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Appellation · France

Cassis

A tiny white-wine appellation beneath the limestone cliffs east of Marseille, and nothing to do with blackcurrant liqueur.

Cassis AOCmediterraneanwarm
What to expect in the glass

Dry, medium-to-full bodied white with white peach, fennel and a saline, herbal finish. Low acidity; serve it well chilled.

About Cassis

Cassis is a fishing port east of Marseille beneath the Cap Canaille cliffs, and its appellation is one of the oldest in France. Unusually for Provence, it is mostly white.

The wines are full, low in acidity and distinctly herbal, and they exist principally to be drunk with the local bouillabaisse — a pairing that is, for once, both traditional and genuinely well judged.

The name causes constant confusion with crème de cassis, the blackcurrant liqueur, which is made in Burgundy and has no connection whatsoever.

What the name means

Legal name
Cassis AOC
Type
Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée / Protégée (AOC / AOP)
Set by
INAO
Recognised
1936
Regulates
Origin, plus grape varieties, maximum yields, minimum ageing.

The delimited area, permitted varieties, maximum yields, minimum alcohol, pruning and training methods, and in many cases minimum ageing. Administered by INAO.

Worth knowing

Predominantly white, which makes it unusual in Provence. One of the earliest French appellations granted.

Grapes

Wines from here

white

Crisp dry white

High-acid, unoaked whites built for refreshment and for seafood — citrus and mineral rather than fruit-forward.

Rules worth knowing

Confirmed in the EU register

Cassis is registered as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), file number PDO-FR-A0396, protected at EU level since 1973.

Article 107 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013

Specification published: Official Journal C, C/2026/2476, 4.5.2026 · Official Journal

Only the rules that change what to expect in the glass or on the label. WineHQ does not reproduce production specifications, and each entry carries the date it was last checked because appellation rules change.

The designation is confirmed above. WineHQ has not read this appellation’s production specification, so it publishes no yields, ageing minima or permitted-variety lists for it — those come from the document linked above, not from a summary of it.

What to eat, and how to serve it

Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.

Crisp dry white

Serve at 7–10°C (fridge cold).

Try with fillet steak, salmon or white fish.

Where to go next

Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.

  • Bandol — Provence’s serious red appellation, built on Mourvèdre — a variety that ripens almost nowhere else in France.
  • Côtes de Provence — The appellation behind most of the pale dry rosé that reshaped what the world drinks in summer.

Sources

Sources consulted