Costières de Nîmes is an
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bo ...
(AOC) for wines that are produced in an area between the ancient city of
Nîmes and the western
Rhône
The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...
delta, in the French department of the
Gard. Formerly part of the
Languedoc
The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France.
Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximatel ...
region of France, as the wines more resemble
those of the Rhône valley in character than
of the Languedoc, it is now part of the Rhone wine area and administered by the Rhône Wine committee which has its headquarters in
Avignon
Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune ha ...
.
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 vineyards in Europe. The area was settled by veterans of
Julius Caesar's campaigns in Egypt, and bottles of Costières de Nîmes bear the symbol of the Roman settlement at Nîmes, a crocodile chained to a palm tree. According to a chart in the kitchen of the
Palais des Papes
The Palais des Papes ( English: Palace of the Popes; ''lo Palais dei Papas'' in Occitan) is a historical palace located in Avignon, Southern France. It is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. Once a fortress ...
in Avignon, many of the towns in what is now the Costieres de Nîmes region were the main suppliers of wine to the Popes of that era.
Change of name and regional affiliation
Formerly known as Costières du Gard, a
VDQS, the wine achieved AOC status in 1986 and was renamed Costières de Nîmes 1989. In 1998 the growers' organization (the syndicate) requested that the appellation should be attached to the Rhône wine region as their wines are more reflective of the typical characteristics of Rhône wines than of the Languedoc region to which the area geographically belongs.
INAO, 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 19 July 2004 version of this list.
[JORF n°177 du 1 août 2004 page 13753 texte n° 25: Arrêté du 19 juillet 2004 relatif à la composition des comités régionaux vins et eaux-de-vie de l'Institut national des appellations d'origine](_blank)
/ref> Up until the version of 8 July 1998, which the 2004 version superseded, Costières de Nîmes was assigned to the regional committee of Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon (; oc, Lengadòc-Rosselhon ; ca, Llenguadoc-Rosselló) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, it joined with the region of Midi-Pyrénées to become Occitania. It comprised five departments, and b ...
. The immediately adjacent AOC of Clairette de Bellegarde
Clairette may refer to:
People
*Clairette Oddera or Clairette (1919–2008), French-Canadian actress and singer
Places
*Clairette, Texas, an unincorporated community in Texas, United States
Wines and grapes
* Clairette blanche, a white grape va ...
remains listed as a Languedoc AOC.
Geography
Between the low rocky hills and ''garrigue
Garrigue or garigue ( ), also known as phrygana ( el, φρύγανα , n. pl.), is a type of low scrubland ecoregion and plant community in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.
It is found on limestone soils in southern Fran ...
'' that mark the border of the Languedoc with the Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border ...
, and the low sandy plain of the Camargue
Camargue (, also , , ; oc, label=Provençal, Camarga) is a region of France located south of Arles, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône delta. The eastern arm is called the ''Grand Rhône''; the western one is the ...
the Rhône delta, the soil is mostly a mixture of round pebbles ("galets") similar to Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Châteauneuf-du-Pape (; Provençal: Castèu-Nòu-De-Papo) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. The village lies about to the east of the Rhône and north of the town of Avi ...
, 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 Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...
, 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 communes
An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...
: Aubord
Aubord (; oc, Aubòrn) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. Aubord is situated southwest of Nîmes.
Population
Personalities
The Franco-German geographer Christophe Neff has lived several years in Aubord. During this tim ...
, Beaucaire, Beauvoisin, Bellegarde, Bernis
Bernis (; oc, Berniç) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.
Population
See also
* Costières de Nîmes AOC
* Communes of the Gard department
This is a list of the 351 communes of the Gard department of France.
The co ...
, Bezouce
Bezouce (; oc, Besoça) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.
Population
See also
* Costières de Nîmes AOC
Costières de Nîmes is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) for wines that are produced in an area betw ...
, Bouillargues
Bouillargues (; oc, Bolhargues) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. It includes the hamlets of Garons, Caissargues and Rodilhan. It is situated to the southeast and close to the city of Nimes and in 2013 it had just over ...
, Le Cailar, Caissargues, Garons
Garons is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.
The Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport, also called "Garons Airport" is located very close to Garons, on the territory of the commune of Saint-Gilles.
Population
See also ...
, Générac, Jonquières-Saint-Vincent
Jonquières-Saint-Vincent (; oc, Jonquièra de Sent Vincenç) is a french commune located in the Gard department in Occitanie.
Population
In 2020, Jonquières-Saint-Vincent had a population of 3,811 inhabitants.
Twin towns — sister cit ...
, Lédenon
Lédenon (; oc, Ledenon) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.
Population
See also
* Communes of the Gard department
*Costières de Nîmes AOC
Costières de Nîmes is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) for wines ...
, Manduel
Manduel (; oc, Manduèlh) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. Nîmes-Pont-du-Gard station, with high speed connections to Paris and Perpignan and regional services to Avignon, Nîmes and Montpellier, is situated in the com ...
, Meynes
Meynes () is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.
Geography Climate
Meynes has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification ''Csa''). The average annual temperature in Meynes is . The average annual rainfal ...
, Milhaud, Gard, Nîmes, Redessan, Rodilhan, Saint-Gilles, Sernhac
Sernhac is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Gard department
This is a list of the 351 communes of the Gard department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommun ...
, Uchaud
Uchaud (; oc, Uchau) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. Uchaud station has rail connections to Nîmes, Avignon and Montpellier.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Gard department
* Costières de Nîmes AOC
Costière ...
, Vauvert
Vauvert (; oc, Vauverd) is a commune in the far south of the Gard department in southern France. It was known as ''Posquières'' in the Middle Ages. The commune comprises the town of Vauvert and the villages of Gallician and Montcalm. , and Vestric-et-Candiac
Vestric-et-Candiac (; oc, Vestric e Candiac) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.
Geography Climate
Vestric-et-Candiac has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification ''Csa''). The average annual tem ...
.[INAO]
The wines

Red
The Costières de Nîmes produce mostly red wines, from Syrah
Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeus ...
and Mourvèdre
Mourvèdre (also known as Mataro or Monastrell) is a red wine grape variety grown in many regions around the world including the Rhône and Provence regions of France, the Valencia and Jumilla and Yecla '' denominaciones de origen'' (DOs) of ...
together 20%, Grenache
Grenache () or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world.Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditi ...
minimum of 25%, Carignan
Carignan (also known as Mazuelo, Bovale Grande, Cariñena, Carinyena, Samsó, Carignane, and Carignano) is a red grape variety of Spanish origin that is more commonly found in French wine but is widely planted throughout the western Medite ...
maximum 40%, Cinsault
Cinsaut or Cinsault ( ) is a red wine grape whose heat tolerance and productivity make it important in Languedoc-Roussillon and the former French colonies of Algeria, Lebanon, and Morocco. It is often blended with grapes such as Grenache and ...
, maximum 40%. They are closer in style to Rhône wine
The Rhône wine region in Southern France is situated in the Rhône valley and produces numerous wines under various ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) designations. The region's major appellation in production volume is Côtes du Rhône ...
than Languedoc wine
Languedoc-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 (espe ...
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 59% of the total production.[Costières de Nîmes official web site (2010): Identity and History, p.2](_blank)
Retrieved 20 January 2010
White
White wines account for about 4% of the AOC production. A small amount, approximately 5% of the total, of white wine is made from the Bourboulenc
Bourboulenc is a white wine grape variety primarily grown in southern France. The variety is found in the regions Southern Rhône, Provence and Languedoc.
Bourboulenc is a late-ripening grape variety with tight bunches of large grapes, that can ...
, Clairette blanc
Clairette 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.
Cla ...
, Grenache blanc
Grenache blanc (also known as garnatxa blanca in Catalonia) 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 a ...
, Maccabéo, Rolle
Rolle () is a municipality in the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It was the seat of the district of Rolle until 2006, when it became part of the district of Nyon. It is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Geneva (''Lac Léman'') between Nyo ...
, Roussanne
Roussanne 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-Hermita ...
and Ugni blanc
Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it ...
, 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 rosé
A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact metho ...
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 37% of the total production.
The minimum decreed alcohol content for red, white and rosé is 11%.
Economy
The industry comprises 424 concerns which include 404 growers, 96 private wineries, 17 cooperative wineries, and 3 merchant/producers. Sales of the wines are achieved through supermarkets (46%), export (25%), direct sales (8%), bars, restaurants and hotels (8%), wholesale (7%), and wine shops (6%).[Costières de Nîmes official web site (2010): Identity and History, p.3](_blank)
Retrieved 20 January 2010
See also
* List of Vins de Primeur
Notes and references
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Costieres De Nimes
Rhône wine AOCs
Gard
1986 establishments in France