RHONE VALLEY WINES – PART 2

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Fung Hei Fat Choy  to all Friends of K-Cellars.  We wish all of you a prosperous Year of the Dog with good health and success.

Last month, we discussed about the Rhone Valley.  This issue we will finish off by a further look at its Northern and Southern sub-regions.

The Northern Region

  • A very small region, only about 3,000 hectares
  • Produces only 5% of the wines from the whole Rhone Valley
  • Climate is cooler with more rain than the South
  • Syrah is the only red grape used
  • For the white wines, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier are the most popular
  • Style of the wines in generally are more abundant in taste
  • Key appellations include: Cote Rotie, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas, St. Joseph, St. Perey
  • Famous wineries consist of Guigal, Chapoutier, J.L.Chave, Delas Freres, Pierre Gaillard, Bernard Levet,

The Southern Region

  • Much bigger region, producing 95% of Rhone wines
  • About 15 types of red grapes are commonly used, with Grenache the most important
  • White grapes also include Cinsaut, and Mourvedre in addition to the popular Northern grapes
  • The wines are more open, and sometimes more alcoholic
  • Chateauneuf-du-Pape is the most important appellation, and considered as The King of Southern Rhone
  • Meanwhile, Cotes du Rhone is well-known for its huge production of good money value wines
  • Other key appellations comprises Gigondas, Lirac, Tavel, Rasteau, Vacqueyras
  • Popular wineries include: Beaucastel, Cailloux, Janasse, Rayas, Vidal Fleury

Friends of K-Cellars will certainly find the Rhone Valley a very diverse and interesting region to explore and enjoy.  Wish you pleasant drinking all the time!

Thank you for reading :)