RHÔNE VALLEY WHITE WINE

Rhône Valley is an important wine region in the southeast of France. The vineyards of the region follow the Rhône river 150 miles from Lyon until near the Mediterranean coast. The region's wine producing area cover such a distance that it is divided into two distinct parts: the northern and the southern Rhône. The northern Rhône accounts only a very small percent of the total production. It is however a home for the prestige appellations like Hermitage and Condrieu. In the northern Rhône there are only three grape varieties allowed in the white wines. These are Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne. Viognier finds its best home in the tiny and prestigious Condrieu appellation, where it gives dry, parfumed and mineral white wines with good aging potential. Roussanne and Marsanne are often blended together and can be found in most of the northern Rhône appellations from which the most famous would be Hermitage. The Hermitage whites are rich and full-bodied and they show aromas of honeysuckle, tropical fruit and earthy minerals. The Southern Rhône accounts for 95 % of the total production and most of the generic Côtes du Rhône wines come from the southern part. The Southern Rhône has its own renowned appellation Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Châteauneuf-du-Pape whites are usually a blend of different varieties from which Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Clairette are the most common ones. These are very complex and full-bodied white wines that with some bottle age develope dried fruit, nut and bees wax aromas.