Recently I have tasted several wines from the southern part of the Rhone Valley and I think when we are looking for a good bottle of wine from that region on a great value, there is some AOCs we should consider. Everyone probably know the famous Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation which is paricular in France in the case that it is the only AOC where more than a dozen grape varieties are allowed in the blend during winemaking. But because this place is the most famous, the prices for a bottle of delicious usually Grenache based blend wine is a little bit higher, specially from the iconic wineries like Vieux Telegraphe and etc.
Today let’s see some villages near this AOC, where the wines are really similar, using mostly the same grape varieties but the price of the bottle can cost even sometimes the half of that Chateauneuf-du-Pape (we are looking for some red wines today, the whites are going to be for another post).
I would like to show the similarities and the differences of this villages. These are: Lubéron, Rasteau, Ventoux, Vivarais, Gigondas, Lirac and Vacqueyras. Of course, there is much more Villages and AOCs (Appellation d’Origine Controllée means Protected Designation of Origin) in this part of the region but I think these are the ones that we should know about and pay attention to them.
Lubéron AOC: it has been promoted to AOC status in 1988 and since then it went through significant increase of quality. It produces all the 3 coloured wine but just like everywhere in the region, the reds are the most important in terms of production. Red wines needs to be a blend os 2 or more grape varieties, minimum of 60% Grenache or Syrah, a maximum of 40% Mourvedre, 20% Cinsault and Carignan; and can contain a few percent of Counoise, Pinot Noir, Gamay and Picpoul. The wines are red fruit driven with a great freshness and a lower body.
Rasteau AOC: a village where the most famous wine is indeed a Vin doux Naturels (fortified sweet wine) made up to 90% of Grenache (can be noir, gris or blanc) but the AOC produces much more red table wine these days. Its red wines are deep-coloured, full and rich with more spicy character with more ageability. It can contain vastly the same grape varieties in the blend than our previous Lubéron.
Ventoux AOC: a slightly bigger appellation then our beloved Chateauneuf and Gigondas but because of the limestone sub-soil, this village produces a lighter wine than on the other parts of the region. These are fresh and fruity, easy to drink reds sometimes even better to cool down the bottle to enjoy it during consumption. It’s a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault with up to 30% Carignan and we can find sometimes a touch of Picpoul Noir, Counoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Grenach blanc and Roussanne in the wine.
Vivarais AOC: situated on the left bank of the Rhone River in the Ardeche. With mainly limestone soil and a much cooler and wetter climate, it produces one of the lightest reds in the whole Southern Rhone region. It has been promoted to the AOC status in 1999. The wines are a blend of Grenache and Syrah with no more than 10% of Carignan and Cinsault.
Gigondas AOC: a name that maybe you are familiar with because its Chateauneuf-like full, plumy flavoured, spicy wines with just as high alcohol and low yields which gained the AOC in 1971. Its blend contains maximum of 80% Grenache with minimum of 15% Syrah and Mourvedre and an other maximum of 10% of the other grapes allowed in the region except Carignan. The best examples can age as long as 10 years easily in the cellar.
Lirac AOC: once it was much more famous about their rosé wines but the reds are increasing every day. In good years Syrah and Mourvedre can dominate in wine, giving a more full-bodied, silky-spicy plumy wine. In the blend we can find a minimum of 40% Grenache with a total of 25% Syrah and Mourvedre with additional Carignan and Cinsault.
Vacqueyras AOC: just like Gigondas this is the go-to appellation if we are looking for a Chateauneuf-du-Pape like wine with a good value. It has gained its AOC status in 1990 and produces some great quality, dark, rich and robust wines with black-pepper spiciness. Its reds tend to be more rustic than in the Gigondas. The wines usually will have at least 50% Grenache and up to 20% in total Syrah and/or Mourvedre with some Cinsault.
As you can see, these are the ones I think worth to seek out in the wine store or supermarket but there is still so much more in the southern Rhone to discover!
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