Skip to content
WineHQ
Search

Appellation · France

Saint-Amour

The northernmost cru, on the Mâconnais border, and the one whose sales are concentrated around 14 February.

Saint-Amour AOCcontinentalmoderate
What to expect in the glass

Medium-bodied red with red cherry, peach-like fruit and a gentle spice. Soft tannin, good acidity, drink within five years.

About Saint-Amour

Saint-Amour is the northernmost cru, bordering the Mâconnais, and the name has given it a commercial life of its own around Valentine’s Day.

The wines are medium-weight, red-fruited and spiced, sitting between the delicacy of Fleurie and the firmness of Juliénas.

What the name means

Legal name
Saint-Amour AOC
Type
Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée / Protégée (AOC / AOP)
Set by
INAO
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.

Grapes

Wines from here

red

Cru Beaujolais

Gamay from the ten named granite hills — structured, mineral and ageworthy, and nothing like Beaujolais Nouveau.

Rules worth knowing

Confirmed in the EU register

Saint-Amour is registered as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), file number PDO-FR-A1028, protected at EU level since 1973.

Article 107 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013

Specification published: Official Journal C, C/2025/1841, 1.4.2025 · 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.

Cru Beaujolais

Serve at 14–16°C (cellar cool).

Try with turkey, sausage and mash or vegetarian dishes.

Where to go next

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

  • Juliénas — A northern cru on mixed granite and schist, making sturdy, spicy wines with a firm edge.
  • Mâcon-Villages — The Mâconnais’ workhorse white appellation, and where most people first taste unoaked Burgundian Chardonnay without realising it.

Sources

Sources consulted