Costières de Nîmes, the edge of the Languedoc closest to the Rhône valley, is an excellent alternative to the pricier Rhône wines of Crozes-Hermitage and St. Joseph. In the 1980s, the region, which used to be bastion of the Carignan grape, embraced the familiar Rhône varietals of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre and experienced a corresponding increase in quality.