Costières-de-Nîmes PDO

Costières-de-Nîmes, the most southern of the Rhône wines

Aromatic and elegant reds, festive and light rosés and rare fresh and delicate whites: the AOC Costières-de-Nîmes has a rich range of wines to be enjoyed on any occasion. It is produced south of Nîmes, in the Gard, in the natural region of Costières. This sunny appellation is the link between the Rhône Valley, of which it is the southernmost vineyard, and the Languedoc. But it is indeed a Rhone wine, composed of a mosaic of traditional grape varieties such as syrah, grenache and mourvèdre on the red side, marsanne, roussanne and grenache on the white side. With an interesting quality-price ratio, the costières-de-nîmes are part of the rising values of the Rhone valley vineyard.

General presentation of costières-de-nîmes

The Costières-de-Nîmes appellation is produced in the Gard region of France, on the right bank of the southern Rhône. The vines occupy the Costières plateau, sunny slopes located south of Nîmes. Overlooking the Camargue and facing the sea, they benefit from an exceptional climate where maritime influences and the Mistral wind combine.

The costières-de-nîmes vineyards cover approximately 4,500 hectares and include 24 communes in the Gard between Meynes and Vauvert. Before 1989, these wines were called "costières-du-gard".

The grape varieties are typically Rhodanian. The red and rosé wines are thus composed of syrah, grenache and mourvèdre. Cinsault and carignan can also be added to the blend. As for the whites, they are mainly made from Grenache, Roussanne and Marsanne. Bourboulenc, clairette, viognier, macabeu and vermentino (rolle) are also authorised. In all three colours, the blending of at least two grape varieties is compulsory.

Most of the production of Costières-de-Nîmes is dedicated to red wines. Rosé wines account for about 30% of production, and white wines for 3 to 5%.

Characteristics of costières-de-nîmes

The red wines of the Costières-de-Nîmes appellation express all the art of the Grenache-Syrah blend. They have a ruby colour with garnet highlights. They are perfumed with red fruits and berries: raspberry, cherry, blueberry, blackberry, elderberry. Stone fruits such as plum and mirabelle enrich this aromatic palette. These red wines evolve with time towards violets, black olives, sweet spices and garrigue. Aromatic and elegant, the costières-de-nîmes AOC are quite fleshy in the mouth. They can be kept for 3 to 8 years.

The costières-de-nîmes rosés AOC have a soft pink colour and aromas of red fruits such as strawberry, raspberry and cherry, to which a note of ripe banana is sometimes added. They are greedy, full-bodied, long on the palate and have a refreshing acidity.

Finally, the whites of the AOC Costières-de-Nîmes are distinguished by their freshness and delicacy. Their colour is a brilliant golden yellow. They are clearly fruit-oriented: citrus fruits, exotic fruits, white-fleshed fruits. Flowers, such as acacia and hawthorn, are also present.

The ageing potential of white and rosé wines is estimated at 1 or 2 years.

How to taste a costières-de-nîmes

A costières-de-nîmes AOC red wine traditionally accompanies red meat dishes: beef carpaccio, lasagne, grilled rib of beef, entrecote steak with Roquefort sauce, bull stew, pot-au-feu, pierrade... Game is also a good match: doe, roe deer, wild boar... It also goes well with cheeses of character. Finally, this red wine from the southern Rhone valley is an original accompaniment to exotic dishes: tajine, couscous, colombo, etc. Serve it at a temperature of between 16 and 18°C.

Costières-de-Nîmes AOC rosés are perfect for drinking with cold meats, fish and Asian dishes. They should be drunk at a temperature of 10-12°.

Finally, the white costières-de-nîmes AOC are best enjoyed as an aperitif, at a serving temperature of 13-14°. Traditionally, this white wine is drunk with the raw milk AOC cheese from the Languedoc region, Pélardon. It also accompanies fish dishes.