Vacqueyras (; ) is a commune in the

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.

department in the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in southeastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Vacqueyras is also the name of an

Appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, s ...

for a wine from the Côtes du Rhône.

Geography

Access

Departmental Route 8 arrives at the north of the commune, then Departmental Route 7 traverses the commune on a north-south axis, forking to the southeast near

Beaumes-de-Venise Beaumes-de-Venise (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Name The word "beaumes" comes from the Provençal word ''bauma'' meaning "cave" or "grotto". The surrounding hills ...

. Departmental route 52 then continues on to the south. Departmental Route 233 leaves at the east near Peyre's Wood.

Neighbouring communes

Terrain

Containing many alternating little valleys of minimal depth and plains + hills to the east, (261 m to the Muse), the extremity is at the

Dentelles de Montmirail The Dentelles de Montmirail are a small Mountain range, chain of mountains in Provence in France, in the ''département in France, département'' of Vaucluse, located just to the south of the village of Vaison-la-Romaine. They are foothills of ...

Geology

The Dentelles de Montmirail are the furthest west of the Massif des Baronnies and constitute the first advance of the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

into the Rhone Valley. Rocky stones from the

Late Jurassic The Late Jurassic is the third Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time scale, geologic time from 161.5 ± 1.0 to 143.1 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic stratum, strata.Owen ...

(

Tithonian In the geological timescale, the Tithonian is the latest age (geology), age of the Late Jurassic Epoch and the uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 149.2 ±0.7 annum, Ma and 143.1 ±0.6 (mi ...

) period with clay-limestone soil dominate the area.

Hydrography

The small stream Limade passes to the north of and flows into the

Ouvèze The Ouvèze (; ) is a river in southern France and left tributary of the Rhône. It rises in the southern French Prealps (the Baronnies), in the commune of Montauban-sur-l'Ouvèze. It flows into the Rhône in Sorgues, north of Avignon. Its leng ...

, which passes to the west. The Canal de Carpentras built in 1856, crosses the commune, and provides irrigation, thanks to a network of ''fillioles''(small irrigation channels).

Plants

Mediterranean plants on the Dentelles de Montmirail compare to those from the

Alpilles The Alpilles ( , ) is a small range of low mountains in Provence, southern France, located about south of Avignon. Geography The range is an extension of the much larger Luberon range. Although it is not high – some 498 m (1,634 ft) ...

in many places. One can find aromatic plants (

thyme Thyme () is a culinary herb consisting of the dried aerial parts of some members of the genus ''Thymus (plant), Thymus'' of flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are native to Eurasia and north Africa. Thymes have culinary, medici ...

rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers. It is a member of the sage family, Lamiaceae. The species is native to the Mediterranean r ...

fennel Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the sage family, Lamiaceae. It is native plant, native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of the Mediterranean ...

), Evergreen Oaks and Provençal White Pines (Aleppo Pines), etc. Vines grow well on the hillsides and also on the stony flat ground, at higher levels.

Population

References

Communes of Vaucluse {{Vaucluse-geo-stub