Top 100 red wines of Rhone Valley - Page 8

Discover the top 100 best red wines of Rhone Valley as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the red wines that are popular of Rhone Valley and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Discovering the wine region of Rhone Valley

The Rhone Valley is a key wine-producing region in Southeastern France. It follows the North-south course of the Rhône for nearly 240 km, from Lyon to the Rhône delta (Bouches-du-Rhône), near the Mediterranean coast. The Length of the valley means that Rhône wines are the product of a wide variety of soil types and mesoclimates. The viticultural areas of the region cover such a distance that there is a widely accepted division between its northern and southern parts.

They are separated quite clearly by a 40 km gap between the towns of Valance and Montélimar, where vines are hardly ever grown. This division is reflected not only in the geography and preferred Grape varieties, but also in the quality and quantity of the wines produced. The smaller, more quality-oriented north focuses almost entirely on Syrah for red wines and Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne for whites, while the larger, more prolific south employs a much longer list of grape varieties. Most notable are the red varieties Grenache and Mourvèdre, which are combined with Syrah to produce the "GSM" blend so characteristic of the southern Rhône.

Discover the grape variety: Carignan

Mainly cultivated in the Languedoc region, carignan originates from Spain. Because of its very resistant branches, it is often called hardwood. Its bunches are quite large. They are compact and winged with a lignified stalk. The berries are spherical in shape and take on a bluish-black colour. Carignan has a total of 25 approved clones, the best known of which are 274, 65 and 9. The carignan buds at the beginning of June and is protected from spring frosts. It does not reach maturity until the third period. Also, this grape variety needs warmth and sunshine. It appreciates dry and not very fertile soils. Carignan vines can live for more than 100 years. Those that are more than 30 years old produce a better wine. This wine is well coloured. It is generous and powerful at the same time. Pepper, cherry, blackberry, banana, raspberry, almond, prune and violet are some of the aromas that this grape variety gives off.

Food and wine pairing with a red wine of Rhone Valley

red wines from the region of Rhone Valley go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of baked marrow bones, crusted lamb fillets with sweet spices or pizza of the south west : duck breast, roquefort.

Organoleptic analysis of red wine of Rhone Valley

On the nose in the region of Rhone Valley often reveals types of flavors of iron, black raspberry or citrus and sometimes also flavors of cracked pepper, brown sugar or bacon fat. In the mouth in the region of Rhone Valley is a powerful with a nice balance between acidity and tannins.

News from the vineyard of Rhone Valley

Generation Z investors ‘turning to fine wine’

A survey of 2,000 investors in the UK found links between Generation Z, loosely covering those up to 25 years of age, and fine wine investment. While close to half of all survey respondents said they had invested in so-called alternative assets, such as fine wine, whisky, art or crypto, this proportion rose to 62% for the under-25s. Commissioned by merchant Bordeaux Index and conducted by market research agency 3Gem, the survey suggests younger investors ‘are turning to fine wine’ as ...

Scotch whisky exports grow by nearly 20%

Export shipments were worth £4.51bn last year, up 19% on 2020, but 8% below the total of £4.91bn recorded in 2019, according to HMRC figures quoted by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). However, export volumes rose 21% to nearly 1.4 billion bottles in 2021, some 73 million bottles above the figures recorded in pre-pandemic 2019. Scotch exports experienced an annus horribilis in 2020, falling to a 10-year low thanks to the combined effects of the pandemic and the imposition of punitive import t ...

Walls: Brézème and Seyssuel – sleeping beauties of the Northern Rhône

By 1965, the vineyards of Condrieu had largely been abandoned – phylloxera and two world wars had decimated the place and its people. There were just 8ha of vines remaining on these granite slopes. If it weren’t for the hard work of a few steadfast vignerons, the appellation might have disappeared entirely, reclaimed by the forest. Thankfully, Condrieu survived and has since flourished – but great appellations have been lost before. We know this because some have recently been rediscovered. In f ...