The red Côtes du Forez is a Dry red wine. It falls into the category of still wine. Côtes du Forez red is produced in the Vineyard of the Loire, vineyard in the west of France and more precisely in the wine region of Auvergne. Administratively, the Côtes du Forez red can be produced in the Loire dePartment.
Its Terroir benefits from a degraded oceanic and mountain Climate and granitic and sandy soils, volcanic rocks and basalt. The "Gamay N" Grape variety is the only one that can be used to make Côtes du Forez red wine. The red Côtes du Forez has the French label AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) and the European label AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée). This wine is part of the generic appellation Côtes du Forez.
Gamay is a Burgundian grape variety that has existed since the 14th century. For fear of competition with the pinot noir of Burgundy, gamay was finally uprooted and planted in the Beaujolais region, from Mâcon to Lyon. These siliceous and granitic soils suit it perfectly, and it gives its best here. But it is also planted all over France, such as in Lorraine, in the Loire Valley, in Bugey, in Savoie and in Auvergne. Gamay is early and very productive and needs to be limited so that quality prevails over quantity. Short winter pruning of the shoots and high density of vines per hectare are the methods that allow it to produce very fruity, fresh and greedy red wines. Gamay is also very popular in red wine futures, and produces wines from the Beaujolais region with very interesting character and ageing potential. The AOCs Crémant-de-Bourgogne, Mâcon, Anjou, Touraine, Rosé de vallée de la Loire, Côtes-d'Auvergne, Saint-Pourçain, Bugey, Gaillac, Côtes du Luberon... and many vins de pays are proud of it. Today, about 36,000 hectares of Gamay are cultivated in France, including 22,000 hectares in Beaujolais.
