Rhone Alps Wine

The Northern Rhone wine region

• Rhone Côte Rotie wine: it produces a fine wine from the Syrah grape. It is often said to be producing the finest wine of the Rhone Valley. The ideal time to drink such a French wine is 15 or 20 years after bottling.
• The best Cote rotie wines are definitely the La Landonne, La Mouline and La turque wines, as well as the less prohibitive Ogier, Burgaud, Barge and Jasmin wines. Surprinsigly, they are not often renowned in France.
• Condrieu is doubtlessly the Rhone's finest white wine. This is a robust and intense French wine that manages to maintain its subtle balance.
• Hermitage is the other exceptional red wine of the Northern Rhône. It can produce red or white wine cuvées, many of them being outstanding French wines. The Crozes-Hermitage wine provides excellent value for money French wines.

The Southern Rhone wine region

• These wines are a legacy of the time when Popes inhabited the famous Avignon - known as the City of Popes – who have done a lot to romote these local vineyards. Chateauneuf-du-pape is robust but extraordinarily fruity and full of flavour.
• Gigondas is probably the next most well known appellation of the southern Rhone region. The best wines are fullly-bodied, rich and fruity.
• Vacqueyras is an appellation producing mainly red wines, with a small amount of white and rosé wines. These French wines can be really affordable.

Other Rhone wines

• Another Rhone wine we must quote in this article is the famous Clairette de Die. It is pretty famous throughout France and generally drunk in France to celebrate a special moment like a birthday or at Christmas, being an excellent second choice when Champagne is too expensive.
• Coteaux du Tricastin and Côtes du Ventoux are other fine Rhone wines. They can be red, white or rosé wines.
• Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône Villages are equally excellent French wines that may be red, white or rosé. Indeed, most Rhone Wines are sold under this Cotes du Rhone appellation, the other wines of this area of France being less known, a pity!