As the temperatures drop in October, I often find myself reaching for wines from an old favourite region in France: Côtes-du-Rhône AOC. If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ll see how I like to compare this French appellation to boy bands like One Direction as they’re made up of a blend of distinctive grape varieties, each with their own personality. What may pass some people by however, is that there are various quality levels to explore. Start with Côtes-du-Rhône, then move up to Côtes-du-Rhône Villages and there’s even a more lofty level to explore too, where Côtes-du-Rhône Villages with a named village. You can read more about all of this here.
While the red wines are the most famous and the most plentiful (around 84% of all wines are red!), the whites (around 6%) and pinks (around 10%) are really starting to fly. Let’s take a look at a couple of whites and reds to see what all the fuss is about.
Les Dauphins, Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc, 2020
Hailing from vineyards in the southern Rhône, this white is a great example of an accessible Rhône wine made with some of the great white grapes of the region, namely Grenache blanc, Marsanne and Viognier. With ripe, orchard fruit notes, a herbaceous touch and a distinctive freshness, Les Dauphins shows an effortless complexity and drinkability for a really great price.
Find it here at Tesco for £7
Gabriel Meffre Côtes-du-Rhône, 2020
Producer Gabriel Meffre has been based in Gigondas since 1936 and for this wine, they’ve used a traditional blend of white grapes including Grenache blanc and Viognier with some Roussanne this time. A little step up from the previous bottle, the Viognier really shines through here: exceptionally elegant and soft, it has delicately complex notes of peaches, pear, apricot and white blossom with a refreshing, citrus core. Just beautiful.
Find it here at Waitrose for £9.99
Terroir Daronton, Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Séguret, 2019
With Terroir Daronton, we see an example of one of the villages of the appellation getting a special shout out as grapes from here were deemed so worthy, there was no need to blend: Séguret. It’s bold in flavour but lean and refreshing with a gorgeous combination of spicy bramble fruit and a slick of salinity and minerality.
Find it here at Waitrose for £9.79
Splash Out Red
Taste the Difference Chartreuse De Bonpas, Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, 2018
Christmas cake in a glass! This bold and beautiful, velvety red is produced largely with Syrah, Grenache and Carignan to offer a rich blend of flavours from sweet, black cherry to brandy soaked raisins, grilled meat and spicy blackberry. A great food wine this; try it with stews or hard, nutty cheeses.
Find it here at Sainsbury’s for £15
Like these? Read this and try some wines from the Rasteau appellation