Rhone / Provence

This most beautiful corner of France was once one of its poorest, for wine and everything else, but the quality of life was always high. Now that it has become a magnet for people worldwide seeking tranquillity and sunshine, it is as prosperous as it is beautiful.

This is large wine region. The Northern Rhone should be considered separately. It grows little but Syrah and Viognier. These grapes reach greatness here, when grown in the best sites, by the best growers, in the best years. This is as far north as they will ripen, planted adjacent to cherries and pears rather than lemons and olives.

Most of the vineyards are in the Mediterranean south, where the vinous border between Rhone and Provence is legally defined but actually rather porous. The great district here is Chateauneuf-du-Pape and the great grape Grenache, usually seasoned with Syrah, sometimes also Mourvedre and a panoply of other grapes. Red southern Rhone wines outside of Chateauneuf use only these three plus Carignan and Cinsault.

Chateauneuf has been famous since the Popes of Avignon made it their summer home in the 14th century. Until the 1920’s it was legally just Cotes du Rhone. The only other separate southern Rhone Appellations were Tavel (famous for rose) and Lirac (3 colors). Everything else was Cotes du Rhone or the better Cotes du Rhone - Villages.

Other villages had aspirations. In 1964 Gigondas, impressively situated at the foot of the steep ‘dentelles’ (teeth) of Montmirail took the big step, giving up ‘Cotes du Rhone - Villages Gigondas’ in favor of just plain Gigondas. Giving up ‘Cotes du Rhone’ meant loss of instant identity but using just ‘Gigondas’ showed pride of quality. Vacqueyras followed in 1994 and other top villages may follow soon – Rasteau, Cairanne, Seguret.

For hundreds of years basic Cotes du Rhone has sold at a pretty fixed discount to basic Bordeaux even though basic Bordeaux is not always that good. The reason was that basic Cotes du Rhone wasn’t that good either. Only recently have Grenache and Syrah surpassed Carignan as the principal varietal. Inexpensive Cotes du Rhones are often made by carbonic maceration, the Beaujolais technique, giving a poor rendition of that style. The biggest problem however was winemaking, a problem of cellar equipment.

Harvest occurs here in early September, usually in torrid heat. Fermenation without temperature control meant that what little fruit and aroma the grapes had on arrival were cooked out by hot fermentations. The solution can be as simple as industrial air conditioning in the cellar. Better is the ‘groupe a froid’. This is a central chilling unit from which circulating freon-filled jackets can be wrapped around stainless steel tanks or tubes can be inserted into concrete vats. These can give very precise control of fermentation temperatures. Virtually all wineries have one or the other and the increase in quality over the past generation has been enormous. The price differential between basic Bordeaux and basic Cotes has disappeared; in fact basic Cotes du Rhone may actually now sell at a premium to basic Bordeaux.

The closer you get to the Mediterranean the hotter it gets. As Cotes du Rhone gives way to Provence, wines and styles undergo subtle changes. Rosé is the most famous Provençal wine, usually tilted towards the red side of rosé, denser than most, tart and piquant. The reds are improving as the same vineyard and cellar care that is now found in the Cotes du Rhone is found here as well.

Curiously Cabernet Sauvignon has come to play an important role in Provence. Cabernet stops photosynthesis when temperatures rise much above 90º – in other words for most of the Provençal summer. As fall arrives Provence often enjoys a warm, not hot, but sunny and dry September and by early October Cabernet can ripen beautifully. It rarely achieves the finesse here of cool climate Bordeaux Cabernet but can still make a wonderful wine that gets blended with Syrah, and increasingly with Grenache and Mourvedre. Cabernet is not allowed in any Rhone Appellation but can be up to 50% of Cotes de Provence.

Basic southern Rhone wines offer lots of body and flavor for not very much money. The increase in finesse from better varietals and cellar treatments make these wines the choice of millions for everyday drinking. Chateauneuf, at the top level, is increasingly a wine for special occasions as quality is now recognized as comparable to the world’s greatest wines and prices have escalated accordingly. In between, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, etcetera provide excellent fine weekend dinner wines.

There is a fairly large amount of white wine in the Cotes du Rhone, with some other southern Appellations also including white. A small but increasing number of southern whites are of interest. Until recently most white Cotes du Rhones were made mostly from Grenache Blanc, a workhorse varietal making decent wines, lacking in character. Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni are also permitted, along with Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier. The wines that are generating quality, character and consumer interest are increasingly made with the latter three, especially Roussanne.

Provence Rose remains a staple. When you are lying on the beach behind your villa in St Tropez this is what is in the glass at your side, not Champagne or white wine. It matches well with a vast variety of foods and is the classic accomaniment to Bouillabaise, the famous Provençal seafood stew. Red Provence wines are beginning to find their place between Rhone and rose. They are increasingly good as well as distinctive, which is exactly what consumers are looking for.