The Rhone Valley

HTM406

HTM406 Assignment Research Report & Chart on Wine Regions Marking

Sheet

HTM406

The Rhone Region

Pamela Favotto

Value 15 %
Report
The depth of research on your wine appellation using textbook,
Library books, industry websites and winery websites
Knowledge about a specific appellation (wine region)
Understanding the styles of wine produced within this appellation
Identify the major/popular wine producers of your chosen appellation
/10
Fact Sheet/Chart
Complete an appellation chart as per My Seneca
The concise information shown on your chart

/8
/10
/10
-

/5
/20

The variety of resources that you used for the report/chart

/6
(Textbook and a minimum of 2 books, 3 websites and a producer/winery website)
Restaurant Wine List
Creativity of layout
Completeness of beverage information -

/7
/10

Spelling, grammar
Proper MLA citing of resources and endnotes page
Total -

Was the assignment uploaded to SafeAssign? Yes

No

Appellation
Information
Country

France

Appellation/Region

Rhone Valley

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/7
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Climate found here

Northern Rhone: warm-continental climate

Southern Rhone: Mediterranean climate
warmer than North and affected by the le
mistral, a wind that blows north from the
Mediterranean and that cools down the grapes
from the hot of the summer months

Type of soil found

here

Well-draining sandy soil with high presence of

galets smooth river rocks that helps to absorb
energy from the sun during the day
Northern Rhone: land of steep slopes carved
into granite hillside; vineyards sites maximize
sun exposure and are often terraced.
Southern Rhone: broad valleys with a
combination of rocks, sands, clay and limestone
that become really hot in the summer.

Major grapes grow

here

White : Viognier
Red : Syrah, Grenache

Styles of wine found

here

Three (3) Major

Producers/wineries

Interesting
information about
this appellation

Exotic and aromatic whites;

Earthy, complex and age-worthy reds;
Dry ros wines from the AOC Region of
Tavel;
Sweet, fortified vin doux naturel from the
Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise appellation

Chteau de Beaucastel, ( Chteauneuf du

Pape Southern Rhone) E. Guigal (CteRtie Northern Rhone), Chteau du
Pegau Villages ( Cotes du Rhone
Southern Rhone)
The Rhone Region is the first one being
colonized by the Greeks 2500 years ago;
therefore, it can be considered one of the oldest
winemaking regions in France, and in the world.
The Rhone Valley is where the Appellation
dOrigin Controle laws were conceived and
first ratified.
This region has been recognized as the "2010
Wine Region of the Year" by the editors of Wine
Enthusiast Magazine.
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The Rhone Valley is located in southern France and is expanding from

north to south in proximity of the banks of the Rhone River. The Rhone is not
just one of the oldest appellation in France over 2000 years old - but also
the second largest and one of the top winemaking regions in the country
(Gibson 142). The Rhone Valley can be divided in two main areas: Northern
Rhone and Southern Rhone. The aspect that mainly distinguishes the two is
not much the climate and geography, but rather the philosophy that stands
behind the wine production and the type of grapes. Northern Rhone applies a
stricter regulation regarding uses of grapes and uses exclusively Syrah as
red; the result are hearty, complex and age-worthy reds with flavors of
blackberry, mint and black peppers notes. Winemakers in the Southern
Rhone, on the other side, grow several different red and white varietals, even
though the main grapes remain the Grenache a red and Viognier a
white. Another difference between the two sub-regions of the Rhone Valley
is the climate: in the north, people can experience a warm-continental
climate with quite cold winters and warm summers; in the south, on the
other side, summers are really hot and winters are mild. The proper growth
and ripeness of the grapes would be compromised by the high temperatures
in the summer if it wasnt for le mistral, a wind that blows north from the
Mediterranean and that cool down the grapes from the heat of the day. For
what concerns the terroir, the Rhone Valley features a well-draining sandy
soil (Gibson 144) with the characteristic presence of galets pebbles, clast
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of smooth rock mostly situated on rivers that help absorb the energy of the
sun during the day, and release it to the grapes during the night. Both in
north and south, the terroir shapes the character of the grapes and
consequentially of the wine produced. In detail, the north is characterized by
steep, craggy hillsides with terraced vineyard carved into the rock. In the
south, instead, we find broad valleys and a soil enriched by the presence of
rocks, stone, sand, limestone and clay (Leve).

GRAPES
As mentioned before, the only grape allowed in Northern Rhone is Syrah.
This noble red wine grape tends to produce medium-full bodied wines with
high levels of tannins, earthy characteristic and notes of blackberry, black
pepper and reminiscent of smoke. Syrah is allowed to be blended only with
white grapes in the north (just up to 20%) this happen especially in Cote
Rotie appellation.
Grenache Noir can be considered the most important grape grown in the
south. Due to the fact that it takes a lot of time for this grape to ripen, hot
and dry climate as the one found in the warm-Mediterranean climate of
Southern Rhone, are ideal conditions for this grape to grow. Grenache Noir
produces powerful and earthy wines characterized by high levels of alcohol
with spicy and berry flavors. The most famous Grenache-based blends are
the wines of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Grenache Noir is also used to produce
ross in the Tavel appellation.

HTM406

The Rhone Region

Pamela Favotto

The main and most notable white grape used to produce whites in the Rhode
Valley is the Viognier. When growing in warm climates, Viognier can
produce full-bodied wines characterized by an exotic and spicy bouquet
notes of yellow fruits, spring flowers, musk and spices as well as grilled
hazelnut and almonds (Inter Rhone).

NORTHERN RHONE -

Major Appellations and

Styles of Wines
Regardless of its size and the fact that
the vineyards here are among the
steepest and most difficult to work in
the world (Cannavan), the Northern
Rhone produces some of the greatest
Syrah in the world. As mentioned
before, Syrah is the only red grape
allowed to grow here (the AOC
regulation is really strict); as regards for
whites, Viognier, Marsanne and
Rousanne are the main grapes found. The most important appellations in
Northern Rhone are:

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The Rhone Region

Pamela Favotto

Cote-Rotie

Hermitage

HTM406

The Rhone Region

Pamela Favotto

Chateau-Grillet

Cote-Rotie
The term Cote-Rotie in English means roasted slope and it refers to the
distinguishing geography characterizing this area: the terraced vineyards
positioned in a way to gain the maximum sun exposure are located in
extremely steep hillsides sometimes reaching a gradient of over 60% (Inter
Rhone). The wines coming from this northernmost and small appellation (less
than 300 acres) somehow represent its peculiar terroir: just here the Syrah is
mixed with up to 20% of Viognier bringing about complex and robust wines
but with delicate spicy aromas typical of the Viognier; spices, summer fruits,
black fruits and violets forms the typical bouquet of these great reds.

HTM406

The Rhone Region

Pamela Favotto

Hermitage
This legendary AOC Appellation,
located on the left bank of the
Rhone, takes his name from
Gaspard de Sterimberg, a knight
that retired in the region in 1224
to live as a hermit. The combination of the soil and location of the vineyards
(they are facing south maximizing the sun exposure) represent perfect
conditions for the growth of the Syrah, which expressions here, are among
the manliest of French wines. Deep, intense and serious this wine acquires
more and more finesse and complexity as they age over 20 years or more.
The appellation also produces wonderful light and golden white wines from
the Marsanne and Rousanne grapes, characterized by floral notes with a
touch of vanilla and nutty aromas dominated by roasted almonds (Inter
Rhone).

Chateau-Grillet
Chateau-Grillet, with its 3.5 hectares, is one of the smallest AOC regions in
France and the smallest in the Rhone. Its particular terroir rich in mica,
creates one of the best and more expansive white wine containing the
fermented juices of exclusively one grape: the Viognier. Elegant and rich in
alcohol, these wines present notes of honey, flowers (violet and acacia) and,
as it ages, musk, dried peaches and apricots. Interestingly, the whole
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production of wine in this appellation is under the ownership of one single

winery.

SOUTHERN RHONE - Major Appellations and

Styles of Wines

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The Rhone Region

Pamela Favotto

GRAPES Syrah, Grenache and Viognier

NORTHERN RHONE Major appellations and style of wines
SOUTHERN RHONE Major appellations and style of wines
3 MAIN PRODUCERS- brief descriptions
INTERESTING FACTS?

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Works Cited
Anonymous. "Rhone Valley Named "2010 Wine Region of the Year" by Wine
Enthusiast Magazine." Marketing Weekly News (2011): 1028.
Cannavan, Tom. wine-pages.com. n.d. 12 03 2015.
Gibson, Michael. The Sommelier Prep Course - An Introduction to the Wines,
Beers, and Spirits of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley, 2010.
Inter Rhone. 12 12 2014. 12 03 2015.
Leve, Jeff. The Wine Cellar - Insider. n.d. 12 03 2015.

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