Côtes du Rhône & Côtes du Rhône Villages

Around 90% of the entire production of the Rhône Valley is designated Côtes du Rhône - 40,200 hectares - and 6,000 wine makers make regional Côtes du Rhône one of the leading appellations for red wine production in the region.. The quality of these wines varies from one producer to the next but there are numerous styles of good to exceptional wines to suit all palates at very reasonable prices. Often it is a matter of discovering personal favourites.

In 1953, the Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation was granted to four villages in the Vaucluse and Gard départements (Gigondas and Cairanne, Chusclan and Laudun) imposing stricter controls including permitted grape varieties, maximum yields (42 hl/ha for named villages, 45 hl/ha for other Villages wines) and minimum alcohol content (12% ABV), with the aim of producing better wines than those of the Côtes du Rhône. Over the years other villages were added and Gigondas was subsequently elevated to its own appellation in 1971, followed in 1990 by Vacqueyras.  In a rather surprising move, in 2006, two more villages were similarly upgraded: Beaumes-de-Venise and Vinsobres.

Cairanne was long regarded as the best of the named villages thanks to established stars such as the Brusset family but has now been upgraded (in 2016), along with other villages including Rasteau (2010), Laudun (2024) to cru status. This leaves (currently) 95 villages entitled to use the Côtes du Rhône Villages designation, 21 of which are permitted to add their village name to the label, as follows:

• Drôme département: Nyons, Rochegude, Rousset-les-Vignes, Saint-Maurice, Saint-Pantaléon-les-Vignes and Suze-la-Rousse. 
• Vaucluse département: Gadagne, Massif d’Uchaux, Plan de Dieu, Puyméras, Roaix, Sablet, Sainte-Cécile, Séguret, Vaison-la-Romaine, Valréas and Visan. 
• Gard département: Chusclan, Saint-Gervais and Signargues. 
• Ardèche département: Saint Andéol

Climate and the types of soil have influenced the type of grape varieties under cultivation. Each variety conveys its own specific character, which, when blended with other varieties, results in the production of well balanced finely tuned wines.

Grenache is the main grape variety for the warming red wines with Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and others. White wines, which are fresh and aromatic, are usually the result of blending together several grapes, such as Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, Clairette, and Viognier.

From 1996, southern red and rosé Côtes du Rhône wines must include at least 66% Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Similarly, 80% of the white wine blend is made up of Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Marsanne, Roussanne, Bourboulenc and Viognier. Interestingly, from 2024, there are four Variétés d'Intérêt à Fins d'Adaptation (Varieties of Interest for Adapatation, or VIFA) authorized in Côtes du Rhône Villages vineyards and wines, and can be included up to 10% of the final blends: Rolle (or Vermentino), Carignan blanc, and the disease-resistant hybrids Vidoc and Floréal.