The Rhone Valley in southern France is a fantastic source of good wines. Most of the wines are full-bodied and spicy. On a warm summer day you should drink them slightly chilled (16C) to underline the freshness and in winter they make a perfect companion to more hearty food.
There are many different appellations here and all of them make excellent wines. the most famous is, of course, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, that was also one of the very first wine regions to be given an “appellation controlée” 80 years ago. Today it, as all French appellations, have changed from AOC to AOP.
There is a wealth of exciting grape varieties here, but the now world famous GSM trio dominates. There are also many talented winegrower.
Read Britt’s article on the Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines and some of the best growers in her latest article on Forbes: Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Rich and Spicy Wines With a Rich Historical Heritage.
Here’s the introduction:
Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the most famous wine in the southern Rhône Valley. Here, in one of the hottest wine regions in France, you get wines with wonderfully warm and spicy aromas such as cinnamon, cloves and freshly roasted coffee. The large, round stones – galets roulés – which are characteristic of the area, have the ability to catch the heat from the sun during the day and keep the vines warm late into the night.
Today you can find lots of high quality wines in the neighbouring villages, for instance in Gigondas and Vacqueyras. But Châteauneuf-du-Pape has been famous for many hundreds years so it will take some time for the others to catch up, at least when it comes to stardom.
Read Britt’s full article on BKWine on Forbes.
