Costières de Nîmes is an
Appellation d'Origine ContrôléeAppellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled term of origin" is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National des...
(AOC) for wines that are produced in an area between the ancient city of
NîmesNîmes is a city in southern France. It is the capital of the Gard department. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and it is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
and the western
RhôneRhône can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
delta, in the French department of the
GardGard is a département located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It is named after the river Gardon .- History :...
. Formerly part of the
LanguedocLanguedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² Languedoc is a former...
region of France, as the wines more resemble those of the Rhône valley in character than
of the LanguedocLanguedoc - Roussillon wine, including the vin de pays labeled Vin de Pays d'Oc, is produced in southern France. While "Languedoc" can refer to a specific historic region of France and Northern Catalonia, usage since the 20th century has primarily referred to the northern part of the...
, it is now part of the Rhone wine area and administered by the Rhône Wine committee which has its headquarters in
AvignonAvignon is a commune in the Vaucluse department in south-eastern France with an estimated mid-2004 population of 89,300 in the city itself and a population of 290,466 in the metropolitan area at the 1999 census.The city is well known for its Palais des Papes , where several popes...
.
Wines from the region have been produced for over two millennia and were consumed by the Greeks in pre-Roman times, making it one of the oldest vinyards in Europe.
Costières de Nîmes is an
Appellation d'Origine ContrôléeAppellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled term of origin" is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National des...
(AOC) for wines that are produced in an area between the ancient city of
NîmesNîmes is a city in southern France. It is the capital of the Gard department. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and it is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
and the western
RhôneRhône can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
delta, in the French department of the
GardGard is a département located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It is named after the river Gardon .- History :...
. Formerly part of the
LanguedocLanguedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² Languedoc is a former...
region of France, as the wines more resemble those of the Rhône valley in character than
of the LanguedocLanguedoc - Roussillon wine, including the vin de pays labeled Vin de Pays d'Oc, is produced in southern France. While "Languedoc" can refer to a specific historic region of France and Northern Catalonia, usage since the 20th century has primarily referred to the northern part of the...
, it is now part of the Rhone wine area and administered by the Rhône Wine committee which has its headquarters in
AvignonAvignon is a commune in the Vaucluse department in south-eastern France with an estimated mid-2004 population of 89,300 in the city itself and a population of 290,466 in the metropolitan area at the 1999 census.The city is well known for its Palais des Papes , where several popes...
.
History
Wines from the region have been produced for over two millennia and were consumed by the Greeks in pre-Roman times, making it one of the oldest vinyards in Europe. The area was settled by veterans of
Julius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar , , was a Roman military and political leader. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
's campaigns in Egypt, and bottles of Costières de Nîmes sometimes bear the symbol of the Roman settlement at Nîmes, a crocodile chained to a palm tree.
Change of name and regional affiliation
Formerly known as
Costières du Gard, a
VDQSVin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure , usually abbreviated as VDQS, is the second highest category of French wine, below Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in rank, but above Vin de pays . VDQS is sometimes written as AOVDQS, with AO standing for Appellation d'Origine...
, the wine achieved AOC status in 1986 and was renamed Costières de Nîmes 1989. In 1998 the grower's organisation (the syndicate) requested that the appellation should be attached to the Rhône wine region as their wines more reflect the typicity of the Rhône wines than those of the political region of the Languedoc to which the area geographically belongs.
INAOThe Institut National des Appellations d'Origine is the French organization charged with regulating controlled place names. Controlled by the French government, it forms part of the Ministry of Agriculture....
, the French authority which regulates the country's appellations, assigns each appellation to a regional committee which is in charge of approving wines from that appellation. This list is a legal text published by the French ministry of agriculture. The move of Costières de Nîmes to the regional committee of the Rhône valley was effected in the July 19, 2004 version of this list. Up until the version of July 8, 1998, which the 2004 version superseded, Costières de Nîmes was assigned to the regional committee of
Languedoc-RoussillonLanguedoc-Roussillon is one of the 26 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.Llívia is a town of...
. Interestingly enough, the immediately adjacent AOC of Clairette de Bellegarde remains listed as a Languedoc AOC.
Geography
Between the low rocky hills and
garrigueGarrigue is a type of low, soft-leaved scrubland found on limestone soils around the Mediterranean Basin, generally near the seacoast, where the climate is ameliorated, but where annual summer drought conditions obtain...
that mark the border of the Languedoc with the
ProvenceProvence is a region of southeastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, and the low sandy plain of the
CamargueThe Camargue is located south of Arles, France, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the River Rhône delta. The eastern arm is called the Grand Rhône; the western one is the Petit Rhône. Administratively it lies within the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, the appropriately named...
the Rhône delta, the soil is mostly a mixture of round pebbles ("galets") similar to
Châteauneuf-du-PapeChâteauneuf-du-Pape is an AOC for wine made near the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône wine region in southeastern France. It is the most renowned appellation of the southern part of the Rhône Valley...
, and sandy alluvial deposit and red shale. The soil depth from 3 to 15 metres is largely responsible for the variations of style within this AOC.
The climate is
MediterraneanA hi Mediterranean climate resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes most of the area with this climate type worldwide...
, similar to that of the Rhône valley, but is characterised by its proximity to the coast and the sea breezes.
The wines are produced in selected parcels of the following 24
communesThe commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. The French word commune appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin communia, meaning a small gathering of people sharing a common life; from Latin communis, things held in common.French communes are roughly...
:
AubordAubord is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. Aubord is situated southwest of Nîmes....
, Beaucaire,
Beauvoisin Beauvoisin is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.Beauvoisin is a small southern village with a post office, bar, newsagent, grocers, butchers and a couple of bakeries. It's quite famous for bull games in the city streets and the arenas. Unlike Spanish bull fighting, the game in...
,
BellegardeBellegarde is a commune in the Gardedépartment in southern France.-References:*...
,
BernisBernis is a commune in the Gard department in southern France....
,
BezouceBezouce is a commune in the Gard department in southern France....
,
BouillarguesBouillargues is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-References:* -External links:*...
,
Le CailarLe Cailar is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-See also:*Communes of the Gard department* Costières de Nîmes AOC...
,
CaissarguesCaissargues is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-See also:*Communes of the Gard department* Costières de Nîmes AOC...
,
GaronsGarons is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.The Nîmes-Arles-Camargue Airport, also called "Garons Airport" is located very close to Garons, on the territory of the commune of Saint-Gilles.-External links:*...
,
GénéracGénérac is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-References:*...
,
Jonquières-Saint-VincentJonquières-Saint-Vincent is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-References:*...
,
LédenonLédenon is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-See also:*Communes of the Gard department* Costières de Nîmes AOC...
,
ManduelManduel is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-References:*...
,
MeynesMeynes is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-References:*...
,
MilhaudMilhaud is a commune in the Gard department in southern France....
,
NîmesNîmes is a city in southern France. It is the capital of the Gard department. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and it is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
,
RedessanRedessan is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-References:*...
,
RodilhanRodilhan is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-References:*...
,
Saint-GillesSaint-Gilles or Saint-Gilles-du-Gard is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.It is the second most populous commune in the Nîmes metropolitan area.-Geography:...
,
SernhacSernhac is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-References:*...
,
UchaudUchaud is a commune in the Gard department in southern France....
,
VauvertVauvert is a town and commune in the Gard department in southern France. It was known as Posquières in the Middle Ages.-The Commune:The commune comprises the town of Vauvert and the villages of Gallician and Montcalm. Over a third of the population work in industry, which is largely the food...
, and
Vestric-et-CandiacVestric-et-Candiac is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-See also:* Costières de Nîmes AOC*Communes of the Gard department...
.
Red
The Costières de Nîmes produce mostly red wines, from Syrah and
MourvèdreMourvèdre, Mataró, or Monastrell is variety of wine grape used to make both strong, dark red wines and rosés. It is an international variety grown in many regions around the world....
together 20%,
GrenacheGrenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain the south of France and California's San Joaquin Valley...
minimum of 25%, Carignan maximum 40%, Cinsault, maximum 40%. They are closer in style to Rhône wine than
Languedoc wineLanguedoc - Roussillon wine, including the vin de pays labeled Vin de Pays d'Oc, is produced in southern France. While "Languedoc" can refer to a specific historic region of France and Northern Catalonia, usage since the 20th century has primarily referred to the northern part of the...
and generally they are elegant, well balanced, lightly structured, with aromas of red fruit, blackberry, prune and black cherry. Some of the wines are rounder, more generous, with a higher level of tannins.
The reds account for approximately 70% of the total production.
White
A small amount, approximately 5% of the total, of white wine is made from the
BourboulencBourboulenc is a white wine grape variety primarily grown in southern France. The variety is found in the regions Southern Rhône, Provence and Languedoc....
,
Clairette BlancClairette blanche is a white wine grape variety most widely grown in the wine regions of Provence, Rhône and Languedoc in France. At the end of the 1990s, there were of Clairette Blanche grown in France, although volumes are decreasing....
,
Grenache BlancGrenache blanc is a variety of white wine grape that is related to the red grape Grenache. It is mostly found in Rhône wine blends and in northeast Spain. Its wines are characterized by high alcohol and low acidity, with citrus and or herbaceous notes. Its vigor can lead to overproduction and...
, Maccabéo,
RolleVermentino is a late-ripening white grape originating in Spain or Madeira, or perhaps Portugal, and now widely planted in Corsica, Sardinia, and the coastal arc running from Tuscany through Liguria and into southern France, around Nice...
,
RoussanneRoussanne is a white wine grape grown originally in the Rhône wine region in France, where it is often blended with Marsanne. It is the only other white variety, besides Marsanne, allowed in the northern Rhône appellations of Crozes-Hermitage AOC, Hermitage AOC and Saint-Joseph AOC...
and Ugni Blanc, maximum 30% varieties. The whites must be blended from a minimum of two varieties. Ugni Blanc will be discontinued from the AOC with effect from and including the harvest of 2010.
The whites are well balanced with aromas of flower and fruit, citrus, and occasionally apple and pear.
They can be consumed alone or as an accompaniment to seafood and grilled fish.
Rosé
Some
roséA rosé wine has some of the color typical of a red wine, but only enough to turn it pink. The pink color can range from a pale orange to a vivid near-purple, depending on the grapes and wine making techniques.-Skin contact:...
is made as a by-product from the production of red wines, with the same permitted percentages of grape varieties, with a possible maximum of 10% of white grapes from the allowed varieties for the white wines. These are light and dry, traditionally well balanced and delicate. A wine for leisure as well as for the strict of meals of white meats and poultry, they are often drunk chilled, are refreshing, and can be consumed at any time of the day. Locally, it is often taken with light meals of salads, pasta, and pizza. Rosé accounts for approximately 25% of the total production.
The minimum decreed alcohol content for all three colours is 11%.
Economy
424 concerns which include 404 growers, 96 private wineries, 17 cooperative wineries, and 3 merchant/producers.