Côtes du Rhône wines have all of the ingredients for broad market appeal, as a recent London tasting demonstrated. Certain characteristics – foremost quality and value – are always a consideration when choosing a wine for a business. Others, however, such as heritage, family ownership, local varieties and sustainability, are secondary, but can still add immense value. As more buyers are realising, one region that aims to tick each of those boxes and achieve broad appeal is AOC Côtes du Rhône. The appellation, although technically also covering the Northern Rhône, is overwhelmingly based in the Southern Rhône, where history, indigenous grape varieties and a favourable climate help it to meet all of these criteria. That, at least, was the case Matt Walls made when hosting a recent masterclass, touring the AOC through eight of its sub-£25 wines. The benefit of history The sense of history, whether looking at a regional level or examining individual producers, is powerful in the Southern Rhône. Viticulture stretches back millennia; under the reliably hot Mediterranean sun, Romans were able to plant vines in the region more than 2,000 years ago. Many individual estates also have long histories. Some of those producing Côtes du Rhône wines can trace their wineries, sometimes remaining in the ownership of the same family for generations, back centuries. This has appeal to the consumer, offering the assurance of heritage and family values, but also helps the wines stick to a keen price point. In longstanding wineries, many loans for land or
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Wine
