Côtes du Rhône Review

The Glorious Twelfth has arrived which marks the start of the shooting season and a change on the British menu, last year I was very privileged to cook with the new seasons grouse see here.

http://given-to-distracting-others.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/blackface-meat-company-young-grouse.html

The richness of meat was crying out for a good red wine to accompany it, only I did not know it.

It has been so hot today and I have spent the day catching up with friends, so out came the  Côtes du Rhône 

selection I was sent. The first we dipped into was the Domaine du Seminaire , the colour was a  deep blackcurrant and the tones of that fruit seemed evident as well as a plum flavour. We all tried it and Chris and his friend were smitten. Chris loved the smoothness.he described it as full of richness and like a heavy wine at first but incredibly light. Easy to drink and  left him wanting more.

The Les Meysonniers was a different yet similar smooth wine, the fruity taste seemed lighter, summery fruits like cherry almost, this wine had a herby taste and of the two, I felt would suit more gamy meats. 

 The specific two wines I have sampled  are not yet available in the UK, so I had had rather an exclusive tasting! However Cotes du Rhône is readily available in UK supermarkets and it has a varying price range to suit all budgets. 

Now that what little summer we had is nearly over, it means an end to BBQs, summer salads and Pimms, and it is instead time to take advantage of the delicious range of seasonal produce which is arriving and enjoy autumnal recipes featuring ingredients like pheasant, venison and guinea fowl.

Côtes du Rhône offers the perfect accompaniment to many autumn recipes. The full-bodied red wines go perfectly with game. Recipes such as game pie, venison casserole or just a simple roast grouse are complimented by the spicy, peppery and full-bodied flavours the red wines have to offer.

There are a variety of different styles of Côtes du Rhône available with a varying price range. For more information go to www.vins-rhone.com

 Disclosure I was given a free product. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.