🥃 Marc des Côtes-du-Rhône

Marc des Côtes-du-Rhône (also Eau-de-vie de marc des Côtes du Rhône) is a protected EU geographical name for a spirit made from grape marc from the PDO «Côtes du Rhône» zone. It is either white, resting in vats for at least three months, or aged, spending at least three years in wood. The strength at sale is from 40% ABV.

The zone stretches along both banks of the Rhône from Vienne in the north to the outskirts of Avignon in the south, in seven departments from Ardèche to Vaucluse. The main red varieties are grenache, syrah and mourvèdre, the whites clairette, marsanne, roussanne, viognier and muscat. The mistral blows 120 days a year on average, and there are over 2,500 hours of sun.

The marc has more than 5% potential alcohol; red marc is distilled or stored within 7 days, while white and rosé marc is fermented, with water and yeast if needed. Five distillation methods are allowed, and distillation is finished by 31 March. The distillate may not exceed 72% vol., and it contains at least 500 g of aromatic compounds per hectolitre of pure alcohol.

Aged marc matures in wooden vessels of up to 2,000 l. Label mentions: «blanc» means no wood, «vieux» from 5 years, «hors d'âge» and the year of distillation from 10. The name of a local Rhône appellation may be added if the marc comes from it alone. In France the name was recognised by the decree of 19 March 1948, in the EU it has been protected since 12 June 1989 (PGI-FR-01979).

Why this matters to you. The specification advises serving white marc chilled and aged marc at room temperature, warming the glass in the hand. WHO reminds: there is no safe dose of alcohol.