France, Côtes du Rhône
Wine is being produced throughout France and has been done for over 2,500 years with certain Châteaux dating their history back to Roman times, around 6th Century BC. Ranking second in the world in per-capita consumption and first in total production quantity. More-so than the overall quantity of wine is the quantity of truly great wines coming out of France makes the nation the envy of wine-making nations worldwide.
Two concepts pivotal to the higher end French wines, in particular, are the idea of 'terroir' and the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Terroir refers to the way the geography, geology and climate find their way into the glass, telling a story of the origin of the wine. The AOC was set up in 1935 and has the primary goal of protecting the authenticity of the wines and the livelihoods of the producers. Appellation rules strictly define which varieties of grapes and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or in some cases, like in Burgundy even specific vineyards.
Classic wine regions in France include Champagne (home of Champagne), Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot), Alsace (Aromatic varietals), Loire Valley (Chenin Blanc, Crémant) and the Rhône Valley (Syrah, Grenache Mourvedre)
The Bordeaux classification of 1855 is still in use, as is the Sauternes and Barsac Classification of the same year. Wines from certain regions can be bought En Primeur, which is when the wine is sold prior to it being bottled.
Two concepts pivotal to the higher end French wines, in particular, are the idea of 'terroir' and the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Terroir refers to the way the geography, geology and climate find their way into the glass, telling a story of the origin of the wine. The AOC was set up in 1935 and has the primary goal of protecting the authenticity of the wines and the livelihoods of the producers. Appellation rules strictly define which varieties of grapes and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or in some cases, like in Burgundy even specific vineyards.
Classic wine regions in France include Champagne (home of Champagne), Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot), Alsace (Aromatic varietals), Loire Valley (Chenin Blanc, Crémant) and the Rhône Valley (Syrah, Grenache Mourvedre)
The Bordeaux classification of 1855 is still in use, as is the Sauternes and Barsac Classification of the same year. Wines from certain regions can be bought En Primeur, which is when the wine is sold prior to it being bottled.
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One of the most exciting new wines from this rapidly modernising region. Made by Philippe Cambie, former winemaker at Chateau Rayas. Cambie has received 100 point scores fifteen times and was also awarded global winemaker of the year in 2010 by critic ... Learn MoreOut of stock -
Intense, brilliant garnet-red colour. It reveals lovely fruit, loads of body and a heady bouquet of ground peppers, raspberries cherry liqueur, currants, and spice box. Full-bodied and dense, it tastes more like a “baby Châteauneuf” than a Côtes ... Learn MoreAlain Jaume Cotes Du Rhone Les Champauvins 2016$24.99 Per itemOut of stock -
One of the most exciting new wines from this rapidly modernising region. Made by Philippe Cambie, former winemaker at Chateau Rayas. Cambie has received 100 point scores fifteen times and was also awarded global winemaker of the year in 2010 by critic ... Learn MoreHeredita Cotes Du Rhone 2017$24.99 Per itemOut of stock -
One of the most exciting new wines from this rapidly modernising region. Made by Philippe Cambie, former winemaker at Chateau Rayas. Cambie has received 100 point scores fifteen times and was also awarded global winemaker of the year in 2010 by critic ... Learn More -
The ancient Côtes-du-Rhône Villages vineyards of LES CASSAGNES are located in Sérignan-du-Comtat in Domaine de la Renjarde and managed by the Château La Nerthe team with the same passion and experience for which the esteemed Châ ... Learn MoreLa Nerthe 'Les Cassagnes' Cotes Du Rhone 2019$33.99 Per itemOut of stock -
The ancient Côtes-du-Rhône Villages vineyards of LES CASSAGNES are located in Sérignan-du-Comtat in Domaine de la Renjarde and managed by the Château La Nerthe team with the same passion and experience for which the esteemed Châ ... Learn MoreLa Nerthe 'Les Cassagnes' Cotes Du Rhone 2018$33.99 Per itemOut of stock -
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The ultimate debate in wine, Old World V New World. Two Master of Wines' going head to head on arguably the most controversial subject in wine, we have Alistair ... Learn More
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It's that time of year, we have our anticipated Rhone arrivals coming in March so what better time to explore some of the regions best with our local Master of Wine; Andrea Pritzker.
We'll look at three ... Learn More
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