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.
Cinsaut noir is a grape variety that originated in France (Provence). 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 large bunches and large grapes. Cinsaut noir can be found in several vineyards: South-West, Cognac, Bordeaux, Provence & Corsica, Rhône valley, Languedoc & Roussillon, Loire valley, Savoie & Bugey, Beaujolais, Armagnac.
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 sauerkraut (with tips so to do!!!), sublime salmon (stuffed salmon) or mussel clusters.
In the mouth in the region of Côtes-du-Rhône is a powerful with a nice freshness.
When I taste the new vintage in the Rhône every autumn, I taste the wines blind, meaning the bottles are covered up. At the end, when the wines are revealed, many of the top performers are no great surprise. Something I find particularly exciting, however, is to see an estate that I’m unfamiliar with do better and better, year after year; a dark horse breaking away from the pack. In recent years, this is something I’ve witnessed with Vignobles Chirat. Aurélien Chirat was tinkering with some mach ...
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 ...
When I have some time to myself in the southern Rhône, my favourite place to relax is the peaceful village of Gigondas. I had even more reason to visit this June, as the growers’ syndicate was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the appellation. Over a meal at Domaine du Clos des Tourelles, we had the opportunity to taste wines spanning five decades, including a remarkable 1971 that was still very much alive and kicking. Gigondas has long been recognised as an exceptional site for winemaking, bu ...
