Skip to main content

Get Ready to Uncork, Enjoy, and Pair Some Côtes du Rhône Wines with the #Winophiles

By

This photo is a view out into the Côtes du Rhône from the village of Gigondas from Jeff of Food Wine Click! This month the French Winophiles are focusing on the wines of the Côtes du Rhône.

First, a mea culpa, I stepped into hosting this month, but I hadn't planned on it, so I had to let go of my usual invitation-preview-posting timing. Though you are still getting enough notice to pop over and read the posts when they go live later this week.

Second, let's answer: What is Côtes du Rhône? It's a wine region whose vineyards straddle the Rhône River. [Maps below from terroir-france.com.]





Sitting in the Rhône Valley in eastern France, Côtes du Rhône is a region-wide appellation that applies to all colors of wine - from red to rosé to white wines. Introduced in 1937, the appellation was an all-encompassing designation for all the Rhône wines from the valley's lesser known and, perhaps, less prestigious viticultural areas.

And Côtes du Rhône has ancient winemaking ties. The Greeks, Romans, and Medieval Popes all cultivated vineyards in the area. Its inventory of varietals is stunning, too. In the North, you see bold Syrahs and fragrant Viognier. In the South, you have a plethora of red and rosé blends with the most popular varietals being Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah. The Southern white wines are less common, but would include Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier.

With over 5,000 producers, 170 villages, and an appealing price tag, our group had lots of flexibility with this Côtes du Rhône topic. Here's what they have planned...


I can't wait to read about the #Winophiles' explorations, tastings, and pairings. Stay tuned...if you like, join in our live Twitter chat on Saturday, September 19th at 8am Pacific time. Follow the hashtag #Winophiles and be sure to add them to any tweets you post so we can see them.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

By
photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an...
183 comments
Read more

Frozen Art Gourmet Ice Cream

By
As we headed inland from the coast, I cringed as the temperature gauge in the car for outside temp climbed into the triple digits. Ugh. I'm a rather wimpy central coastal Californian who begins to wilt when it's 70 degrees outside. Thank goodness for air conditioning and a planned ice cream stop. When I parked the car outside Frozen Art Gourmet Ice Cream in Santa Rosa, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. We knew that we still had to get to the campsite...and set up our tents in the heat. But we were going to enjoy the cool, sweet treats from Frozen Art first! Michoacana ice creameries are the equivalent of Starbucks in Mexico; they're ubiquitous. Purists, however, claim that operating a true Michoacana ice cream shop require ties to Tocumbo. It's estimated that almost ninety percent of the Tocumban population is currently employed in the ice cream business from making ice cream itself to making equipment. But the real art of Tocumban ice creams: imaginat...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige #ItalianFWT on CulinaryCam.Com

By
I am in the process of migrating over to my new domain. Come on over to read " A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige " for December's #ItalianFWT.
Post a Comment
Read more