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.
Marsanne is a white grape variety that originated in Montélimar in the Drôme, several centuries ago. Marsanne is also found in Cassis, Savoie, Languedoc-Roussillon and Saint-Péray in the Ardèche, where it produces remarkable sparkling wines. The warm, sunny climate of the Rhone Valley, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, as well as the dry, stony soil, are ideal conditions for its development. Its bunches are quite large and provide small, juicy berries that are sensitive to grey rot and strong winds. These two grape varieties complement each other perfectly: together they give light wines with little acidity, aromas of yellow fruit, white fruit and flowers with notes of honey and liquorice. This is for example what the appellations Saint-Péray, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Côtes-du-Vallée du Rhône, Corbières, or Cassis express... which represent about 700 hectares.
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 traditional welsh dark beer, tuna pie or fish and shrimp wok with curry.
On the nose in the region of Côtes-du-Rhône often reveals types of flavors of tree fruit, red fruit. 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 ...
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 ...
President of Inter Rhône Philippe Pellaton put forward the body’s ambitious commercial strategy from now until 2035 at the Maison des Vins on 8th December. The Rhône Valley continues to make considerably more red wine than white and rosé, but Pellaton explained that reweighting the split of different colours will be one of their principal policies. Their intention is to increase production of white wines with a view to doubling shipments between now and 2031. ‘Historically, Rhône Valley Vineyard ...
