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PDO — Poitou-Charentes
A small, golden potato from the Île de Ré, early and delicate, lifted from the estuary's white sand — a melting texture, a subtly sweet flavour, born from the conversion of winegrowers ruined by phylloxera.
Vegetable from Poitou-Charentes, PDO (AOP) since 1998.
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Until the early 20th century, the Île de Ré drew most of its wealth from vines and salt, with potatoes grown only for home consumption. It was the phylloxera crisis, which destroyed part of the vineyards, that prompted winegrowers to turn to new potatoes: local agricultural societies recommended them in their 1906 and 1912 reports, with the island's temperate climate and the nature of its soils proving ideally suited. The crop's real boom, however, only came in the aftermath of the Second World War, when the potato became the island's main market-gardening activity, alongside vines relegated to the poorest land.
The 'Pomme de terre de l'Île de Ré' designation of origin has been recognised since 1998 — a first for a French potato, joined only more than ten years later by the Béa du Roussillon, the country's only other PDO potato. The specifications protect a distinctive terroir: calcosol and calcisol soils over limestone bedrock, covered with light, free-draining sands along the coastal fringe, under a temperate oceanic climate that is very sunny (around 2,300 hours per year) and windy.
Small to medium in size, always under 70 mm (square mesh), with a thin skin that comes away without peeling. The fine, melting flesh develops aromas after cooking that evolve over the course of the season — from vegetal notes and spring vegetables (asparagus, artichoke, peas) towards nuts (hazelnut, chestnut), warm bread and butter. A sweet flavour generally dominates; salty or bitter notes remain discreet or absent, while any earthy smell is entirely absent.
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Its melting texture and delicate, almost sweet flavour make it a potato prized for the fine quality of its flesh and its thin skin. Simply boiled or steamed, drizzled with semi-salted butter and fresh herbs, it needs nothing more — a new potato to be savoured without artifice, for the duration of its short season.
Since: 1998
Area covered: 10 communes of the Île de Ré (Charente-Maritime)
Key requirements: Among the authorised varieties: Alcmaria, Charlotte, Primabelle, Celtiane, Carrera; planting from 20 January to 10 April; marketing until 31 July inclusive; average farm yield ≤ 26 t/ha (≤ 30 t/ha per plot); marketed size < 70 mm
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