Are there one or two Rhônes?

The Rhone River region provides many styles of wonderful drink-now and age-worthy wines, including reds, whites, rosés, and fortified wines. The history, grapes, wine styles, and wine-making techniques have an immeasurable impact on French wine and the wine world.

The 500-mile-long river flows from the Swiss Alps to the Mediterranean Sea in eastern France. Chablis, Burgundy, and Beaujolais are north of the Rhone, situated on the 300-mile-long Saône river that joins the Rhone near Lyon’s city.   

The two Rhones.  

There are two Rhone wine regions for a good reason seeing that the climate, terrain, grapes that are grown, and wine produced are unique to each.  

Northern Rhone.

The only red grape allowed in the Northern Rhone is Syrah. From this grape are made exotic, intense world-famous wines in the Cote Rotie and Hermitage sub-regions, which is the birthplace of Syrah! (see our article Rhone’s Hermitage Hill, the home of Syrah)

Condrieu is the most notable white wine made from the delicious Viognier grape. This grape almost went extinct in the 1960s but now has seen a comeback in France and the New World (see our article Almost gone forever). All other white wines from the Northern Rhone are blends of Marsanne and Roussanne grapes.

The Northern Rhone region is contained to a 50-mile stretch of slate and granite-based soils where growing conditions are tailored to the steep, sheer riverbanks resulting in the use of terraced, walled, south-facing vineyards. The Northern Rhone area is considered a Continental climate with cold winters and hot summers somewhat mitigated by the macro-climate river. Whenever possible, the vineyards are situated south-facing to allow maximum sun exposure to ripen the grapes.

Southern Rhone

The warmer Southern Rhone is much different from its northern counterpart as the land flattens, and the wine region spreads out over a wider area from the river banks. The soil is different, too, made up of sandy limestone, clay, gravel, and large rounded stones. The south is classified as a Mediterranean climate, and the Rhone terminates into the Mediterranean Sea near Provence.

The Southern Rhones are blended and use a much larger number of grapes than the north. Grenache is the leading red grape, but Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and Carrigan are also used. The most used white grape is Grenache Blanc, supported by Clairette and Bourboulenc. Muscat is used in fortified sweet wines, and others are used in tiny amounts as blending grapes.

There are many notable sub-regions in the Southern Rhone, such as the well-known Cotes do Rhone-Villages. By law, the wines from this AOC are produced with lower-yield vineyards, riper grapes, and higher alcohol. There are ninety-six villages in all, but less than twenty make superior wine and earn the right to include their village name on labels, such as these five notable villages: Cairanne, Beaumes-de-Venise, Rasteau, Sablet, and Seguret.

The very popular Southern Rhone AOC of Châteauneuf du Pape is known for its Grenache-heavy blends of up to eight grapes and white blends of Grenache Blanc-heavy blends of up to six grapes. These wines are not aged in wooden barrels; they are deep and edgy, with notes of wet stone, earth, tar, and leather. They pair well with pungent cheese, duck confit, garlic-herb-laced dishes, sausage, and smoked meats.

Tavel is synonymous with world-class rosé, and these wines highlight spice and berries and are made in a dry style from blends of Grenache, Cinsaut, Syrah, and Mourvèdre grapes.

Beaumes-de-Venise produces gorgeous fortified white wines from the unctuous and aromatic Muscat grape. It’s an irresistible dessert or aperitif wine with sweet flavors of apricot, melons, and peaches.

Although sharing a name and a river, these two areas produce uniquely different wines from different grapes in different styles. To note, other exciting and significant regions within the Rhones should be explored, Gigondas and Vacqueyras in the South and Crozes-Hermitage in the north, for example; I encourage you to seek them out as I will with a corkscrew and good friends, Santé!