Is Pinot Noir a Rhone wine?

However, being less recognizable than varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, the term “Rhône-style” became useful shorthand for wines made from the region's native grapes.

What type of wine is a Rhône?

Short answer: a Rhone blend is a blended wine made from the grapes whose heritage is in France's Rhône Valley. But to understand why these sorts of wines are referred to in this way, when others are referred to by grape variety, or what a wine is likely to taste like, there's a longer (and more interesting) story.

What wines are in a Rhône blend?

GSM stands for Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre – three important grapes grown in the Côtes du Rhône region of France. Today, this blend is produced throughout the world and is loved for its complex red fruit flavors and age-worthy potential.

Is Côtes du Rhône Pinot?

So what is the difference between Cotes du Rhone vs Pinot Noir? Cotes du Rhône is a blend of up 21 grape varieties grown in the Cotes du Rhône region. The main grape used in Cotes du Rhône is usually Grenache. Pinot Noir is a single grape variety that is used in Pinot Noir wine around the world.

What wine is similar to Cote du Rhône?

Minervois. Next door to the Rhône is the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region, which contains the appellations of Minervois, Saint-Chinian, and Faugères. These regions use the same grapes as Côtes du Rhône, but don't have the help of wine critics to make them famous.

Everything You Need to Know About Pinot Noir

What does Cote mean in wine?

Côtes: Meaning wines from a slope or hillside. For example, Côtes Rôtie in the northern Rhône literally means ”burnt slope”. Cru: Indicates quality, where Grand Cru usually is the top, followed by Premier Cru. Cru Classé: Vineyards that have been classified.

Is Cote du Rhône a Burgundy?

Burgundy has 4 regions Cote D'Or, Beaujolais, Chalon, and Macon. Dominant varietals is Chardonnay for Whites and Pinot Noir and Gamay for Reds. Rhone is divided in North and South with distinct climate, soil and varieties. The North has 8 crus and the South 5.

What grape is Cote du Rhone wine?

The red wines and rosés of the region are generally made from blends of different red grape varieties, like grenache, syrah, mourvedre, and cinsault. Twenty-one different grapes are permitted to be used but grenache is the dominant player, and it must make up at least 30 percent of the final blend.

What is Cote du Rhône red wine?

Côtes du Rhône are the basic AOC wines of the Rhône region, and exist as red, white and rosé wines, generally dominated by Grenache for reds and rosés, or Grenache blanc for whites.

What makes a Cote du Rhône?

Côtes du Rhône Villages includes 95 villages and are more complex wines. Vineyard yields are lower and alcohol is slightly higher. These are great for aging. Côtes du Rhône (named) Villages classification is the category where 20 villages attach their names on the label.

What wines come from northern Rhone?

The northern Rhône is home to the likes of Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, Cornas and Condrieu. Hermitage famously allows producers to blend up to 20% Viognier with Syrah, producing some of the world's most sought-after wines.

What is the difference between Rhône and Bordeaux?

Typically, Bordeaux red wines are more heavily oaked, have bigger tannins and consist of flavors ranging from dark plum, to black currant and tobacco. Rhone style wines are made using less new oak.

What grape is northern Rhone Valley?

For the white wine grapes, Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier are the key grapes in the Northern Rhone Valley. Viognier is used as a blending grape in the Northern Rhone most often in Cote Rotie, when it is added Syrah planted in the Cote Blonde sector.

How many Rhône varietals are there?

Different grape varieties are allowed in the different Rhône appellations; a few appellations are single variety appellations, while the regional Côtes du Rhône appellation allow 21 different varieties.

Is Cote du Rhône full bodied?

This easy-drinking, full-bodied wine features flavors of black currant, plum, and spice, with approachable tannins and a lengthy finish. In a typical Côtes du Rhône red, you'll have the GSM mix of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, plus Cinsault and Carignan.

Is Côtes du Rhône dry or sweet?

White Côtes du Rhône Villages wines are generally made in a fresh, dry style and have a tangy, floral profile. They are predominantly made from Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Marsanne, Roussanne, Bourboulenc and/or Viognier (the principal white varieties).

What grape is in Châteauneuf-du-Pape?

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a historic village between the towns of Orange and Avignon, in France's southern Rhône Valley. It is famous for powerful, full-bodied red wine, largely made from the classic southern Rhône grape trio of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.

Is Cote du Rhône a dry red wine?

Is Côtes Du Rhône Dry Red? White Côtes du Rhône Villages wines are made primarily from Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Marsanne, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, and/or Viognier (the main white varieties). They are generally made in a fresh, dry style with a tangy, floral profile.

What blend is Cote du Rhône?

Côtes du Rhône wines are mostly grape blends, not single-variety wines. The red stars are Grenache Noir, Syrah, and Mourvèdre (a blend often called “GSM.”). Winemakers use another 12 unusual red varieties to add a little spice or color to the blend. It changes depending on the vineyard location.

Is Beaujolais a Burgundy?

Beaujolais is the name of a little area in France just south of Burgundy that makes wine with Gamay grapes. It's one of the few wine regions of France that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Why is Burgundy called Cote d Or?

Winegrowers chose the name of the Bourgogne Côte d'Or appellation as a reference to the orientation of the winegrowing hillsides. The Côte d'Or in this case represents a contraction of “Côte d'Orient”, meaning oriented to the east.

What does Cru mean in French wine?

Cru simply means “growth” and the wine classification indicates that the wine has been legally verified as a product of Burgundy.

What does Cotes de Provence mean?

Definitions of Cotes de Provence. a wine from southeastern France on the Mediterranean coast. type of: vino, wine. fermented juice (of grapes especially)

What grape is Cote du Rhône Blanc?

Made predominantly (88%) from Viognier, this wine is in a full-flavoured, rich style, with notes of apricot, melon and almond, that's perfect with rich food. This is a full flavoured wine with a long mineral finish. This is a blend of Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Viognier.

Is Bordeaux the same as Pinot Noir?

Bordeaux whites are usually blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Meanwhile, Burgundy's red wines are made from Pinot Noir (the Beaujolais region is technically considered part of Burgundy as well, and the red wines there are made from Gamay), while white Burgundies are made from the Chardonnay grape.