Côtes du Rhône is a regional appellation in the Rhône Valley in eastern France. It applies to red, rosé and white wines, and includes more than 170 villages. The area follows the course of the Rhône southward for 125 miles (200 km) from Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône to Avignon. A small portion of the wines in the appellation are white wines.
However, the classic Côtes du Rhône wine is a blend of Fruity, medium-weight reds made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. The Côtes du Rhône appellation was introduced in November 1937. Its purpose was to give a general title to good quality Rhone wines from the lesser known and less prestigious wine producing areas of the valley. Côtes du Rhône The landscape of the Côtes du Rhône.
Pinot Gris is a grey grape variety mutated from Pinot Noir. It has its origins in Burgundy, where it is called pinot-beurot in reference to the colour of the grey robes worn by the monks of the region. Established in Alsace since the 17th century, pinot gris was called tokay until 2007. It is made up of bunches of small berries that vary in colour from pink to blue-grey. It is particularly well suited to the continental climate because it is resistant to the cold in winter and to spring frosts. This variety also likes dry limestone soils with plenty of sunshine in the summer. Pinot Gris is well suited to late harvesting or to the selection of noble grapes, depending on the year and the concentration of sugars in the berries. Pinot Gris wines are distinguished by their aromatic complexity of white fruits, mushrooms, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, etc., and their great finesse. In the Loire Valley, pinot gris is used in the Coteaux-d'Ancenis appellations. It gives dry or sweet wines with pear and peach aromas.
white wines from the region of Rhône méridional go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or mature and hard cheese such as recipes of quiche with mixed vegetables, pasta salmon - fresh cream or sunday night savoury pie (leftover).
On the nose in the region of Rhône méridional often reveals types of flavors of grapefruit, tropical or citrus and sometimes also flavors of apples, green apple or minerality. In the mouth in the region of Rhône méridional is a powerful with a nice freshness.
