A Trio of Côtes du Rhône Red Wines

For your Fall and Winter fare, and you can't beat the prices.

The Côtes du Rhône region in France — once spelled as Côtes-du-Rhône — received appellation status in 1937, making it one of the oldest AOCs — now called AOPs —in the country. The term itself had been in use since the mid 17th Century. The 1937 ruling included 170 villages that occur within a large zone flowing about 125 miles along the Rhône River from Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône in the north to Avignon in the south. Red wine dominates in the Côtes-du-Rhône area, with the primary grapes being grenache, syrah and mourvèdre. The balance tips toward grenache in the south and syrah in the north, owing to different soil compositions and climatic conditions. White and rosé wines are also permitted.