Cotes du Rhone
The AOC Cotes-de-Rhone was gained in 1937. It is a large area covering some 200 km from Vienne in the north to Avignon in the south an area of some 84,000 hectares, 840 square km, 324 square miles. Compare this with Beaumes de Venise which has an area of 541 hectares, 5.41 square km, 2 square miles.
The wine is as expected quite varied. All reds grown south of Montélimar must contain a minimum of 40% Grenache, and may contain up to 5% white grapes. A red from anywhere in the appellation must contain a minimum of 15% Syrah and/or Mourvedre. In total there are about 20 grape varieties permitted.
There are thousands of growers and the land is somewhat varied also. It is necessary to look at where the wine is produced to get some idea of the character of the wine.
Click on the photo for a full size photo.
Same form of bottle but no coat of arms on the glass, so a simpler bottle.
The front label shows that it is a Cotes du Rhone AOP and that it was bottled by the producer.
It also displays Rhonea which is a collective of some 300 producers based in Beaumes de Venise formed in 1925.
This is the label on the back of the bottle
The back label gives the year of 2022, the alcohol level of 13.5%, grape varieties (Syrah, Grenache, Marselan) and wine character (Crafted in close collaboration with some great French Chefs to celebrate fine cuisine and convivial moments). This is in both French and English. It is curiously shy about giving the origin and just says. "Mis en Bouteille par Les Artisan Vignerons a 84012 FRANCE." A look up of the postcode 84012 shows that it is Beaumes de Venise which means it has a good pedigree. Interestingly there is no website link but there is a QR code to the website