Appellation
Côtes du Roussillon
Identity card
RegionalAOPRedRoséWhite
Languedoc-Roussillon · Recognised on 28 March 1977
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- Always a blend: at least two varieties, in all three colours.
- Red: Mourvèdre and Syrah at least 25% of the vines; Carignan at most 50%.
- Three VDQS for dry wines merged in 1972; AOC since 1977.
Grape varieties
Red
CarignanGrenache NoirMourvèdreSyrah
Accessory varieties: Cinsaut, Lledoner Pelut (30% at most of the blend)
Carignan, Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, Syrah · at least 80% of the holding's vines
Mourvèdre, Syrah · at least 25% of the holding's vines
Carignan · 50% at most of the holding's vines
At least two varieties; the leading one: at most 70% of the vines, 80% of the wine
Rosé
Grenache NoirGrenache GrisSyrah
Accessory varieties: Carignan, Cinsaut, Lledoner Pelut, Macabeu, Mourvèdre (30% at most of the blend)
Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris, Syrah · at least 70% of the holding's vines
At least two varieties; none above 70% of the vines or 80% of the wine
White
Accessory varieties: Viognier, Carignan Blanc (10% at most of the holding's vines)
Grenache Blanc, Macabeu, Tourbat · at least 50% of the holding's vines
Grenache Blanc, Macabeu, Tourbat · at least 50% of the blend
Viognier, Carignan Blanc · 10% at most of the blend
At least two varieties; none above 80% of the vines or of the wine
Production rules
RedRosé
48
hl/ha
Maximum yield
12
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
White
48
hl/ha
Maximum yield
11.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: An amphitheatre open to the sea: slopes, hills, terraces
- Soils: Schist, limestone, molasse, stony terraces
- Climate: Mediterranean; tramontane 1 day in 3; 500–650 mm a year
Wine style
- Red
- deep colour
- red fruit, spice
- firm structure
- ripe, velvety tannins
- Rosé
- strong colour
- fresh fruit, red fruit
- roundness, length
- White
- white flowers
- citrus, tropical fruit
- fresh or full
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
22 March 2022
Order of 22 March 2022 approving the specification of the AOC “Côtes du Roussillon” (JORF no. 0074 of 29 March 2022, text no. 25; published in the Bulletin officiel of the Ministry of Agriculture, BO no. 14 of 31 March 2022). Appellation first recognised by the decree of 28 March 1977.
Labelling terms
- "Primeur" or "nouveau": whites, rosés and reds, vintage compulsory
- The larger geographical unit "Vin du Roussillon" may appear
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Côtes du Roussillon »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
The appellation for the still wines of Roussillon — red, rosé and white — in the Pyrénées-Orientales: a broad amphitheatre open to the Mediterranean and backed by the Canigou, the Albères and the Corbières. Born of three VDQS for dry wines merged in 1972, it has been an AOC since 1977. Every wine blends at least two varieties: Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah for the reds, Grenache Blanc, Macabeu and Tourbat for the whites.
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Côtes du Roussillon
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