By Dwight Casimere
Cotes du Rhone wines from France are some of the best food pairing wines to enjoy this summer because they go with so many different types of cuisine. They also are very affordable. Most are under $20.
Their focus on the use of high-quality grapes, the blending wizardry of local winemakers, and their intriguing use of different regional grape varieties makes drinking the wines from each of its districts an adventure within itself. Add to that their attention to sustainable agriculture and biodiversity, and you have every theoretical and practical reason to enjoy wines from the Cotes du Rhone with gusto.
Luberon-A region saturated in ancient history
Luberon AOC (Appellation D’Origine Protegee) is located in the extreme southeast corner of the Rhone Valley. Those purists who tell you that the Luberon is in Provence are also correct, since the district also straddles the northern part of Provence, just north of its capital, Aix-en-Provence, home to the ancient cathedral dedicated to Saint-Sauveur (the Holy Savior).
The historic city of Avignon, which was once the site of the Holy See, is located nearby, just south of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. With its Romanesque ruins and Gothic cathedrals, the entire area is saturated in ancient history.
Picturesque vineyards lie amidst a protected Regional Natural Reserve and stretch into the hillsides of the Vaucluse Mountains. Warm, languid days, cool nights and rich, rocky soils nourished by mineral deposits from nearby rivers and seas create an ideal environment for Syrah and Grenache grapes to thrive.
M. Chapoutier Wines-A legend is born
The year 1808 is critical to the history of the Cotes Du Rhone and to M. Chapoutier wines. It was in that year that the Calvet et Compagnie in the Rue de l’Hermitage in Tain was created. This was the property from which Marius Chapoutier created the new winery under his name at the foot of the Hermitage hill. His son Marc took the reins upon the death of Marius, and in 1955 gave it the name it bears to this day-M. Chapoutier.
Always known for innovation, winemaker Michel Chapoutier created the first ‘plot selection’ wines or Selections Parcellaires in 1989. The following year, in 1990, he began practicing the principles of biodynamic cultivation, one of the hallmarks of the winery today.
It is from that family tradition that M. Chapoutier La Ciboise 2020 ($17) was created. A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Carignan, all signature grapes of the region, the wine is intense, with brilliant flashes of precious Garnet stones and delicious flavors of dark ripe fruits and gentle baking spices.
Start the meal with a selection of soft and hard goat cheeses and assorted pickles and olives, sipping the wine as an aperitif.
The locals enjoy fresh caught rabbit or roasted pheasant and giant ribs of beef. If there’s no game meat available at your local market, enjoy an early evening barbecue starting with some zucchini and cubes of Feta or Mozzarella cheese balls and cherry tomatoes brushed with fresh oregano or thyme and grilled on a skewer, followed by Rib Eye or Bone-On Strip Steak cooked just to medium rare. The natural mineral tastes of the meat marry well with the ‘terroir’ accents inherent in this lovely wine. This is the height of enjoyment! For more on wines of the Cotes Du Rhone, visit cotesdurhone.com/en.