It was so popular with the clergy during the Avignonese papacy at the end of the 13th century that its production had to be specially increased. It is a fortified sweet wine (vin doux naturel) that retains its natural grape sweetness by stopping fermentation through the addition of brandy. Although the wine must have at least 15% alcohol, the best Muscat de Beaumes de Venise are by no means plump or heavy; on the contrary, they can even turn out surprisingly fine-flavoured, fresh and juicy. Most of them therefore taste best when young; only a few benefit from longer storage and develop aromas of dried fruit, candied oranges and honey over the years.
The red Beaumes de Venise has only had AOC status since 2005, and the wines are generally robust and powerful, with the typical aromas of lavender, Provençal herbs and pepper found in so many red wines from the southern Rhône. The best wines counter their power and almost always fairly high alcohol with fresh juice and aromatic subtleties.
We have tasted around 32 wines from the two appellations over the last few weeks, all of which we present here and, as always, also as PDF as always. Links to all wines with detailed tasting notes as well as the producers can be found by clicking on the headings.