Auvergne, Côtes d’

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Wine

By Jancis Robinson

Published 2006

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Auvergne, Côtes d’, aoc which is administratively considered part of the greater loire region, and basin, but these Massif Central vineyards, around Clermont-Ferrand, are in fact closer to the vineyards of the northern rhône than they are to the river Loire itself. From fewer than 300 ha/750 acres of mainly Gamay, occasionally Pinot Noir, and some Chardonnay vines, light reds and some pinks and whites are made with considerable skill from some of the many small enterprises here. Gamay has long been grown here and this was one of the most important wine regions of France in the 19th century, before which Pinot Noir was grown in preference to Gamay. The names of the communes Boudes, Chanturgue, Châteaugay, and Madargue may be appended to Côtes d’Auvergne for reds, Corent for rosés. Most wines are consumed locally; none is expensive.