Rhone
The Rh么ne is primarily a red wine area (though less than it used to be) and regularly offers some of the best value fine wine in the world, along with vast amounts of cheap easy drinking. Sales in the UK have never reflected the quality and value here, despite many of the wines offering powerful fruit and a generosity wholly in tune with modern consumer tastes. The Rh么ne lays claim to being France’s oldest wine region and the earliest definite records of wine production in the valley were made by Pliny in the 1st century AD, who wrote highly of the red wines made near Vienne (about where C么te R么tie now is). The Roman occupation was the heyday for the Rh么ne in general and after the Gauls took control again, there are few records, although it is probable that by the 11th century the land was mostly controlled by the church. During the medieval period wines from here rose to fame again, notably when Pope Clement V moved the papal court to Avignon in 1309 bringing lasting fame to Ch芒teauneuf du Pape, which was widely consumed at court. At this point in history, all wine travelled any distance by river and between the 14th and 16th centuries, whilst the wines remained popular to the south, Burgundy, threatened by the quality of the wines, banned their import to the Duchy. This effectively cut off the Parisian and valuable northern French markets, along with England and Holland. It would not be until the Canal du Midi opened in 1681 that a route (through Bordeaux) to the north was opened again. Interestingly this led to the practice of adding some Hermitage to Bordeaux to give it more body and ripeness and these Hermitag茅 wines were seen as superior. By 1710 the Loire had become navigable from St Etienne and Rh么ne wines once again were seen in Paris.
Ch芒teauneuf was the first region to set out production rules in 1923 which were the basis of the appellation contr么l茅e rules, of which it was the first recognised in 1936. For much of the 20th century, the Rh么ne was not widely known and whilst some superb wines were made in Hermitage, which had a small following, the region as a whole did not excel itself with robust and alcoholic wines common. With financial returns slender, much of the best land (which was the hardest to farm) was abandoned and exports were a little over 1 million cases (compared to 8 million today). By the early 1970’s C么te-R么tie was moribund, with only 70 hectares planted and little market for the wine. Most Rh么ne wine was bottled and marketed by n茅gociant houses, even that made by the co-operatives ended up there and financial returns were poor. The next 20 years saw a turnaround in fortunes, with the few estate wines starting to receive the recognition they deserved, none more so than the wines of Guigal in C么te-R么tie, aided by his relentless promotion of his wines. As prices rose slowly, more growers started to make and bottle their own wine, often to great acclaim and momentum built. It has taken longer for this effect to spread into the south, but more and more high quality wine is being bottled and as the area, with the exception of a few names, is still not one for speculators, much of this wine is fairly priced for the drinker as opposed to the investor.
The valley can be split into two halves, the north (known as septentrional in France), which runs from C么te R么tie, just to the south of Vienne, to the confluence with the river Dr么me a little south of Valence. There is then a 20km area with no vines before the southern (meridional) area, which runs as far south as Avignon. The north is cooler, with a steep sided valley and vines perching on terraced slopes, whilst the south is broader, rolling countryside and has the sun-baked feel of the Mediterranean. By far the majority (well over 90%) of wine is made in the south. The key sub-regions of the north are C么te R么tie, Condrieu, St.-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage and Cornas. In the south, Ch芒teauneuf-du-Pape is most famous, with Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Vinsobres and Rasteau also producing great wines. C么tes-du-Rh么ne , France鈥檚 second largest appelation, and C么tes-du-Rh么ne Villages account for a lot of volume.
Reds in the north are made with Syrah, and it is here that the very greatest wines are made, whilst in the warmer south, Grenache dominates, supported by Syrah, Mourv猫rdre in the warmest spots, and up to 9 other permitted varieties. Ros茅s are generally inexpensive and easy going, with the exception of Tavel, an appellation solely for ros茅, whose wines tend to more body and structure than most. White wines are mostly based around Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Clairette (although there are a further 10 authorised varieties) and are generally quite rich and textural, with savoury fruit character. The star white wine is Condrieu (and a few copies made on the hills just outside the appellation), a barrel fermented viognier that stands alone as the world鈥檚 finest example of the grape.