Rich, ripe flavours – reds that are easy to like
Rhône wines were the first that I bought en primeur and are the ones I’ve most consistently turned to since. Why? It’s not just that the wines are deliciously dependable but if you opt for a mixed case, you are guaranteed an interesting box of flavours that are approachable young (if you don’t have tons of patience!) but can be kept beyond their recommended drink dates without too much concern, too.
The rich, ripe, often savoury flavours of the wines match the kinds of foods I like, and coming from such a gastronomic hotspot are capable of pairing with a wide variety of dishes. As you head into the southern Rhône and the heart of Provence the cuisine is much more emphatically Mediterranean: tangy black olives, robust tomato-based dishes, aubergines and peppers and lashings of garlic – and Rhône wines cope with allcomers.
Rhône whites, while charming and fresh and eminently enjoyable in spring and summer also make great winter whites, thanks to their generosity and richness of flavour. They’re great with roast chicken and all the trimmings, creamy curries and Mediterranean cooking.
Joanna Goodman
Senior Editor
Versatile – from midweek bottles to fine wines
I admit it. I’m a Francophile, and the wine region that grabs me the most is the Rhône. While studying for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Diploma, I heard our lecturer talk about his love of the Rhône, saying it marries the best of both hemispheres: generosity of fruit and a restrained style.
It’s this abundance of fruit, plus the variety offered through a multitude of grapes and their culinary versatility that is why I love the Rhône. The wines’ indisputable value for money only adds to this.
And while the reds tend to grab most attention, the whites deliver the same qualities and shouldn’t be overlooked. A viognier-dominated white with crab linguine or any shellfish, as well as Chinese-spiced food; roussanne with risotto. While when it comes to reds, you can’t beat a Crozes-Hermitage with venison or a grenache-rich red with a lamb tagine or a classic ratatouille. Rhône is also my favourite choice for barbecues.
Warming for winter or refreshing for summer, at the dinner table or picnic table, anyday drinking or dinner-party sipping or a satisfying by-the-glass supper wine, for me, the Rhône has a wine for all palates and pockets, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Conrad Braganza
Showroom Fine Wine Co-ordinator
Warmer vintages and modern techniques
I became very familiar with Rhône grape varieties while studying Wine Business at the University of Adelaide and regularly visiting wine regions such a Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale.
These regions have made shiraz (syrah) and GSM (grenache-shiraz-mourvèdre) blends their own. While I have always enjoyed these styles, I found entry-level Rhône wines a little lean and lacking mid-palate weight and texture for my taste – but this has all changed!
Thanks to modern winemaking techniques and a string of warm vintages, we are seeing ripe, rich, and concentrated wines that are remarkably good value from the Rhône Valley. Personally, I have always enjoyed Côtes-du-Rhône wines that have a large proportion of syrah in the blend such as Château Courac and Guigal – ideal winter warmers at a modest price.
However, not all Rhône wines are big, bold, and rich. Grenache-dominant blends are incredibly moreish – often made in an unoaked, fruit-driven style with lovely supple tannins making them ideal barbecue wines when the weather warms up. Chapoutier’s ‘La Ciboise’ is a good example of this style and has become a household staple in recent years.
Finally, it’s the winning combination of consistency from vintage to vintage and diversity in styles, that make Rhône wines arguably the best value available today for anyday drinking.
Dave Walsh
Wine Specialist, Member Services
Consistency and value
I’m a fan of the Rhône; it’s one of my favourite wine regions. Quality is consistently high from one vintage to the next and the wines offer excellent value. As my colleagues have said, there’s a wide range of grape varieties used giving winemakers the freedom to create their own style and identity, providing plenty of interest for wine lovers.
I’m particularly fond of the wines from the southern Rhône where grenache leads the way, and for anyday drinking The Society’s Côtes-du-Rhône offers fantastic quality under £10. I love the clean, bright, red-fruit flavours which are refreshing and moreish. Medium-bodied, its subtle tannins make it a good match for most meals, or for drinking on its own.
If I’m looking for a little more richness and body, then Guigal’s Côtes-du-Rhône is my go-to wine. Again, it’s soft and smooth enough to drink by itself, but even better when matched with food. Pairing it with Sunday roast pork is a family favourite. The quality of Guigal wines each year is so consistently high that they are my benchmark producer I compare all others against!
The Rhône is also a region that rewards spending a few extra pounds – Châteauneuf-du-Pape has built its reputation on quality, but I love discovering fine wines from the neighbouring villages such as Gigondas and Vacqueyras where the complexity and quality of the wines is excellent and fantastic value.
Stuart Williams
Showroom Manager
Size matters – as does the human factor
The thing about the Rhône is that it’s big, and in a way, it is almost two regions, as the north and south are very different, both in terms of geology and grapes (find out more in our guide). The south is vast and there’s a wide variety of grapes grown, giving a diversity of styles to choose from. Increasingly, even though it gets hot in the Rhône, if it’s fresher styles you’re looking for, there are more and more being made from grapes grown at higher altitudes, often tucked away in forested areas.
I first started buying Rhône wines with the 2014 vintage, and although I haven’t seen (yet) the degree of change that Marcel talked about in his Rhône Reflections, I’ve witnessed some interesting developments over the past 10 years. Whites in particular have come on in leaps and bounds and are now really fresh and easy to drink. Part of this is a response to consumer demand, but it’s also down to improved techniques in vineyard and cellar and learning how to deal with the heat to achieve balance in the wines. You can see this in both whites and reds. Fresher wines tend to be of greater appeal when it comes to weeknight or more casual drinking.
What I particularly like about buying from the region is that you are predominantly dealing with families. Yes, there are still lots of co-operatives, but here, too, it is usually families you are working with. Also, unlike some regions in France, producers often create a wide range of styles to choose from. It’s almost as though they are less bothered about house or appellation style and more driven by a desire to create wines to suit a wide variety of occasions or cuisines. I’ve definitely seen a move away from high-octane, point-scoring ‘Parker’ wines to those that are just enjoyable and much better suited to anyday drinking.
For me, the human factor is key. Properties are often cross-generational with families having real connections to their area. While there is still healthy competition, everyone is supportive of their neighbours. Growers are keen to learn from each other and from outside the region, too – it’s been great to facilitate this knowledge-sharing with the webinars our Sustainability team has set up, linking up growers across the globe. Crucially in the Rhône, winemakers get together to taste each other’s wines, and as wine drinkers we are reaping the benefits as the quality bar moves up with every vintage.
Fiona Hayes
Buyer for Rhône
