Rasteau reds awarded AOC status

Rasteau’s dry red wines have been elevated to AOC status, almost a decade after the initial application was submitted.

The promotion from Côtes du Rhône Village has been backdated to the 2009 vintage.

Prior to this decision by the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO), AOC Rasteau applied only to its Vin Doux Naturel, which now accounts for just 5% of the area’s total wine production,

Originally requested in 2002 by the local winegrower’s syndicate and its chairman, Daniel Ferran, the final approval follows an extensive inquiry to assess and define the precise limits of the area to be included.

This has seen 100 hectares of vineyard excluded from the current 1300ha which made up the delimited AOC area. In addition the inquiry board laid down consistent specifications for both Vin Doux Naturel and dry red wine.

Jacques Dost, general manager of Ortas Cave de Rasteau, which alone accounts for nearly 2.5 million bottles from the region, called the decision “a natural acknowledgment of the quality of the Rasteau terroir, a point that had to be made clear to consumers, and a definite message to the market.”

This approval sees Rasteau join the ranks of the southern Rhône’s other crus, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Tavel, Lirac, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Vinsobres and Beaumes de Venise, which was included within the region’s most prestigious designation as recently as 2005.

Gabriel Savage, 01.07.2010