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.
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 ...
The ‘Spinning Around’ singer launched the wines on her birthday in 2020 as part of a collaboration with London-based Benchmark Drinks. The firm, founded by former Accolade Wines chief executive Paul Schaafsma, specialises in celebrity partnerships. It has also launched wines in tandem with Sarah Jessica Parker, Ian Botham and Graham Norton. Yet the Kylie Minogue range has been one of the star performers, selling 3.5 million bottles in the UK and a further 1.5 million bottles in 15 international ...
The largest-ever year for entries, an incredible 18,244 wines were judged at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards – with just 163 wines awarded a Platinum medal. ‘Winning a Platinum medal is something really exceptional’ said Decanter World Wine Awards Co-Chair Sarah Jane Evans MW. ‘Platinum is like the stratospheric level’ she commented, ‘so it’s really saying to the winemaker: this is a great wine.’ Making up just 0.87% of the total wines tasted at the 2022 c ...
