Locate southwest of Lyon at the head of the Loire River, politically, this appellation is part of the Rhone department. The appellation is based on Gamay grown on both granitic/sandy and volcanic/basalt soils. The wines tend to be very light bodied, with higher acid and fresh fruit character.
The nearest town of note is St. Etienne which was significant to the booming mining industry that dominated the region through the nineteenth century. The miners required a lot of wine to quench their thirst and as late as 1930 there were 5000 hectares planted in Côtes du Forez. Today, there are less than 200.
The importer shared that stories about the old days said miners drank, on average, 3 liters of light red wine a day (around 7.5%)...