The wine region of Côtes-du-Rhône is located in the region of Rhône méridional of Rhone Valley of France. Wineries and vineyards like the Château de Beaucastel or the Chateau de Fonsalette produce mainly wines red, white and pink. The most planted grape varieties in the region of Côtes-du-Rhône are Mourvèdre, Viognier and Marsanne, they are then used in wines in blends or as a single variety. On the nose of Côtes-du-Rhône often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, red plum or sour cherry and sometimes also flavors of truffle, juniper or clove.
In the mouth of Côtes-du-Rhône is a powerful with a nice balance between acidity and tannins. We currently count 1765 estates and châteaux in the of Côtes-du-Rhône, producing 4241 different wines in conventional, organic and biodynamic agriculture. The wines of Côtes-du-Rhône go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or mature and hard cheese.
Mainly cultivated in the Languedoc region, carignan originates from Spain. Because of its very resistant branches, it is often called hardwood. Its bunches are quite large. They are compact and winged with a lignified stalk. The berries are spherical in shape and take on a bluish-black colour. Carignan has a total of 25 approved clones, the best known of which are 274, 65 and 9. The carignan buds at the beginning of June and is protected from spring frosts. It does not reach maturity until the third period. Also, this grape variety needs warmth and sunshine. It appreciates dry and not very fertile soils. Carignan vines can live for more than 100 years. Those that are more than 30 years old produce a better wine. This wine is well coloured. It is generous and powerful at the same time. Pepper, cherry, blackberry, banana, raspberry, almond, prune and violet are some of the aromas that this grape variety gives off.
pink wines from the region of Côtes-du-Rhône go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or shellfish such as recipes of stuffed tomatoes with thermomix, codfish aioli or waterzooï of the sea.
On the nose in the region of Côtes-du-Rhône often reveals types of flavors of cream, tangerine or blood orange and sometimes also flavors of asparagus, flint or stone fruit. In the mouth in the region of Côtes-du-Rhône is a powerful with a nice freshness.
In preparation for this column I tasted 46 reds in total, and – taking both quality and value into account – I can recommend 33 of them. Overall, the reds were less consistent than the whites, and although the lows were lower, the highs were higher. This tasting confirmed that it’s still possible to buy genuinely excellent northern Rhône reds for under £30 in the UK. That being said, it’s virtually impossible to find any Cornas, Côte-Rôtie or Hermitage for under £30 a bottle these days, but ther ...
Establishing a vineyard isn’t something you just rush into these days. Identifying the right site, carrying out soil analysis, selecting suitable rootstocks and varieties, procuring equipment… We’ve made a lot of progress in the past 80 years. But perhaps we overthink such things. Some estates, such as Domaine Font de Courtedune, have grown organically, with major decisions often being made for practical, rather than stylistic, reasons. And the results, from Côtes-du-Rhône to Châteauneuf-du-Pape ...
At a national committee meeting held on Thursday 8th September, members of the Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité (INAO) voted unanimously to ratify the change to the appellation guidelines to allow white wines into AP Gigondas. A working group of growers and négociants has been pursuing the amendment for 11 years. The amendment states that white Gigondas must contain a minimum 70% Clairette. Other permitted varieties include Bourboulenc, Clairette Rose, Grenache Gris, Grenache Blan ...
