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Region 1: The Rhone Valley
The Rhone Valley stretches from the
North to the South. It is the home of some of the worlds best wine
buys. The grape varietals can be fairly simplistic, but the location of
the vineyards, ie. the appellation, can dramatically affect the flavors
of the wine. The Southern Rhone is by far the most important in terms
of quantity of wine produced. Most of this juice comes from the Cotes
du Rhone and the Cotes du Rhone Villages appellation.
Northern Rhone
The most important Rhone district in
terms of the prestige of its wine is the Northern Rhone, which includes
the appellations of Hermitage and Cote Rotie, representing serious
rivals to the great names of Bordeaux and Burgundy in the quality and,
especially, longevity of their best wines. The northern Rhone is quite
different from the southern Rhone in terms of climate, soils,
topography and even grape varieties. The grapes varieties in the North
are Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne for white wines and Syrah for the
red wines. The land is more rugged, steeply elevated and terraced. It
is very hard to produce a lot of wine here. The wines here are
generally of high quality, and have higher prices because of less
quantity produced.
Southern Rhone
The grape varieties in the southern
Rhone are Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne and
Marsanne for white wines and for the red wines, they are Grenache,
Syrah, Carignan, Mourvedre and Cinsault.
The climate here is more Mediterranean
as many other fruits are grown here. Most wines are blends rather than
made from a single variety. This area of the Rhone Valley is where
there is a lot of very good growers and some great bargains.
The majority of the Cotes du Rhones
come from the more flat, arid, windswept vineyards of the southern
Rhone. These wines are full-fruited, complex and good values. There is
roughly 98,000 acres in this vast region. The Cotes du Rhone Villages
appellation represents a distinct step up in quality and often value
from the regular Cotes du Rhone. The yields are 42 hl/ha rather than
50hl/ha (as in Cote du Rhone) and the alcoholic content is much higher.
There are sixteen villages that make
up this appellation and here are some of the names you may have heard
of: Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Rasteau, Cairanne and
Beaumes-de-Venise. We believe we have some of the best growers in their
respected appellation for you to enjoy.
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