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Appellation · France

Rasteau

A cru that makes both a dry red and a fortified sweet wine under the same name — an unusual pairing even in France.

Rasteau AOCmediterraneanwarm
What to expect in the glass

Dry reds that are full-bodied, warm and firmly fruited. The vin doux naturel is sweet and fortified, with dried fig, cocoa and walnut.

About Rasteau

Rasteau was promoted to cru status for its dry reds in 2010, having long been a Côtes du Rhône Village.

It has a much older claim to fame in its vin doux naturel — a fortified sweet wine made by adding grape spirit during fermentation to arrest it, leaving natural sugar behind. The style is closer to Banyuls or to a young tawny Port than to anything else in the Rhône.

The dry reds are warm, robust and Grenache-dominated, with a slightly rustic edge.

What the name means

Legal name
Rasteau AOC
Type
Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée / Protégée (AOC / AOP)
Set by
INAO
Recognised
2010
Regulates
Origin, plus grape varieties, maximum yields, minimum ageing.

The delimited area, permitted varieties, maximum yields, minimum alcohol, pruning and training methods, and in many cases minimum ageing. Administered by INAO.

Worth knowing

Two quite different appellations share the name: Rasteau AOC for dry red, granted in 2010, and Rasteau Vin Doux Naturel for the fortified sweet wine, which is much older.

Grapes

Wines from here

red

Southern Rhône blend

Grenache-led Mediterranean blends — warm, herbal and generous, and among the most reliable value in French wine.

fortified

Vin Doux Naturel

Roussillon’s fortified sweet wines — Banyuls, Maury and Rivesaltes — and among the few wines that genuinely work with chocolate.

Rules worth knowing

Confirmed in the EU register

Rasteau is registered as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), file number PDO-FR-A0720, protected at EU level since 1973.

Article 107 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013

Specification published: Ares(2023)2796998 · Official Journal

Only the rules that change what to expect in the glass or on the label. WineHQ does not reproduce production specifications, and each entry carries the date it was last checked because appellation rules change.

The designation is confirmed above. WineHQ has not read this appellation’s production specification, so it publishes no yields, ageing minima or permitted-variety lists for it — those come from the document linked above, not from a summary of it.

What to eat, and how to serve it

Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.

Southern Rhône blend

Serve at 15–17°C (cellar cool).

Try with beef stew, lamb chops or steak and ale pie.

Vin Doux Naturel

Serve at 12–16°C (cellar cool).

Try with chocolate, dark chocolate or chocolate cake.

Where to go next

Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.

  • Gigondas — Grenache grown high beneath the limestone teeth of the Dentelles de Montmirail, giving a firmer, fresher answer to Châteauneuf.
  • Vacqueyras — Gigondas’ flatter neighbour, warmer and rounder, and one of the Southern Rhône’s most dependable buys.
  • Côtes du Rhône Villages — The middle tier, covering a defined group of communes, twenty-odd of which may add their own name to the label.

Sources

Sources consulted