Côteaux d'Aix-en-Provence is one of the main French appellations in the Provence wine region, located in the extreme southeast of the country. It is the second largest appellation in the region, with about 4,000 hectares North and west of Aix-en-Provence - the town from which it takes its name. The area also bears the tiny title of AOCPalette. The Côteaux d'Aix-en-Provence appellation was first introduced as a VDQS in 1956, having been informally known as Côteaux du Roy René (René d'Anjou being a 15th century French king famous for his love of wine and the Vine).
Full AOC status was granted in December 1985. The wines of Côteaux d'Aix-en-Provence are, in that order of importance, rosé, red and white wines. The rosés and reds are made from a Complex blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsaut and Counoise, with Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon making up to 30% of these blends. The white wine of the appellation is made from an equally complex hierarchy of grape varieties, both local and borrowed.
Merlot noir is a grape variety that originated in France (Bordeaux). It produces a variety of grape specially used for wine making. It is rare to find this grape to eat on our tables. This variety of grape is characterized by small to medium sized bunches, and medium sized grapes. Merlot noir can be found in many vineyards: South West, Languedoc & Roussillon, Cognac, Bordeaux, Loire Valley, Armagnac, Burgundy, Jura, Champagne, Rhone Valley, Beaujolais, Provence & Corsica, Savoie & Bugey.
red wines from the region of Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or spicy food such as recipes of quick meatloaf, lamb tagine with prunes or thai green curry.
On the nose in the region of Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence often reveals types of flavors of oak, lemon or dark fruit and sometimes also flavors of floral, cream or grapefruit. In the mouth in the region of Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence is a powerful with a nice balance between acidity and tannins.
Launched at London fine wine club 67 Pall Mall on 28 March, the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation (RVF) is the brainchild of Stephen Cronk, owner of Maison Mirabeau in Provence. Cronk, who has seen extreme weather events ranging from exceptional frosts to the worst forest fires in living memory in the three years he has owned Mirabeau, feels that one of the most important ways we can fight climate change is through ‘unlearning’ current approaches to land stewardship. ‘This is a critical moment ...
Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris, running from 14 to 16 February, will host a discussion on climate change as part of series of roundtable ‘wine talks’ at the show. Decanter contributor and international consultant Rupert Joy will moderate the discussion on ‘making wine in a changing climate’, to be held at 2:30pm on Tuesday 15 February, in Hall Six. Members of the panel include: Pau Roca Blaso – director general of the International Organisation of Vine & Wine Jeremy Cukierman MW – dire ...
My book The Complete Bordeaux, which has been revised every five years, is soon to be published in its fourth edition. This may seem like excessive haste, given the scope of the book, but it is astonishing how rapidly changes can take place in the region. Burgundy, in contrast, is relatively stable, since most properties are family-owned and tend to stay that way. But not so in Bordeaux, where there are ample opportunities for newcomers to acquire established properties, as they have been doing ...
