Barbaroux (also known as Grec rouge) is a pink-skinned French wine grape variety grown in southeastern France. It is a permitted variety in the appellation d'origine contrôlée wine of Cassis in Provence as well as in the Ajaccio region of Corsica. While it is sometimes known under the synonym "Barbarossa", DNA profiling has shown the Barbaroux grown in Provence is distinct from the Barbarossa vines grown in Liguria and Piedmont and is likely unrelated to all Italian Barbaross vines. There is also debate among ampelographers about whether the Barbaroux vines in Provence and Corsica are the same grape or separate Vitis vinifera varieties. History The oldest potential mention of Barbaroux grape, under the synonym Barbarons, dates to 1667 when it was described as being used as both wine and table grape in Toulon in the Provence region of southern France. Here the vine is described as having massive clusters of large violet colored berries. However, despite the synonyms use, there is some doubt among ampelographers about this reference since the modern Barbaroux vine of Provence has more pink-ish colored skins though the violet description could be referring to the color of the wine, particularly after a long period of extended maceration. The name "Barbaroux" itself comes from the term barbarous which means "reddish berries" in the Provençal dialect. The first appearance of the modern spelling of Barbaroux appeared in 1715. Viticulture The Barbaroux vine has the potential to be very fertile and high yielding but is generally not very vigorous. It buds early but requires a long growing season before it large berries and clusters achieves full ripeness. Among the viticultural hazards that Barbaroux is susceptible to are botrytis bunch rot and powdery mildew. Wine regions and AOC regulations Despite being an authorized grape for the red, white and rosé wines of the Côtes de Provence and Cassis AOC, plantings of Barbaroux have been on the decline in the Provence region with only 94 acres (38 hectares) of the vine reported in 2008, most of it in the Cassis region. These numbers are likely to continue to drop as AOC wine laws governing its use in the Côtes de Provence AOC now limit the inclusion of Barbaroux to grapes harvested from vines that were planted before 1994. In Cassis, Barbaroux can be blended with Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Grenache in the red and rosé wines or it can be used to