Cairanne has finally been upgraded and has now its own appellation. This means that the producers can now put only Cairanne the label instead of the Cotes du Rhone Village Cairanne. Cairanne has long been one of the best villages in the Cotes du Rhone appellation, with growers like Marcel Richaud, Domaine Alary, Domaine Aeria, Domaine Brusset and Domine de l’Oratoire Saint Martin. The Cairanne producers applied for the AOP status in 2008.
The appellation will apply to both red and white wine. 95 % of the production in Cairanne is red wine from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. The white wine is made of Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier. In total Cairanne AOP covers an area of a little over 900 hectares. Read more on decanter.com.
