Costieres de Nimes is the most southerly appellation of the Rhone wine region in southeastern France. The wines of the area are reputed to have been consumed by the Ancient Greeks and thus figure among the oldest known wines in the world. A typical Costieres de Nimes red wine, made from the classic Southern Rhone Blend, is robust and spicy, and perfectly suited to the rustic local cuisine.
(© Christophe Grilhé)
The Costieres de Nimes AOC covers an area between the towns of Nimes and Arles. Known as the Rhone Delta, this is the meeting point of the Rhone, Gard and Durance rivers before they head towards their final destination in the Mediterranean. The area also produces a great quantity of lower-quality wines under various IGP titles.
While the terroirs of most Rhone wine appellations are characterized by outcrops of granite (Hermitage) or limestone (Beaumes-de-Venise) and variations in altitude, the landscapes between Nimes and the Mediterranean Sea are relatively flat and low lying. As a result, the soils of Costieres de Nimes do not vary as much as those in other Rhone appellations, and are characterized by large pebbles on shallow, south- and southeast-facing slopes. Areas of garrigue (the quintessential southern French landscape of dry, low-lying scrubland on limestone soils) are present in the eastern corners of the appellation, providing excellent potential for viticulture. When not planted with vines, this land is generally populated with rosemary, lavender and thyme, as its relatively loose, free-draining soils are poor in nutrients. These conditions are the same as those determined in the 1920s by Baron LeRoy of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, whose viticultural and oenological rules were the precursor to the modern appellation system. Free-draining soils of low fertility force vines to dig deep, strong root systems in search of water and nutriment, and are widely considered to produce more-complex wines.
Costieres de Nimes wines require Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre to make up at least 60 percent of the finished red and rosé wines. This is ameliorated by Cinsaut, Marselan and Carignan. The appellation also permits white wines made from Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Roussanne, although these make up only a small proportion of the region's vinous output.
The appellation AOC Costieres de Nimes was granted in 1989; prior to that, the wines were produced at the lower VDQS level under the Costieres du Gard title. Until 2004, the appellation was officially part of the Languedoc wine region, but is now administered by the Rhone regional wine board in Avignon.
