Vacqueyras AC [va-keh-RAS]

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One of France's better winemaking villages, located northeast of CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE in the southern portion the RHÔNE region. Vacqueyras was one of the villages entitled to use the CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES AC but was given its own AC status in 1990. This gave it equal status with GIGONDAS, a village that had achieved AC status many years earlier. The Vacqueyras AC is best known for its red wines, which generally exhibit dark color, spicy fruit, and enough TANNINS to age well. The main red-wine grapes are GRENACHE, SYRAH, CINSAUT, and MOURVÈDRE.