Discover The Wines of the Rhone Valley, Part 1 of 3

France’s Rhône Valley is a wine lovers paradise. This is home to many of the grape varieties which are planted the world over. Grenache, syrah and mourvèdre have grown here for generations. In the embrace of the radiant sun, relentless mistral wind and rocky soils they produce wines that are flavourful and generous. Produced in 2009

Over two thousand years ago   the Romans pushed North and discovered  a land that was ideal for grapevines. When you look closely at these  rocky soils it seems improbable   that anything can grow here in  abundance, even the hearty vine.

This great wine region has shot to prominence in  recent decades and today has over 75 000 hectares   under vine. It stretches 180 kilometers  along the river that shares its name,   depositing alluvial soils  along its banks for millennia.   Syrah, Viognier, Grenache and many  other varietals call this home.  

Through the centuries wine has been the center of  daily life and commerce. This is one of France’s   oldest growing regions and a destination for  great value red wines. This is the Rhône Valley. This is the Rhône river. It stretches for  180 kilometers and from the end to Avignon,  

It joins the Northern Rhône and Southern Rhône Valley. This region is a story in two parts,  linked by one great river. For centuries the  Rhône river was an important inland trade route   that allowed wine merchants to ship their cargos  to distant markets. But it’s only been the last  

Few decades since the popularity of these wines  exploded. These days grown grape varietals are   cultivated in vineyards all over the world and  I think it’s a testament to their popularity and   mass appeal. Syrah in Australia, Grenache and  Mourvèdre in California and Viognier in South  

Africa, all pay tribute to the long-standing  winemaking traditions of this valley. This region is all about diversity. Pick  a wine style and you’ll find it here.   From full bodied structured reds to lighter  everyday drinking wines and there’s great value  

To be found. It’s no wonder that wines from the  Rhône are a favorite amongst wine enthusiasts. At this vintage’s event in Toronto the  world’s greatest wines are on display   and it’s not surprising that the wrong labels are  in demand. This region’s influence is undeniable  

And wine riders and the enthusiasts who follow  them are taking notice. “Well I think that the   Rhône is probably one of the best values  that you can get in the fine wine regions   of France. First of all it really hasn’t been  discovered and these are great food wines too.”  

“You’ve got this big swath of land that is  really getting a lot of that Mediterranean heat   and that Grenache really develops  that incredibly fruity almost   really kind of chewy character it just bursts  forth. I like the excitement of those wines.”  

The wines of the Côtes-du-Rhône are made in  a range of styles. They’re food friendly,   they offer great value but more than anything  else they really express a sense of place. And this place is spectacular. If you want to  get to know these wines it’s best to start in  

The vineyard. The wine growers of the Rhône  remain true to traditional approaches and styles,   while embracing new winemaking technologies.  They set themselves apart from other growing   regions with wines that express terroir, the  many factors that influence the grapes character.   While winemaking is important, the purists  insist that wine is made in the vineyard.  

“The people that want to respect the flavors  of terroir, argue that really you should have   the courage to do nothing in the wine making  process and that’s very much what goes on here,   they see themselves as guardians of  the terroir rather than winemakers”. The Rhône Valley is red  wine country. It’s over 90%  

Of what they produce, along with some whites,  rosé, fortified and even sparkling wines.   Located in Southeastern France, it’s very close  to the Mediterranean sea. The growing regions   stretch from Lyon in the North to Avignon the  South, through two distinct climatic zones. The  

Sub-soils are incredibly varied with five major  soil types. The Southern Rhône is broad with a   warm Mediterranean climate, sun-drenched. It’s  famous for round full-bodied easy drinking wines.   We’re starting our journey in the Northern Rhône,  it’s much smaller than the South with a slightly  

Cooler semi-continental climate. The wines  here are famous for their elegance and finesse. The vineyards of the Northern Rhône cling to  steep landscapes made of granite and quartz.   That’s one of the reasons that Syrah  does so well in these vineyards.   This is the land where Syrah was born  and home to appellations like Hermitage.

Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas   and Saint Joseph. The granite soils here produce  tannic wines with structure that develop in   complexity and finesse as they age. The only red  grape permitted here is Syrah, which is sometimes   blended with whites like Viognier, Marsanne  and Roussanne. These long ripening varietals  

Soak up the abundant sunshine, developing  slowly in the cooler climate of the North.   Producing wines from these slopes is expensive  back-breaking work but vignerons here carry on   as they have for centuries, growing distinctive  fruit with spicy deep roasted character.  

“The ancients were as smart as we are and they  already understood and noticed that there were   great terroir and that the wines produced on  the hill were much more better than coming from   everywhere else around. You imagine that  in hermitage like that to make a wine,  

You need at least six to seven hundred hours  per hectare of work.” “Well, I certainly   understand why the wines from this area are so  expensive.” “You bet! Everything isn’t made, you   can use any matching here. So every year making  hermitage on this yield is kind of a challenge.  

When we produce 10 to 15 nectar liters  per hectare it’s already a good harvest.” And harvest time here is  not for the faint of heart. The Rhône Valley has some of the  lowest yields in all of France.   Winemakers know lower yields mean more  concentration of flavors and higher quality wine.

Poor soils, a Southern exposure, steep slopes  for good irrigation and cool winds that whip   through the valley are all essential  ingredients to grow excellent Syrah.