The Specifics of Côtes du Rhône Rouge

The Côtes du Rhône Rouge wine is an exceptional wine produced in the Rhône Valley, an iconic wine region stretching from southeastern France to the Mediterranean. Enjoying the controlled designation of origin (AOC) since 1937, this wine represents 87% of the regional production. Let's discover together the characteristics and secrets that make this red wine so popular.

The Grape Varieties of Côtes du Rhône Rouge

The unique blend of Côtes du Rhône Rouge wine comes from key grape varieties such as grenache, syrah, and mourvèdre, each contributing color, aromas, structure, and aging potential. Grenache offers roundness and notes of red fruits, syrah intensity, complexity, and spicy aromas, while mourvèdre adds structure, richness, and notes of leather and scrubland.

Other grape varieties like carignan, cinsault, counoise, or vaccarèse can be integrated to adjust the wine according to vintages, terroirs, and winemakers' preferences.

The Terroirs of Côtes du Rhône Rouge

Spanning over 40,000 hectares across six departments, the production of Côtes du Rhône Rouge benefits from a diversity of soils and climates. The northern Côtes du Rhône, with their granitic or schist soils and continental climate, are distinguished from the southern Côtes du Rhône wines, characterized by their stony or sandy soils and Mediterranean climate. This variety results in a range of wines with distinct profiles, from elegant and complex northern wines to generous and fruity southern wines.

Food and Wine Pairings with Côtes du Rhône Rouge

The Côtes du Rhône Rouge pairs well with a variety of dishes. A light and fruity northern wine will perfectly accompany fine charcuteries and quiches, while a powerful and spicy northern wine will pair well with red meats or lamb tagine. The round and supple southern wines go well with pizzas and couscous, and the rich and full-bodied versions enhance game dishes and characterful cheeses.

How is Côtes du Rhône Rouge wine made?

The winemaking process depends on each estate and each cuvée, but it generally follows the following steps:

• Harvesting, picking grapes at maturity;
• Destemming, separating the berries from the stems;
• Crushing, lightly crushing the berries to release the juice;
• Alcoholic fermentation, converting sugar into alcohol thanks to natural yeasts;
• Maceration, letting the juice come into contact with the skins and seeds to extract color and tannins;
• Pressing, separating the free-run wine from the pressed wine;
• Malolactic fermentation, reducing the wine's acidity through lactic bacteria;
• Aging, refining the wine in tanks or oak barrels;
• Blending, mixing different wines to achieve the desired balance;
• Bottling, filling the bottles with the wine and corking them with a cork or capsule.

The Côtes du Rhône Rouge thus offers a range of flavors that reflect the richness and diversity of its terroir. A must-try for all red wine enthusiasts.

And if you want to taste a good Côtes du Rhône Rouge, we have some very good vintages, including the L'esprit Rouge bottle, ranked 3rd best Côtes du Rhône Rouge by Vivino. Enjoy them by ordering online now!