Côtes du Rhône is a wine-growing appellation d’Origine Contrôlée or AOC.  “Côtes” translates to sides or  hillsides, in this context, both sides of the Rhône river.  For an English speaker, it is easy to confuse the sound and spelling with with “côte” which also means “ribs” in the context of côte du boeuf.  Plus, that tricky “s” making it plural is hard to hear so it’s easy to think it’s “Côte du Rhône.” But there’s good reason for that confusion, so read on!

Wines have been produced in the region since pre-Roman times. Viticulture as we know it arrived in Southern France with the Greeks in the 4th century BC. But it was the Romans who really established the vineyards and reputation of the area. Using the Rhône as their ‘highway’ they conquered the Gauls (the early French in the South) while planting a few vineyards along the way. 

In the mid-17^th century, there was a Papal schism, and a second Papal palace was built in Avignon. The wines produced on the right bank of the river, around Avignon, were favored by the kings and papal community. In 1737 King Louis XV ordered that casks of wines shipped from the eastern banks be marked with the letters CDR, to indicate and protect their origins. Thus, Côte du Rhône became the early basis of the AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée ).  One hundred years later,  the name was changed to Côtes du Rhône when left bank wines became part of the appellation. 

As a result, Côtes du Rhône wines – red, white and rosé – have been considered good and even great wines for hundreds of years! In future posts, we will explore which wines get exported to the US, UK, and other countries.