Cote
Definition - What does Cote mean?
Cote or Côte is a French word that has many meanings and variations depending on the context in which it is used. Cote (without accent) is translated to mean “side” and when added to another word can mean “rating”. Côte (with accent) means coast and is used to describe some winemaking regions and estates throughout France.
WineFrog explains Cote
The majority of uses for cote and côte are reserved for describing the wine regions and vineyards in France. There are famous wine-growing regions in Burgundy: Côte d’Or which means the Golden Slopes and includes Côte de Beaune (responsible for high quality whites) and Côte de Nuits (responsible for luscious reds).
To describe the outlying regions of Côte d’Or, the French add “hautes” at the beginning of the word “Hautes-Côtes de Nuit” and can offer a good wine for a lower price than those within the region. Côte Chalonnaise located south of the Côte d’Or produces white and red wines as well as Côte-Rôtie.
In Bordeaux there are two regions that denote the Côte name, Côtes-de-Bourg and Côtes-de-Blaye which are appellations located on the Right Bank. Côtes du Rhône is a region that denotes a specific appellation in Southern France and there are several villages in Rhône that are also able to use this label on their wines with the village name.
