The Côtes du Rhône Wine Region Of France by Donald Saunders

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The Côtes du Rhône Wine Region Of France
by Donald Saunders

The Rhone Valley wine region of France looks to a fair degree like a small Italy as it stretches approximately 200 kilometers from the south of Lyon to just south of Avignon. In this part of France the climate varies from the warm summers and cold winters of the Rhone to classical Mediterranean weather where the winters are mild and the summers are hot.

The reasonably constant sun combines with granitic soil in the north and the limestone in the south to produce Carignan, Grenache and Syrah used in red wines and Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Ugni Blanc used to make whites.

The Grenache is the dominant grape and represents more than half of the total red wine grapes while the Clairette makes up just over one third of the white wine grapes grown in the region. Overall some eight to ten thousand winemakers produce some 450 million bottles of wine on a huge 170,000 acres of land of which 75 percent is devoted to the full-bodied C�te R�tie in the north and the fruity reds of Ch�teauneuf du Pape in the south.

The village of Chartreuse de Valbonne enjoys a quite different climate from that of the surrounding area. Surrounded by forest atop horseshoe-shaped hills there are numberless terraces composed of stony chalk and limestone. Some barrels from this area date clear back to the thirteenth century and the area around the village is home to spicy Syrah, plum Viognier and Grenache noir grapes with aromas of violet and acacia honey.

Considered some of the best C�tes du Rh�ne villages are Cairanne and Rasteau with Rasteau's tannic Domaine du Trapadis being preferred by those who seek a more zesty wine and Cairanne's softer Domaine Catherine Le Goeuil being appreciated by those people who are a little more easy going.

From the C�tes du Rh�ne villages clay and stony limestone earth come the Syrah and Grenache grapes that are turned into some 19,000,000 bottles of medium-bodied fruity red wines.

The history of Gigondas wine traces back to the Romans and good advantage is taken nowadays of the Mediterranean weather and the red clay soil to produce an perfumed alternative to the more expensive Ch�teauneuf du Pape. On some 3,000 acres vintners produce the Grenache, Mourv�dre and Syrah grapes which go to make 5.5 million bottles of this first class wine.

For wine lovers whose mouth needs a little shock of pleasure there is the Vignobles Darriaud's Grenache Syrah which is a full-bodied red with earthy and plumy aromas and with chocolate tones which mingle with a peppery finish once the wine has aged for approximately 3 to 5 years.

To conclude, we must turn our attention to the slopes of Ch�teauneuf du Pape which lie between Avignon and Orange and which were once used as the summer home of many Popes. The wine from this area is thick and richly colored by the Syrah, Clairette, Grenache and some ten other grape varieties. On approximately 7,600 acres of sandy red clay and quartz soil grow the vines which produce 13 million bottles of wine which can age for up to 20 years with aromas of cinnamon, vanilla and red fruits.

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Posted on: November 14,2007

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