The vineyard stretches for about twenty kilometres over 14 communes, from La Pacaudière in the north to Bully in the south, with Ambierle, Renaison and Villemontais in between. The vines lie on the eastern flank of the Monts de la Madeleine, facing the rising sun above the Loire, and climb to 550 metres. The plots chosen for the appellation mostly face south-south-east, on granite, and gain warmth from a foehn effect.

The wine's reputation goes back to the Middle Ages. In the early nineteenth century the district of Roanne had 9,350 hectares of vines and shipped about 100,000 hectolitres of wine a year to Paris by the Loire. The area was first recognised in 1955 under a lesser quality label, and became a full appellation in 1994.

Gamay is the only grape allowed. Its local form, Gamay Saint-Romain, has small berries and gives spicy wines of moderate alcohol. From 2016 the growers searched old vineyards for it, and in 2021 and 2022 they planted copies of the 65 vines they selected in a conservatory plot.

The reds range from light, fruity wines with silky tannins to firmer, peppery wines from old vines and longer macerations. The rosés are dry. White wines grown here are sold under the regional name Urfé, outside the appellation.

Domaine Sérol, at Renaison, has cleared and replanted hillsides with Gamay Saint-Romain, and farms biodynamically.

The wines above are the Côte Roannaise wines in the cellar. See also Sancerre, downstream in the Centre-Loire, Chinon for another red of the Loire, or all our Loire Valley wines.