Rhone Wine

Wines from the region are well established within Northern Rhône, with Côte Rôtie, Condrieu and Hermitage being the leading names. Not only of exceptional quality, their small production makes these wines particularly expensive and sought after. Crozes Hermitage provides better value but generally does not quite reach the excellence of its famous rivals. The leading grapes for production are Syrah for the reds, and Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne for the whites.

As to the Southern Rhône, we are familiar with the well-known Châteauneuf du Pape, a bold, hearty red wine which at its best takes some beating. Look out for its main rival Gigondas, a small village east of Orange capable of producing wine of outstanding quality. There are also a multitude of lesser known names such as Vacqueyras, Rasteau, Sablet, Cairanne and Grignan-Les-Adhemar, all producing excellent value wines. Most of the wines made in the Southern Rhône are red wines made with Grenache and Syrah grapes, and Mourvèdre, a distant third, followed by lesser used and known grapes.