When you think of French wine regions, what do you think of? Bordeaux? Or Burgundy? Of course, the light of these two regions cannot be hidden, but do you know that the Rhone Valley is the largest legal red wine region in France, and it is also the second largest legal wine region after Bordeaux in terms of area and production. In addition, what is unique about the Rhône Valley?
First, the geographical location and overview of the Rhône Valley
Although Bordeaux is famous, in fact, as early as the first century AD, the Romans found that the banks of the Rhône Valley are excellent treasures for growing grapes, so the Rhône Valley can be said to be the earliest wine producing area in France. By the mid-to-late 17th century, Rhône Valley wines were developing rapidly due to their natural geographical location, more than 100 years before Bordeaux.
Located in southeastern France, between Lyon and Provence, the Rhône Valley stretches from north to south to the vicinity of the Mediterranean Sea, making it an important link between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean since ancient times.
Second, the characteristics of the wine style of the Rhône Valley
The Rhône Valley is dominated by red wines, ranging from red wines with a strong taste and rich tannins to red wines that are easy to drink like juices, and the overall texture is solid and the alcohol content is high. However, the wines of the Rhône Valley are not monotonous, and their winemakers are the best at blending, combining with the very different grape varieties of the local style, resulting in many extraordinary works. In addition to red wines, dry white wines and rosé wines are also produced here.
In fact, the wines of the Rhône Valley are very good, and some of the top wines are comparable to Bordeaux. Unlike Bordeaux, however, winemakers in the Rhône Valley believe that wine is a gift from Heaven and should not be over-decorated, so new oak barrels are rarely used, and the time in which the wine is aged is very short. However, due to the excellent quality and unpretentious attitude of the wines of the Rhône Valley, the famous wine critic Robert Parker was even more fond of the Rhône Valley.
3. North Rhône Valley VS South Rhône Valley
Although the Rhône Valley is a complete wine region, the climate and soils bounded by Montelimar vary widely, and the valley becomes more open as far south as it goes, resulting in different styles in both places. Therefore, combined with various factors, the Rhône Valley is naturally divided into two major wine regions, the South Rhône Valley and the North Rhône Valley.
1. Geography and climate
The North Rhône Valley is inland and has a typical continental climate, with hot summers and cool autumns with plenty of sunshine. The biggest feature here is the narrow and steep terrain, the soil is mainly granite, the vines here are mostly planted along the riverbank terraces, and the south-facing hillside provides sufficient light for the grapes, which greatly benefits the growth of the grapes.
The Rhône do Sul Valley, close to the Mediterranean, is a typical Mediterranean climate, with mild and long summers, relatively gentle terrain, dominated by river alluvial soils, and a layer of pebbles on the surface, forming a unique landscape. In addition, mistral winds from the Alps bring strong, dry air currents, bringing certain benefits to the vine cultivation in the valley.
2. Grape varieties
Syrah is the most well-known grape variety in the North Rhône Valley and the only legal red grape variety, producing wines with deep colours, strong tannins and good aging potential. Among them, winemakers also like to add less than 20% of the white grape Viognier to the Syrah to increase the aroma and stability of the wine, so that the Syrah tastes softer.
Grenache is the dominant grape variety in the Rhône Valley to the South, and Grenache plays a pivotal role here, both single and blended. In addition, several varieties of Syrah and Mourvedre are used here, but Sirado is used in grenache and Mourvedre to enhance the colour of the wine, as well as fruity and tannins.
3. Production area
(1) North Rhône Valley
The Nord Rhône Valley produces less than 10 per cent of the total wines of the entire Rhône Valley, but it is almost exclusively fine wines and relatively expensive. The main production areas are as follows:
Cote Rotie: Most of France's steepest vineyards are located in Rodige, an ideal source for Syrah and one of the finest wines in France for a long time. The resulting wines are rich in aromas of raspberry, violet, truffle and chocolate, with a soft and gentle taste, delicate and delicate tannins, so they are more feminine and more expensive.
Hermitage: Hermitage wines are mostly made from Syrah and have considerable ageing potential and are renowned worldwide. The wines here are of excellent quality, generally rounded in taste after aging, thick in body, more masculine and more masculine, and even many Bordeaux producers began to buy the wines here in the 18th century to enhance the quality of the wine.
Condrieu and Chateau-Grillet: Condrieu and Fort Grillet are known for producing luscious and delicious Vioni wines. Among them, Grietburg is both the name of the winery and an independent legal appellation, covering an area of only 3.8 hectares, so the price is extremely high, which reflects more of the scarcity of the wine.
(2) South Rhône Valley
Compared to the North Rhône Valley, the South Rhône Valley produces more wine and is inexpensive. The main production areas are as follows:
Chateauneuf-du-Pape: The most prestigious wine region in the Rhône Valley to be the first in France to achieve AOC accreditation. Châteauneuf-Duc des Papes mainly produces red wines, mainly Grenache and Cinsault, combined with legal red grape varieties such as Muhe white and Syrah, resulting in a full-bodied, balanced structure and mineral atmosphere.
Tavel: The rosé wines produced here are the best rosé wines in the world, known as the "King of Rosé Wines" (Le Roi des Roses), which also makes Tavel synonymous with rosé wines.
4. Well-known wineries in the Rhône Valley and their representative wines
1. Chateau Sapptier (M. Chapoutier）
According to Drenks International, an authoritative magazine in the British beverage industry, the number one of the world's most respected wine brands in France in 2012 was neither Romani Kandi nor Rafi, but Sharptier. Château Sapptier is spread across the major appellations of the Rhône Valley and has several excellent vineyards. They changed traditional methods and adopted biodynamic farming and brewing methods to produce the purest, closest to natural terroir.
Representative wine: Papal Neufjord Red Wine (M. Chapoutier Chateauneuf-du-Pape）
2. Chateau Rayas
The Château-du-Pape appellation generally blends grape varieties from the Rhône Valley du Nord, but the maverick Chateau de Las Chia has abandoned tradition and gone its own way, using Grenache and a small number of Syrahs to make wines. Eventually, he overcame many difficulties and produced the top Papal Neufsburg red wine.
Representative wine: Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf-du-Pape
3. Gyalla Shijia Winery (E. Guigal）
Château Giga les Châteaus is the most prestigious and important winery of Rodice in the Rhône Valley nord, as well-known as Lafite in Bordeaux. Among the many vineyards of Château Giga les Châteaus, there are three of the finest vineyards, La Mouline, La Turque and La Landonne, which produce grapes of excellent quality and have received high or even full praise from the wine industry media.
Representative wine: Gicola Sedur Duc dry red wine (E. Guigal La Turque, Cote Rotie）
4. Jean-Louis Chave
Jean-Louis Schaff is one of the famous wineries in the Château-Duc-Duc- Neuf appellation, and its unique geographical advantages are fully reflected in the wines. The grapes here have lower yields and are harvested later, so the grapes are generally fully ripe by the time they are picked. In addition, the wine is not subjected to any manual operation during the fermentation process, and after a little clarification, it is directly bottled without filtration, retaining the original flavor of the wine.
Representative wine: Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Cuvee Cathelin
V. Grading of wines in the Rhône Valley
According to the Rhône Valley Wines official website, Rhône Valley wines can be divided into 5 grades, namely:
1. Cotes du Rhone AOC: The production of most of the Rhone Valley wines is an entry-level wine.
2. Legally named Cotes du Rhone Villages AOC: Rhone Valley hill-level wines are quite complex, with lower yields than Rhône Valley hill-grade wines, slightly higher alcohol content, and longer aging potential.
3. Legal naming of the Rhone Valley village area (village level) (Cotes du Rhone named Villages AOC): that is, add the name of the specific village after it, and the wine quality is further than that of the village area.
4. Special appellations: These appellations are very well-known and high-quality wine appellations, such as 16 grand appellations such as Rodice, Châteauneuf-Pape and Condrio.
5. Natural Sweet Wine Region (VDN): In 1934, winemakers conducted a bold experiment on making natural sweet wines, with satisfactory results, and the production of natural sweet wines was later expanded.
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Source: Wine Encyclopedia
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