Rhone Valley Wine, France

The Rhône Valley, by its nature, has always been the ideal route between the Mediterranean Sea and Northern Europe. Ancient Greeks used to travel on the Rhône to carry the goods they used to commercialize in France. They were the first to plant vines in the region. Wine production continued with the arrival of the Romans in 125 BC. Winegrowers use the variety of soils and climates to produce the right wines in the right places. 

The climate is Mediterranean, its most striking feature is the mistral, a strong wind. The region's climate is characterised by its seasonality, with heavy rains, high temperatures and exceptional amounts of sunshine. The soil is the result of the combination between the vegetation and the climate over thousand and thousand years.

The Rhône river has left a powerful mark on the whole of the sedimentary basin that have created, from Vienne down to Avignon a wide variety of soils. It is the various climates, soils and grape varieties that make Rhône Valley wines so special, but more than geographical unity, perhaps, it is the desire and labour of the winegrowers that have given the wines their real personality and enabled the attribution of an AOC.  

The Côte du Rhône Regional Appellation

Ranging from light and fruity to gusty and full-bodied, Côte-du-Rhône wines draw their personality from an astonishingly wide collection of soils, climates and grape varieties. Terroirs are selected very carefully in order to reach the best quality. 

The Côte du Rhône Villages Appellation

Côte du Rhône Villages vineyards are spread over 95 administrative communes but only 16 are entitled to mention their name on their wine’s label. Red wines are mainly made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre grape while white wines are mainly made from Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Marsanne, Roussane and Viognier.

Red wines, whether broad and full-bodied are delicately elegant and will delight the palates of the finest gourmets.  Rosés and whites are really remarkable and will offer you their freshness and scented sensations. 16 villages can mention their name on their wine’s label: Chuslan, Laudun and Saint-Gervais in the Gard département, Rochegude, Rousset-les-Vignes, Saint-Maurice, Saint-Pantaléon-les-Vignes and Visobres in the Drôme département; Beaumes de venise, Cairanne, Rasteau, Roaix, Sablet, Séguret, Valréas and Visan in the Vaucluse département.

Crus of Côte du Rhône 

From north to south, 13 places in all produce their own crus: Château Grillet, Côte Rôtie, Condrieu, Cornas, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Saint-Péray to the north; and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Lirac, Tavel and Vacqueyras further south. And the fortified wines of Beaumes de Venise and Rasteau.

In Nothern Rhône, the Syrah variety is king of red-wine grapes while Viognier, Marsanne and Roussane are the preferred varieties for the white wines. In the South, there is a larger family of varieties: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvèdre for the reds, and mainly Grenache, Clairette, Roussanne and Viognier for the whites. The juice from the different grapes is then blended in many ways to give a range of highly distinctive wines. 

Northern Rhone Appellations  

From Vienne to Valence, Northern Rhône Valley produces AOC Côtes du Rhône and Crus (Local appellations). There the Syrah variety is king of the red-wines grapes, while Viognier, Marsanne and Roussane are the preferred varieties for the white wines.

Northern Rhône Valley - Appellations 

Condrieu is an exotic and fragrant wine. It has a pale gold color with golden highlights. This wine has a powerful bouquet of field flowers, violets, iris and apricots. In the palate, it is supple, unctuous with an overall freshness and good length.

Cornas wines’ appearance is intense with ruby reflects. These wines have red fruits perfume with blackcurrant and spicy nuances. After 5 years it gets truffle, cooked fruits and liquorice bouquet. It is one of the most tannic and strong wines in France.

Côte Rôtie wines have a deep red color. Their nose is characterized by its raspberry and spicy perfume with a nuance of vanilla and almond. It is a very fleshy and rich wine. It has notes of truffle, dried fruits and chocolate in palate.

Crozes-Hermitage red wines have a sustained bright hue. They have a red fruits and spicy bouquet. They are well-structured, long on the palate, tannic but smooth. White wines are limpid and have a pale golden color. They have a floral perfume with hawthorn and acacia nuances.

Hermitage red wines have a deep bright color and offer a red fruits and wild flowers bouquet. When matured, they get leather nuances. The white wine has a limpid golden yellow color. Sweet “Vin de Paille” are quite rare and offer a nice smell of truffles when aged for 8 to 10 years. 

Saint-Joseph red wines have a deep color with their subtle perfume of blackcurrant and raspberry which take the nuance of leather and liquorice with age. White wines are limpid and yellow green. They have wild acacia and honey bouquet.


Saint-Péray offers a sparkling wine and a still wine. Sparkling wines have a yellow color with a bouquet of flowers and citrus fruits. This wine is refreshing, lively and dry. Still wines are pale gold with a fresh flowers perfume. It is light and lively to the palate.

Southern Rhone Appellations 

From Montélimar to Avignon, Southern Rhône Valley produces a wide variety of wines including AOC Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Local appellations of Crus and “Vins Doux Naturels”. They are produced in 5 places of southern Rhône:

Lirac red wine has a beautiful deep color with a fruity and spicy bouquet. It is four-square generous and balanced. Rose wine is bright. This is an elegant wine with excellent persistence in the mouth. The white wine is lively, aromatic with excellent harmony of roundness and length.

Tavel produces a distinct and pure rosé with a complex bouquet of red fruits maturing towards roasted almonds. This wine is round in mouth with aromatic strength finishing with a spicy note when served chilled.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape red wines have an intense color with a complex bouquet of red fruits, aniseed, liquorice and spices. Reds are rounded and unctuous with a generous and supply body and are long in mouth. White wines offer fine floral nuances of narcissus. They give a feeling of balance and long-lasting aromatic freshness at the finish.

Gigondas red wine has a sumptuous elegance and a bright body that seems to encapsulate the sunshine. This wine has a distinctive bouquet of fruit and kirsch when young followed by leaf-mould muskiness with maturity. It is very well balanced and strongly flavored and tannic. Rosé wines offer almonds, red fruits and spices perfumes. They are heady and generous wines in mouth.

Vacqueyras red wine has a deep color and a sweet bouquet of ripe fruit, black cherries and a hint of liquorice. It is a full-bodied wine, round and robust which offers a delicious balance between the freshness of the fruit and the spices. Vacqueyras rosé is ample and generous while the white is exceptional for its freshness.