Among the specialties you can find in Southeastern France are:

* Amazing soups: - Bouillabaisse (Marseilles fish soup) - Gratinée Lyonnaise (onion soup) - Pistou soup (Provencal soup made with olive oil, garlic, basil..) * Cooked meats (“charcuterie”): - Rosette (saucisson from Lyons), - Corsican Coppa (pork-derived cold-cuts) - Prisuttu (Corsican ham) * Salads or Vegetable dishes: - Provencal Tomatoes (tomatoes with bread crumbs and garlic) - Niçoise salad (tomatoes, black Nicoise olives, raw peppers, anchovies, garlic, green beans, tuna, potatoes, hard-boiled eggs and a salad dressing) - Ratatouille (tomatoes, onions, pepper, garlic, eggplant, etc)

* Cheeses:
- Fourme d'Ambert, Saint Marcellin, Reblochon and Tomme cheese or “Tomme de Savoie” (Côtes du Rhône)
- Banon, Picodon and Goat cheese (Provence)
- Brocciu, Fleur du Maquis and Goat cheese (Corsica)

* Confectioneries: - Calissons of Aix en Provence - Coussins of Lyons - Nougat of Montelimar * Other emblematic dishes of the South East: - Pot au feu (beef & vegetables cooked in a broth) - Tartiflette (a Savoyard gratin made from potatoes, cream, onions and ham) - Chou farci (stuffed cabbage) - Nyons olives - Tapenade (puréed olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil) - Aioli (light mayonnaise with fresh garlic)

The Côtes du Rhône (Rhône Valley) wine region is a 125 miles (200 Km) long stretch of land that starts south of Lyons and ends a few miles past Avignon. It is located on both banks of the Rhône River. This an active wine region with 450 million bottles a year (14% of the French wine production) and a few famous AOCs (AOC or « Appellation d'origine controlée » or « Controlled term of origin » are governed by laws which dictate the composition of their vineyards, time of harvest and appropriate yields as well as various winemaking techniques).

About 75% of Cotes du Rhone wines are red, but the region also produces a few Rosés (around 10%) and Dry whites.

The main grapes in Côtes du Rhône are Grenache (55%), Syrah (15%) and Carignan (15%) for red wines; Clairette (35%), Ugni Blanc (20%) and Grenache Blanc (20%) for white wines. Grenache is a grape that gives a strong, fruity and very coloured red wine.

Côtes du Rhône is a rather eclectic wine region. It is divided into 2 sub-regions: the Northern Rhône (« Rhone Septentrional ») and the Southern Rhône (« Rhone Meridional »).

Syrah or "Shiraz" (which is believed to have originated in the Rhône region) is the only red grape variety permitted in Northern Rhône red AOC wines. Some reds from Northern Rhône may however be blended with white wine grapes, depending on the AOC. Examples of AOCs from Nothern Rhone are: Red wines: Côte-Rôtie, Cornas, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage. White wines: Condrieu, Château-Grillet, Saint-Péray. In Southern Rhone, a much wider range of red and white grapes is permitted. Southern Rhône AOCs of red wines include for example: Côtes du Vivarais, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Côtes du Ventoux, Vacqueyras, Gigondas and the very famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape (which contains up to 13 different red and white grapes). The most well-known AOC in white is Châteauneuf-du-Pape white. Fortified wines (vin doux naturels) made in the Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise AOC and the Rasteau AOC, and rosés wines are also produced here. The Tavel AOC, for example, is a very renowned Rosé among the favourites of Louis XIV, the Popes of Avignon and the 19th century novelist, H. de Balzac.

Cote du Rhône wines do not have an official classification such as the Bordeaux or Burgundy ones. The wines, however, are divided into 4 categories of AOCs of different "prestige":
> « Côtes du Rhône »: this AOC may be used in the entire wine region (northern and southern) and is the most common and « lowest » classification for Rhône AOC wines.
> « Côtes du Rhône-Villages »: this AOC is allowed for 95 villages in Southern Cotes du Rhone. The requirements for grape maturity are higher than for basic Côtes du Rhône. It is therefore a higher classification.
> « Côtes du Rhône-Villages together with a village name »: is allowed for 19 communes.
> « Cru wines »: these are the 15 named AOCs that display only the name of the cru such as Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie or Châteuneuf-du-Pape.

Cotes du Rhône types of Wine:
- Full body red wines (Côte Rôtie in the north and Châteauneuf du Pape in the south).
- Light to medium-body fruity red wines (Crozes-Hermitage in the north and many others in the south).
- Dry full body white wines (Condrieu and Château-Grillet in the north).

Provence wines are produced on the coasts of the Mediterranean sea,     around Nice and from the west of Cannes to the South of Avignon.     75% are rosés (they represent 45% of the whole French Rosé production).     A large variety of grapes are used in Provence. The red varieties include     Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault, Syrah, Braquet, Tibouren and Mourvèdre.     The main white grapes are Ugni Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Clairette & Rolle.     Provence's 4 main wines are Bandol AOC, Cassis AOC, Coteaux d’Aix-     en-Provence AOC and Cotes de Provence AOC (the region’s largest).     Beside these AOCs, very small ones like Bellet (which is one of the     smallest AOC in France) can be found in Provence. Located on the     western hills of Nice, this vineyard does not produce more than 100,000     bottles a year, which are very hard to find outside of Nice.     The types of wine in Provence are:     - Dry and fruity rosé wines with a glistening robe (Côtes de Provence,     Coteaux d'Aix, Coteaux Varois, Bellet)     - Dry white wines (Cassis)     - Full-body red wines (Bandol, Bellet)

The Corsica island (off the French coast, south of Nice in the Mediterranean Sea), also called "L'île de beauté" (The beautiful island), produces tannic full and medium-body reds (50%), subtle dry rosés (more than 35%) and light and dry white wines.

The main wines of Corsica are Ajaccio and Patrimonio, the latest being the most well-known.

Grapes in Corsica include Sciacarello, Nieluccio, Merlot, Grenache and Syrah to name just a few. White Grapes include Vermentino, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.

How to pair wines from Southeastern France and food?

Here are a few tips:
- Full body red wines from Cotes du Rhone and Provence are ideal with: roasted red meat, game and cheeses like Pélardon.
- Corsican red wines are good with: grilled red meat, lamb stew, roasted chicken, feathered game and Goat cheese.
- Light to medium-body fruity Cotes du Rhone red wines match beef and grilled white meat.
- Cotes de Provence and Corsica rosés go well with: Salad Niçoise, typical food from Provence (Bouillabaisse, Aioli, Ratatouille, etc), or as an aperitif.
- Full body Cotes du Rhone white wines must be paired with grilled fish.
- Corsican and Provence white wines like Cassis or Bellet are perfect with Mediterranean seafood products.