Stage 3
Wines by Region
The Rhône Valley
The Rhône Valley is divided into two distinct areas, the Northern and Southern Rhône.
Northern Rhône
The Northern Rhône has a moderate climate and the main red grape variety here is Syrah. The wines are mainly made from this single grape variety but some wines such as Côte Rotie may contain up to 20% of Viognier, which is a white grape variety.
The vineyards are planted on the extremely steep slopes of the river Rhône, which provides an excellent aspect to help the vines to reach full ripeness. The area often suffers from a strong wind called the Mistral that can affect the ripeness levels and this along with other weather patterns each year will produce a variation in style, which is referred to as vintage variation. The vines are harvested by hand due to the steepness of the slopes.
The key districts in the Northern Rhône are Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, and Côte-Rôtie.
Southern Rhône
The landscape alters considerably in the Southern Rhône as the valley opens up and the vineyards are sited on flatter land. The main grape variety in the southern Rhône is Grenache and the wines are always blended with other grape varieties including Syrah, Mourvèdre (known as Mataro in the New World) and Cinsault.
The appellations in the Southern Rhône are:
- Côtes du Rhône
- Côtes du Rhône Villages
- Cru wines such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape