The Roman Pliny the Elder wrote lyrical about the wine from the Ardèche 2000 years ago. He praised the vine as a flower especially for its protective qualities against disease and disaster. In 2010, the vineyard amounts to more than 25,000 hectares.
The grapes flourish in the Ardèche under ideal conditions. Thanks to the forested hills of the Ardèche, many vineyards have a micro-climate. The solar heat also keeps the sticks warm at night thanks to the basalt soil of volcanic origin. The gravel in the soil easily lets rainwater through.
Due to the many hills, most vineyards are too small to be really profitable. About 90% of the harvest goes to the wine cooperatives. In the 1960s, some farmers decided to focus on making quality wines. Old hybrid vines were replaced by noble varieties such as Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Gamay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier.
Coteaux de l ?? Ardèche
About 70% of the production consists of the Coteaux de l ?? Ardèche country wine. The vineyard consists of 6,500 hectares spread over 82 municipalities. Annual production is 300,000 hectoliters. Due to its location near the north of the Rhône, there is some parallel between the wines of the Coteaux de l ?? Ardèche and Côteaux du Rhône. Some wines therefore fall under the Appelation Controlée Cote du Rhône.
Coteaux de Vivarais
Since 1999, the wines of Coteaux de Vivarais have their own AC. They are slightly more fruity and lighter than the AC Côte du Rhône. Their vineyard covers about eight hundred hectares and is spread over 14 municipalities. Annual production is approximately 300,000 hectoliters.
The vineyard resting on a list consists of at least 40% Syrah and 30% Grenache. The remaining 30% is formed by Cinsault, Marsanne and Clairette. The white wines have a golden color and a delicate aroma of aniseed and fresh fruit. The rosé is especially refreshing. The red is lightly spiced in both aroma and taste
AC Cote du Rhône
The wines from only four municipalities in the Ardèche have been carrying the AC Côte du Rhône quality label since 1937. These are the places Saint-Just, Sant-Marcel, Saint Martin and Bourg Saint-Andéol. The vineyard extends over 1260 hectares. The annual production of 65,000 hectoliters is made by two cooperatives and 50 private cellars, including Coulange in Bourg st Andéol.
Grenache and Syrah bloom in the vineyard for the red wine as well as Grenache Blanc. clairette, viognier, rousanne, marsanne and bourboulenc for the white wine. D white wines are fresh, fruity and smooth. The red is well-balanced, delicate, and both fruity and spicy crunchy.
Domaine Coulange
Since 1996, Christelle Coulange has been running the wine company in Bourg st Andéol together with her father. He takes care of the 34 ha vineyard and she takes care of the vinification and sale. The yield per hectare is 45 hectoliters for Cote du Rhône and 35-40 hectoliters for Cote du Rhône Village. “Production is higher in very warm weather,” explains Christelle. Christelle finds quality more important than quantity. With the Coulange wine estate, her father’s dream is coming true to make wine herself one day. Until I took over the company in 1999, he brought his grapes to the cooperative.
Gold and silver medals for nearly every vintage adorn the walls of Domaine Coulanges with pride. The red wines of the Côte du Rhône, with the cuvée Mistral, are very fruity and smooth. The Côte du Rhône Villages is slightly spicier and more elegant.
Whether 2010 will be such a success? Christelle: That remains to be seen. It was extremely cold and there was a lot of rain. But in previous years we even managed to make a good wine. So??.??
Chatus
After fifteen years of laborious work, the cooperative restored the native grape Chatus. This red, powerful and distinctive wine is named after a small gold coin from Roman times. At that time it was first drunk under the name Carbunicam. Only later did she receive her name Çhatus. Until the 19th century, it was the most important grape variety on the banks of the Vivarais. In 1880, however, it fell into disrepute when the phylloxera devastated its vineyard. Only the farmers from Vernon still made Chatus. Centennial vines still bloom on their terraces. As they say there, “For pouring a good wine, Chatus must be under the cork.” The aroma of the Chatus reveals candied fruits such as figs and plums. It also has notes of vanilla and cinnamon. The body is rich in tannins and powerful. It is a nice wine for keeping.