Winery Joseph VernaisonCôtes-du-Rhône

Côtes du Rhône is a beloved brand among casual wine drinkers in both the UK and the US. It’s a mid-week mainstay. But as a Decanter Premium subscriber, your relationship with wine is likely to be rather more than casual… Are Côtes du Rhône wines really worth your attention? Some, definitely. Just as a revered appellation can elevate the value of a wine, a relatively lowly one can hold prices back. So when top estates bottle wines as Côtes du Rhône, they’re often sold at a fraction of the price o ...

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 ...

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 ...