, and the geographic area for Vin de Savoie 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 region has 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 grows 22 grape varieties, some of which exist nowhere else, and its trade numbers 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, the Comite Interprofessionnel des Vins de Savoie, handles market watch, communication and promotion. The CIVS is one of the French wine interprofessions listed by the CNIV.

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

The region's microclimates are shaped by 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 runs 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. The Bugey country forms the southern tip of the Jura massif, curled into a bend of the Rhone, and its vineyard is dispersed. Savoie soils 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: between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries the vines ran from the plains up to slopes of more than 1,000 metres of altitude, and 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 shaped by the Alpine location of the vineyard
• Seyssel lies 40 kilometres north of Chambery and 24 kilometres west of Annecy, on slopes overlooking the Rhone
• Soils are mostly limestone scree, with glacial moraine, clay veins as at Arbin, marls, quartz and schists
• Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries vines ran from the plains to slopes above 1,000 metres

The AOP Savoie or Vin de Savoie is a white, red or rose wine produced in the Savoies, and the name 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. Alongside Cremant de Savoie the region counts 20 geographic denominations, while the CIVS denominations page names 21 places: 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 of the three AOP, 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
• Roussette de Savoie may be followed by Frangy, Marestel, Monterminod or Monthoux
• Seyssel recognised as an appellation d'origine in 1942; Bugey in 1958
• Bugey may also carry the geographic mentions Manicle or Montagnieu

The eleven articles below cover the appellations and named crus filed under Savoie in this wiki.

• Vin de Savoie AOC: 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. 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. The still wine comes from altesse unless it carries the variety mention molette, and the sparkling wines are blended from molette and altesse, possibly with chasselas.
• Bugey Cerdon AOC: 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: one of the geographic denominations, and one of the sectors associated with jacquere, the most widespread white variety of the Savoyard vineyard.
• Vin de Savoie Cru Abymes: Les Abymes is one of the geographic denominations and one of the sectors associated with jacquere.
• Vin de Savoie Cru Chignin: Chignin is one of the geographic denominations, and the commune is associated 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, on 100 hectares, and is the variety of the Chignin-Bergeron denomination.
• Vin de Savoie Cru Arbin: the Arbin sector has veins of clay, and Arbin is 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 linked 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 denominations planted to chasselas in Haute-Savoie.

Savoie grows 22 varieties, 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 is associated with 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 a stable 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, on 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
• Altesse: an endemic variety over about 340 hectares
• Gamay 270 hectares, mondeuse about 240 hectares and pinot 100 hectares
• Roussanne, called bergeron, 100 hectares at Chignin, Francin and Montmelian; gringet 23 hectares at Ayze, Bonneville and Marignier

The CIVS notoriety brochure, dated 2021 on its credits page, puts the Savoie vineyard at 2,050 hectares, alongside three AOP, 20 geographic denominations and 22 varieties, while the CIVS website and press page give the rounder figure of 2,000 hectares of vines in production. The 2021 brochure breaks the plantings down, with jacquere at 800 hectares, altesse at 340 hectares, gamay at 270 hectares and mondeuse at about 240 hectares. Average output is about 15 million bottles a year, or about 115,000 hectolitres, split 70 percent white, 20 percent red, 6 percent rose and 4 percent sparkling. Agreste, the statistics service of the French Ministry of Agriculture, estimated the Savoie harvest of all wines at 112 thousand hectolitres in 2025, after 93 thousand hectolitres in 2024. Agreste follows this vineyard through the Savoie department alone in its harvest series. 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. Viticulture is the first plant-crop sector in Savoie Mont Blanc and the second agricultural sector there after dairy. The Comite Interprofessionnel des Vins de Savoie appears among the French wine interprofessions listed by the CNIV.

• 2,050 hectares in the 2021 CIVS brochure; 2,000 hectares in production on the CIVS website
• Savoie harvest of all wines estimated at 112 thousand hectolitres in 2025, after 93 thousand hectolitres in 2024
• About 15 million bottles a year: 70 percent white, 20 percent red, 6 percent rose and 4 percent sparkling
• Three AOP and 20 geographic denominations
• 375 members in the trade, including 8 merchant houses and two cooperative cellars
• Viticulture is the first plant-crop sector in Savoie Mont Blanc
• 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 2026-10-05