Wine region
Charentais
Charentais is a wine region in France, home to 6 wineries, producing red, rose, white wines.
On this page
Charentais's 6 wineries lean red but make plenty of white too; Chardonnay is the most common single-grape bottling; wines carry IGP designation.
About the Charentais region
- Location
- The harvesting of the grapes, and the vinification and processing of PGI ‘Charentais’ wines must take place in the departments of Charente and Charente Maritime.
- Climate
- The Charentais PGI area has a generally temperate oceanic climate, with a mean annual temperature of about 13°C and roughly 800 mm of annual rainfall; winters are mild and wet, while warm summers may include dry periods.
- Soils
- The most common Charentais PGI soils are clay-limestone soils over limestone, with more sandy soils in coastal sectors and on the islands of Ré and Oléron.
Region facts sourced from European Commission eAmbrosia, Charentais, file PGI-FR-A1196, attachment 11581. (Commission Decision 2011/833/EU on the reuse of Commission documents), Official Journal of the European Union, Charentais (EUGI00000001122), Official Journal C 524, 29.12.2021, retrieved 2026-07-11. (Commission Decision 2011/833/EU on the reuse of Commission documents).
Most common single-grape wines
When Charentais wines are made from a single grape (rather than a blend), these are the most common:
- Chardonnay
- 1 single-grape wine
Wine profile
Charentais leans red (about 56% of its wines) but makes meaningful white too.
16 distinct Charentais wines tracked, spanning the colours and styles below.
- Red9 · 56%
- White5 · 31%
- Rose2 · 13%
Types: Still.
Representative Charentais wines
Selected from stable product-to-region relationships for diversity — not a claim that these are the region's best wines.
- Maison Boiteau — Le Taillis Merlot
- Domaine Arica — Rose
- Domaine Le Petit Marand — Merlot a Papa Guy
- Domaine Arica — Moulin Neuf
- Domaine Arica — Blanc
- Domaine Cazulet — Chardonnay
- Domaine Arica — Les Salines
- Domaine Le Petit Marand — Rose
Quality designations
Wines here carry IGP status — a controlled quality designation.
- IGPEU Protected Geographical Indication (Indication Géographique Protégée) — a regional wine label, broader than AOP.
France wine designations
- AOC
- AOC is the French national controlled-origin recognition for a product whose production stages are carried out using recognised know-how within the same geographical area, giving the product its characteristics.
- AOP
- An AOP identifies a product whose production stages take place using recognised know-how within the same geographical area, which gives the product its characteristics.
- IGP
- An IGP identifies a product whose quality, reputation or other characteristics are linked to its geographical origin.
- PDO
- PDO is the European Union protected designation of origin category.
- VdF
- Vin de France is the French country-of-origin wording used for wine in the category without a protected geographical indication.
Classifications
- 2eme Cru Classe
- Within the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac classification, 2ème Cru Classé is the third of three sweet-white-wine levels.
- 3eme Cru Classe
- Within the 1855 Bordeaux red-wine classification, 3ème Cru Classé denotes the third of five ranked levels.
- 4eme Cru Classe
- Within the 1855 Bordeaux red-wine classification, 4ème Cru Classé denotes the fourth of five ranked levels.
- 5eme Cru Classe
- Within the 1855 Bordeaux red-wine classification, 5ème Cru Classé denotes the fifth of five ranked levels.
- Cru Classe
- In the Graves classification, Cru Classé denotes an estate authorised to use the title Grand Cru Classé de Graves; all current classified estates are in Pessac-Léognan.
- Grand Cru
- In Burgundy, Grand Cru is an AOC category applied to 33 appellations identified by individual Climat names.
- Grand Cru Classe
- In the current Saint-Émilion classification, Grand Cru Classé is a classified-estate level for red wines of Saint-Émilion; the 2022 edition lists 71 estates at this level.
- Premier Cru
- In Burgundy, Premier Cru identifies precisely defined individual plots, known as Climats, within certain Village appellations.
- Premier Cru Classe
- Within the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac classification, Premier Cru Classé is the middle of three sweet-white-wine levels.
- Premier Cru Superieur
- Within the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac classification, Premier Cru Supérieur is the highest of three sweet-white-wine levels.
- Premier Grand Cru Classe A
- In the current Saint-Émilion classification, Premier Grand Cru Classé A is the distinguished A level within the Premier Grand Cru Classé category; the 2022 edition lists two estates.
Understanding the wine data
- Designation
- The protected-origin or administrative category associated with the wine, interpreted using country-aware rules. The same abbreviation can mean different things in different countries, so we only show the meaning approved for that country.
- Classification
- An additional quality, hierarchy, vineyard, site, ageing or producer classification where supplied. Its meaning varies by country — it is not a universal quality score.
How this ranking is built
Producers are included when WhatDrink has a canonical producer-to-region relationship supported by the catalogue data. Display order may use represented wine count and relationship confidence to provide useful coverage; it is not a ranking of winery quality, prestige, production volume or critical acclaim.
Representative wines are selected from products with a stable relationship to this region, with preference for clear producer identity and a useful spread of producers, wine styles and designations. Inclusion is not an editorial score and does not mean these are the region’s best wines.
How to choose a good Charentais wine
Look for the IGP designation — it signals a controlled-origin Charentais wine.
FAQs
- Where is Charentais?
- The harvesting of the grapes, and the vinification and processing of PGI ‘Charentais’ wines must take place in the departments of Charente and Charente Maritime.
- What do the designation terms on Charentais wines mean?
- IGP: An IGP identifies a product whose quality, reputation or other characteristics are linked to its geographical origin. These terms describe geographical or regulatory categories; they do not by themselves guarantee that one producer or bottle is better than another.
- How are wineries and producers selected for Charentais?
- Producers are included when WhatDrink has a canonical producer-to-region relationship supported by the catalogue data. Display order may use represented wine count and relationship confidence to provide useful coverage; it is not a ranking of winery quality, prestige, production volume or critical acclaim.
- How are representative Charentais wines selected?
- Representative wines are selected from products with a stable relationship to this region, with preference for clear producer identity and a useful spread of producers, wine styles and designations. Inclusion is not an editorial score and does not mean these are the region’s best wines.
- How much wine data does WhatDrink have for Charentais?
- The current regional catalogue contains 16 linked wines from 6 linked producers. Counts describe WhatDrink catalogue coverage and may change as source data is refreshed.
Regional data is aggregated from wine directory and product-catalogue sources; grape and style associations reflect characteristic varieties and may vary by producer and vintage.