Everything you need to know about the AOC Costières de Nîmes

Among the wines of the Rhône Valley, discover the AOC Costières de Nîmes, between Gardon and Camargue: the specificities of the southern appellation: history, soil, climate, climate, grape varieties

mis à jour le 13/03/2024 par Terre d'Argence Tourisme

The wines of the AOC Costières de Nîmes are wines from the Rhône Valley. The vineyard extends over 40 km between Beaucaire and Vauvert and finds its limit to the north by the Gardon valley and to the south by the marshes of the Camargue.

A bit of history...

2,000 years ago, the Romans were already making wine, as attested by the archaeological site of Mas des Tourelles where amphorae were found.

In the Middle Ages, Costières wines were among the most appreciated by the Pontifical Court in Avignon. In the 17th century, the construction of the Canal du Midi greatly facilitated the irrigation of the vine and with it the production of wine.

At the end of the 19th century, French vineyards experienced the phylloxera crisis, which decimated most of the vineyards, as well as that of Costières.


Philippe Lamour, the lawyer from Les Costières

It was not until the end of the Second World War and the rise of cooperative wineries that the Costières vineyard recovered. The Minister of Agriculture then asked Philippe Lamour to restructure viticulture in France.

Philippe Lamour is a Parisian lawyer and owner in Les Costières de Nîmes. Starting in 1955, he began building the Bas-Rhone-Languedoc Canal, which was later renamed Canal Philippe Lamour. It is a large-scale work for irrigation allowing water to be brought from the Rhône to the south of Gard and to the east of Hérault.

Lamour advocated a quality policy for the Costières vineyard, he became President of the Costières-du-Gard syndicate in 1950, then still a simple VDQS (Superior Quality Delimited Wines). This approach led to the creation of the Costières de Nîmes Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in 1989.

Rolled pebbles

The vineyard benefits from a magnificent land, the vine grows on a land of sand and rolled pebbles deposited by the Rhône and Durance rivers. These pebbles, also called sandstone, absorb freshness and release it during hot weather and vice versa when the fresh sea air is felt.

This very particular soil forces the vine to take root deep down to the clay layers and allows it to calmly endure periods of drought. Thanks to this rooting, the vine can count on a regular water supply.


Ideal weather conditions

It is well known that the Mistral blows particularly strongly on the Costières de Nîmes vineyard!
Far from being an inconvenience, the Mistral is a real ally for the vine. This one does not like humidity, which is a vector of diseases. The Mistral acts as a natural freshener and the rare rains allow the vine to remain dry and healthy. The very hot summer weather is counterbalanced by sea breezes from the Mediterranean, which bring freshness.

It is the perfect combination to obtain quality wines with a southern character.

The grape varieties of Costières de Nîmes

The blending of at least two grape varieties is mandatory for the three colors of the appellation. The grape varieties of the appellation are typically from the Rhône region and are traditional grape varieties. The expressive Syrah is the king grape of the appellation for reds and rosés, associated with Grenache and Mourvèdre and complemented by Carignan and Cinsault.

White wines are composed of Grenache blanc, Roussane and Marsanne and are often combined with Bourboulenc, Clairette, Viognier and Vermentino.

A committed region

The Costières de Nîmes vineyard produces many pleasure wines and gourmet wines. They are the expression of a quality land. The Costières de Nîmes vineyard is a committed vineyard since more than 25% of its vines are grown organically.

One of the precursors of organic farming in the region is certainly Domaine Pastouret, this family estate located in Bellegarde has been producing AOC Costières de Nîmes wines using organic farming for over 30 years!

You now know everything or almost everything about this southern appellation, but its wines will never be better expressed than around a tasting! Visit our winemakers to discover their wines!


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