Côtes du Rhone AOC

The regional appellation stretches along both banks of the Rhône for over 200 kilometres from Vienne in the far north to Avignon in the far south. The classification was granted back in 1937. It includes some areas of the northern and large parts of the southern section of the Rhône. This is why this appellation is sometimes used as a synonym for the entire Rhône valley. The vineyards cover 42,000 hectares of vines in the six départements of Ardèche, Drôme, Gard, Loire, Rhône and Vaucluse. Over 90% of the vineyards produce red wines and only 2% white wines, which also applies to the entire region. The majority are light, fruity red wines produced using carbonic maceration, which are marketed as primeur for quick consumption.

AOC rules

The next quality level up is the Côtes du Rhône-Villages wines (see the best-known producers there) with stricter regulations, such as lower maximum yields. Of the 105 communes, 20 are allowed to use the commune name. A total of 16 Rhône areas have the regional status "Cru", which means the rank of a top appellation. In a broader sense, these belong to the Côtes du Rhône appellation, which is why the label also states "Cru des Côtes du Rhône". They represent the pinnacle of quality.

Map: From DalGobboM in the Wikipedia on frz. - Own work, GFDL, link