Côtes du Rhône

 

Côtes du Rhône

Côtes du Rhôneor or in English- Slopes or Hills of the Rhône-is one of the best French  wines.

Located in the South East of France, the Cotes du Rhone wine region has a long history with strong influence over time, from the Romans to Monks and Abbeys. It is still a very popular wine, famous for being rich and fruity thanks to perfect weather conditions and long hours of sunshine.

Deep ruby in colour, this powerful offers aromas of dark cherries balanced with silky notes making it an agreeable accompaniment to red meat, game dishes and cheese.

Côtes du Rhône was with Provence the first region to produce wine in France. It seems that the first vine was planted by vine growers coming form Marseille. Because of the Rhône river, it was easy to send the bottles of wine to an harbor on the Mediterranean sea (Marseille). The vineyards was then developed by the Romans. The oldest vineyards are Côte Rôtie and Hermitage. The Rhône region has many Roman monuments to visit such as in Vienne city.

In the middle age, monasteries began to manage vineyards such as Châteauneuf which was rename Châteauneuf du Pape when the Popes used to spent their holidays there ! A clear sign of recognition for the region.

One very famous wine from this region is Côte Rôtie the oldest vineyards in France.It was set up by the Romans. The Côte Rôtie with its hills bathed in sun, produces a warm, robust, full-bodied, richly colored red wine. Harsh and dark when they are young those wines become softer and develop with age an excellent bouquet. Two grape-varieties dominate the production, Viognier and Syrah.

Some Côte Rôtie wine makers and lovers use to split the best of the wines into brown Côte Rôtie and blonde Côte Rôtie. Browns are stronger and mature longer, blondes are more delicate.

 

Main characteristics

 

Colour: red; light to medium garnet

 

Body: medium bodied

 

Tastes: rich and fruity with powerful  aromas of dark cherries

 

Spotter’s guide: South East of France

 

Keep or drink?

CHATEAU-GRILLET
CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE
CONDRIEU
COTE ROTIE
COTES DU RHONE Red
COTES DU RHONE White
COTES DU RHONE Rosé
COTES DU RHONE-VILLAGES
COTES DU VENTOUX
CROZES-HERMITAGE
GIGONDAS
HERMITAGE
VACQUEYRAS
5 to 15 years and more
5 to 20 years
2 to 4 years
8 to 15 years
2 to 5 years
1 to 3 years
drink now
2 to 6 years
1 to 3 years
2 to 6 years
3 to 12 years
10 to 20 years
5 to 10 years

 

Price range: £6.99-£14.99

Enjoy.




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