Wine: The Rhône River Valley

Some of France’s best wine comes from the Rhône River valley. The river begins life in the Swiss Alps, flows through Lake Geneva and then flows in a westerly direction until it merges with the Saône River at the City of Lyon. At this point it turns south and begins its journey through some of the world’s premier vineyards. It ends life when it enters the Mediterranean Sea at the Gulf of Lyon.

By Michael Moore

The region produces wines of all categories, but the discourse that follows describes only those wines that can place the phrase Appellation d’Origine Contrôlèe (AOC) on the label. This, the highest category of wine in France, is well represented in the Rhône River valley.

Northern Rhône

The wine producing regions of the northern Rhône start at the town of Vienne and extend south to Valence. The Côte-Rôtie (roasted slope) region is the first significant wine growing area encountered as one proceeds downstream from Vienne. Its steep slopes produce an outstanding red wine made from the Syrah grape and flavored with a small amount of the white Viognier.

A bit to the south, the area around the village of Condrieu produces a famous and unpredictable white wine made from the Viognier grape. To insure quality, it is important to buy this expensive wine from a good producer. Within the Condrieu AOC is a tiny AOC of only 10 acres, named Chateau-Grillet, that also produces a white Viognier. Once extremely respected, recent years have seen a fall in quality, but it appears to be getting back on track.

The next stop in our southward journey is the area covered by the Saint Joseph AOC. Located on the west bank of the Rhone, it extends from just south of Condrieu to the area near Tournon. The red wines produced from the Syrah grape (the only red wine grape used in the Northern Rhône) are rich and satisfying. Most are best consumed within one to four years, but some will last as long as ten.

On the east bank lies the area covered by the Hermitage AOC, famous for producing outstanding red wines. Wines produced in the traditional way from mature Syrah vines take up to ten years aging for ordinary vintages and up to fifteen for extraordinary years. Hermitage is also responsible for white wines produced from Marsanne and Roussanne grapes, some of which will last up to 40 years. New wine making methods, however, are resulting in refreshing, lively whites that are best when consumed when quite young.

Crozes-Hermitage, the largest of the Northern Rhone appellations, produces reds that can be drunk while quite young. Some, however, improve when aged from two to five years. Crozes-Hermitage whites from Marsanne and Roussanne grapes are improving with the introduction of new wine making techniques.

To the south of St. Joseph on the west bank of the river, lies the Cornas region. This appellation is responsible for some excellent wines that are excellent value for money, particularly in light of the skyrocketing prices for those from Hermitage. Most of these wines need ten years of aging to be at their best.

Southern Rhône

The southern Rhône differs radically from the area to the north. Here the river banks are low and the land and vineyards sprawl away from the river rather than rising abruptly from it. This means that the soil near the river is fertile because of flooding. Since the best grapes for making wine come from poor soil, many of the vineyards are located away from the river.

Most of the wine produced in the south falls under the Côte du Rhône or Côte du Rhône-Villages AOC’s. The Grenache grape, as is the case with most wine produced in the southern Rhône, dominates. Other grapes used include Cinsault, Syrah, Carignan and Mourvèdre.

The Côte du Rhône-Villages AOC is an appellation that covers the wines of 16 village areas in the southern Rhône. Most of the wines produced are red and are noted for their spicy, lively character. Most can be drunk quite young, but those heavy with tannins need to age to be at their best. The grapes used to produce these wines include Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsaut, and Carignan. These wines are usually inexpensive to moderately priced, making many of them an excellent value.

In 1971, the Gigondas AOC was established. The area encompassed by this appellation surrounds the mountain village of Gigondas and is to the northeast of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the most famous AOC in the southern Rhône area. It produces high quality red wines and a little rosé. The reds are made from blends of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault grapes with the Grenache usually being the major component. Most of the wines are ready for drinking within five years.

Wines of similar composition and quality are produced within the Vacqueyras AOC, located just to the south. This appellation was established in 1990 from a region that was one of the most successful of the Côte du Rhône-Villages AOC communes. The wines of this AOC are currently inexpensive to moderately priced.

To the west of Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the Lirac AOC. The wines produced here don’t reach the heights of the best examples of its famous neighbor, but they are generally of excellent quality. Fruity, refreshing, whites and rosés are also produced.

Immediately to the south is the Tavel AOC, famous for its rosé wines. Made primarily from blends dominated by the Grenache grape, these light refreshing wines should be drunk when they are young.

This brings us to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the best known of the appellations in the Rhône River valley and famous for producing some of France’s best red wines. The Grenache grape provides the backbone of most blends, but twelve other grapes are authorized with the Syrah and Mourvèdre being the most important.

The best wines from Châteauneuf are estate wines and can be identified by the papal coat of arms on the shoulder of the bottle. They age well and are full bodied with complex flavors that are long remembered. The best of these wines are, of course, extremely expensive.

Categories of French Wine

The French take wine seriously and their categorization system shows it. The lowest category of wine, vin de table, covers basic wines that don’t meet the standards for being in one of the higher categories. These wines are often quite drinkable, but frequently aren’t worth purchasing as far superior wines from other countries can be purchased at the same price.

The next category is Vins de Pays, or “country wines.” Created in 1968, this is an increasingly important category for those seeking bargains in French wine as there are some excellent wines produced in this category. The higher categories have restrictive regulations and creative wine makers breaking with tradition often make wines that are classified as vins de pays. Many wines in this category are influenced by “New World” wine-making techniques and are given varietal labels. There are four separate regions for vins de pays and a multitude of departmental and local names.

The category Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS) is the third highest category of wine in France. It has many of the same requirements as the highest category and is shrinking in size as wines are moved up to the highest level.

The highest category of wine in France is Appellation d’Origine Contrôlèe. Wines of this level must meet standards concerning location, alcohol content, grape yield per acre, methods of grape growing, methods of wine making, and finally, the wine must be tasted and evaluated by a tasting panel. This is a demanding set of standards that on the one hand insures standards, but on the other, often limits what a talented wine maker can do, particularly in light of recent advances in the art of making wine.