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St-Pourçain wines

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The Allier also has its own wine, its own good wine: Saint Pourçain. The Saint Pourçain vineyards are apparently older than those planted by the Romans! The wine, which used to have an excellent reputation, was served at Saint Louis’s table at Court. The Popes in Avignon were not to be outdone: in spite of prohibitive transport costs, 60 to 120 hectolitres were delivered every year. At the end of the 18th century, the vineyards covered eight thousand hectares, but at the beginning of the 19th century, because of cereal and forage crops and the Phylloxera, the vineyards considerably decreased in size. Today, in 19 villages in the heart of the Bourbonnais countryside, around Saint-Pourçain, from 600 hectares of vines that were classified VDQS (delimited wine of superior quality) in1951, white, rosé and above all red wines are produced annually. The Union des Vignerons de Saint-Pourçain (wine growers union), which has 110 members, produces nearly two thirds of the wine and the rest is produced by 18 private vineyards.

Red, white or rosé…

Light and fruity, Saint-Pourçain wines are produced from the oldest vines in France! Served at the tables of the kings of France, they were transported by barge along the nearby River Allier and then the Briare canal to Paris.
The particularity of these modest-sized vineyards is the fact that there are many different kinds of soil: sand, limestone and granite in some places. The characteristic taste of these white wines also comes from the Tressallier, a local grape grown only in Saint-Pourçain.
Today, around one hundred winegrowers, independent farmers and cooperative members, continue to develop the 600 hectares of vineyards and hope that they will soon receive the AOC label.

Noble Tréssallier

Typical of St Pourçain wines, comparable to the famous “chardonnay” and “sauvignon”, the name of this grape originated either from the fact that its shoots intertwine or plait (tresses), or simply because it comes from Yonne, across the Allier (Trans Allier). Whatever the origins of its name, the grape gives Saint-Pourçain wines their authentic taste. Although it is grown on only a quarter of the area that produces white wine, the Trassallier is gradually being used more widely, in spite of the extra work required to cultivate it. It can be described as delicate, vigorous and crisp. It can be combined with Chardonnay grapes to produce balanced and original wines.

 

The celebratory Ficelle

The Ficelle is a new, young, fruity wine, made from the Gamay grape, produced by the Winegrowers Union. Every first Saturday in December, the arrival of the Ficelle is the opportunity for people to get together and taste this pleasant wine, whose labels are illustrated by well-known artists.
Legend has it that a man called Gaultier, an inn keeper in Saint-Pourçain, exasperated by his swindling customers, decided to systematically plunge a piece of knotted string into the jugs of wine at the half pint or pint level to measure how much they had drunk.

 




The Compagnons de la Ficelle

The Compagnons de la Ficelle, “experts” in their field, keep up the tradition, which began in the 15th century, of the story of the Saint Pourçain/Sioule inn keeper, Gaultier, who measured how much each of his customers had drunk by plunging a piece of knotted string into their jugs of wine. The guild tirelessly promotes the development of the Saint-Pourçain vineyards.

Battle of the wines

Henri d’Andelys, a famous 13th century poet, wrote about the “battle of the wines” that began at the table of King Philippe-Auguste, who was known to be partial to Bacchus wines. The story goes that the king sent messengers to bring him the best white wines in France so that he could organize a “monumental” tasting session. The poet mentions the biggest names in French vintage wines and quotes Saint-Pourçain after Beaune and Saint-Emilion…

Wine guilds :

Confrérie des Compagnons de la Ficelle : President, Claude BRUN - tel : + 33 (0) 4 70 42 41 78.

Compagnons de la Ficelle, “experts” in their field, keep up the tradition, which began in the 15th century, of the story of the Saint Pourçain/Sioule inn keeper, Gaultier, who measured how much each of his customers had drunk by plunging a piece of knotted string into their jugs of wine. The guild tirelessly promotes the development of the Saint-Pourçain vineyards.


Confrérie des Fins Palais : Bernard MICHEL - tel : + 33 (0) 4 70 42 08 91

Union des vignerons de Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule
3 rue de la Ronde
03500 SAINT-POURCAIN-SUR-SIOULE
Tel : + 33 (0) 4 70 45 42 82


Syndicat des viticulteurs indépendants : Madame Laurent (Cave Laurent) - tel : + 33 (0) 4 70 45 90 41



Key figures

Altitude: 250 to 400 metres. Orientation: South-East. Surface area: 600 ha (classified AOVDQS - delimited wine of superior quality) Annual Production: white (7,500 hl), rosé (5,000 hl), red
(23, 000 hl). 18 private cellars and 1 cooperative.

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