Saint-Pourçain
Saint-Pourçain is one of France’s oldest wine-growing regions.
As renowned as the wines from Beaune and Saint-Émilion in the 13th century, Saint-Pourçain wines were notably served at a lavish party given by Saint Louis to honour his brother Alphonse in Saumur in 1241.
They were also served in the Palais des Papes in Avignon even though they were far more expensive than local wines. It is said the popes would drink between 60 and 120 hectolitres per year between 1341 and 1363.
Until the end of the 18th century, wines from Saint-Pourçain were transported by boat all the way to Paris where they would take center stage on the finest tables.
In the 19th century, the road network had improved and the railway was starting to develop, making wines from the South that much more accessible to Paris. This marked the start of the decline of Saint-Pourçain.
The phylloxera crisis at the end of the 19th century was the fatal blow. Many plots situated on hills, making them more difficult to cultivate, were abandoned and have never been replanted.
The wine-growers’ cooperative (cave coopérative) was created after World War 2, it produces about 60% of the wines from the appellation.
Today
The wine-growing region of Saint-Pourçain gained the AOP (Protected Designation of Origin) in 2009 and now covers over 1600 acres.
A dozen independent winemakers are fighting to improve the quality of our region’s wine. Some of them, including us, have joined forces with our neighbours from Côte Roannaise, Forez and Auvergne to create the Loire Volcanique association. Our goal is to put the wines from our appellations back on the map and on restaurants’ menus.