Côtes de la Charité

From Nantes to the foothills of the Massif Central, the Loire Valley produces an average of 600,000 hectoliters of local wines. Ninety-five percent of this production is sold under the "Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France" appellation, most often accompanied by the name of the grape variety. Five "Vins de Pays de Zone" appellations are also produced in the Loire Valley. The IGP Côtes de la Charité wine has been one of them since a 1986 decree.

The very old vineyard of the Côtes de la Charité is located in the foothills of the Morvan. The slopes are steep and unadorned. The Cistercian monks who established this vineyard came from Vougeot. Burgundians at heart and connoisseurs, they knew how to bring out the best in this terroir. Today, the work of Domaine Alphonse Mellot stands out in particular for the quality of itsCôtes de la Charité wines .

According to the appellation’s specifications, wineslabeled , Côtes de la Charité, , and IGP must be produced from grapes harvested within the territory of the communes of the canton of La Charité-sur-Loire and the communes of Arbourse, Châteauneuf-Val-de-Bargis, Dompierre-sur-Nièvre, Germigny-sur-Loire, and Parigny-les-Vaux. The grape varieties used for white wines are primarily Chardonnay and Sauvignon (at least 70%) and, to a lesser extent, Chasselas, Pinot Blanc, and Aligoté (up to 30%). Red wines must be made primarily from Gamay Noir, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Gris (at least 70%), with secondary varieties including Gamay Teinturier de Bouze and Gamay Teinturier de Chaudenay (up to 30%).