Côtes du Roussillon

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical zone lies within a vast amphitheatre open to the east toward the Mediterranean, bounded to the west by the Canigou massif, which peaks at the Pic du Canigou at 2,780 metres.
• This same amphitheatre is bordered to the south by the Albères massif, with the Roc de France at 1,450 metres, and to the north by the Corbières massif, with Mont Tauch at 878 metres.
• The plots are located on steep schist or limestone slopes and their colluvial deposits to the north, on argillaceous-sandy molasse hills to the south, and on gravelly terraces along the valley floors.
• The soils of the delimited plots share common characteristics: they are dry, low in organic matter, stony, and well drained.
• The Mediterranean climate is characterised by annual sunshine exceeding 2,500 hours and annual rainfall of between 500 and 650 millimetres, often of a stormy nature and marked by a pronounced summer drought.
• The Tramontane, a very cold north-westerly wind in winter after crossing the snow-covered peaks of the Pyrenees, blows one day in three, keeping the vines healthy while intensifying the dryness.

• Three earlier appellations of origin (Roussillon-dels-Aspres, Corbières-du-Roussillon, and Corbières-supérieures-du-Roussillon) were brought together under the name Côtes du Roussillon on 3 October 1972.
• The appellation achieved AOC status on 28 March 1977, becoming the first major appellation d'origine contrôlée in Languedoc-Roussillon.

• The red wines, always made from a blend of at least two grape varieties, are full-bodied with ripe, velvety tannins and notes of red fruit and spice.
• The rosé wines, made from a blend of at least two grape varieties, have a generally deep pink colour and a fine structure, with roundness and good aromatic persistence.
• The white wines, made from a blend of at least two grape varieties, are either balanced and fresh with fine minerality, or richer, fuller and more generous.

• Syrah, generally trained on a trellis owing to its sensitivity to wind, is planted in cooler-soil sites, as are the main white varieties Grenache blanc, Maccabeu, and Tourbat.
• The matching of grape varieties to the different geographical and climatic situations, and their complementarity, allows producers to express the character of the wines, which are always made as blends.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 22 mars 2022, JORF 31 mars 2022
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — CIVR — Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon