With its 70,000 hectares, this wine region is the 2nd largest region in France for the production of quality wines. Of all the wines produced by the 5300 different wine estates, 79% consists of red wine. The region stretches from Vienne to Nîmes over 6 departments and there are a total of 16 Crus including well-known appellations such as Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Cornas, Hermitage and Châteauneuf-du-Pape to name just a few. However, the largest production is destined for the Côtes-du-Rhône and Côtes-du-Rhône Villages. The latter are especially interesting and in particular the 18 municipalities that are allowed to use this appellation under the name of the village, such as Cairanne, Visan, Séguret, etc.
There is a big difference in style between the wines from the Côtes-du-Rhône Septentrionale (the Northern part), the cradle of the Syrah grape and the wines from the Côtes-du-Rhône Mérédionale (the Southern area), where the Grenache grape is mainly grown. feels at home. Although my personal preference is more for the Northern wines, which generally have a fresher style and higher drinkability, the terroirs from the south, especially in Châteauneuf and Gigondas, are of a very high level. Here are many domains that, despite the warm climate, produce great refined wines with excellent aging potential.
By the way, did you know that Belgium is the 3rd export country of this region after the USA and the UK. Quite surprising if you compare our surface with that of those 2 giants.
This is because you can find very high-quality wines for relatively little money and Provence as a popular holiday destination will certainly play its part in this. The red wines bear witness to character, terroir expression and aging potential. Moreover, the sunny climate makes them generous and, despite their ripening capacity, still accessible. And the white wines also have their own typicity due to the presence of specific grapes such as Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne and Grenache blanc.
To conclude, there are the very good rosé wines that are gaining more and more popularity.