The Southern Rhone valley is a huge area of wine production with a hierarchy of regulation and naming convention that broadly equates to the quality of the product. Chateauneuf-du-Pape is it's most famous sub-division, but other sub-regions have, over the last few decades emerged as names in their own right.
You will find bottles labeled 'Cotes du Rhone', which covers almost all of the southern Rhone region, meaning that providing the grapes come from somewhere in the region the name can be used, others labeled 'Cotes du Rhone Villages' which limits the grapes to those grown in a much smaller area (about 12.5% of the bigger area) to the north and west of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and then those from specific villages, such as Vacqueyras which was granted AOC status in 1990.
Week V (2015) Domaine de la Curniere Vacqueyras 2012. M&S £14.29
Like many of the wines produced in the southern Rhone, this Vacqueyras is loosely modeled on the Chateuaneuf-du-Pape, but the regulations stipulate that the blend of grapes used must include at least 50% Grenache. The balance is made up with Syrah and Cinsaut.
This gives us a wine with high alcohol content, as Grenache needs heat to ripen fully but then produces fruit packed with sugars that ferment to around 14.5% abv and rich ripe plum flavours that have a natural sweetness, balanced with the peppery spice that comes from the Syrah.
It is a full bodied affair and has a long,slightly warm, finish. Despite that it is reasonably easy drinking and although I can imagine it going well with a meaty dinner, it also goes well with a warm summer evening.
There's a lot to like about the Rhone valley as it falls south from Lyon, France's second largest city, through the wonderful Provence region and into the Mediterranean Sea, but it is justly famous for it food and wine. There are expensive hot spots, especially in the North, such as Cote Rotie and Hermitage for reds and Condrieu for whites, but fewer than, say, Bordeaux and Burgundy, so when looking for well made wines that offer good value for money the Rhone is an excellent place to look.
I have driven through Vacqueyras and, like its neighbouring villages, it is clear that a lot of its land is given over to the fruit of the vine and that this has been the case for a long time. There may be a theme (Grenache, Sryah, Cinsaut, Mourvedre) to the wines from all of these villages, but that recipe has stood the test of time. Can I tell you the difference between a Vacqueryas and a Gigondas? Probably not, but I would be happy with either them, or many of the others.
You will find bottles labeled 'Cotes du Rhone', which covers almost all of the southern Rhone region, meaning that providing the grapes come from somewhere in the region the name can be used, others labeled 'Cotes du Rhone Villages' which limits the grapes to those grown in a much smaller area (about 12.5% of the bigger area) to the north and west of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and then those from specific villages, such as Vacqueyras which was granted AOC status in 1990.
Like many of the wines produced in the southern Rhone, this Vacqueyras is loosely modeled on the Chateuaneuf-du-Pape, but the regulations stipulate that the blend of grapes used must include at least 50% Grenache. The balance is made up with Syrah and Cinsaut.
This gives us a wine with high alcohol content, as Grenache needs heat to ripen fully but then produces fruit packed with sugars that ferment to around 14.5% abv and rich ripe plum flavours that have a natural sweetness, balanced with the peppery spice that comes from the Syrah.
It is a full bodied affair and has a long,slightly warm, finish. Despite that it is reasonably easy drinking and although I can imagine it going well with a meaty dinner, it also goes well with a warm summer evening.
There's a lot to like about the Rhone valley as it falls south from Lyon, France's second largest city, through the wonderful Provence region and into the Mediterranean Sea, but it is justly famous for it food and wine. There are expensive hot spots, especially in the North, such as Cote Rotie and Hermitage for reds and Condrieu for whites, but fewer than, say, Bordeaux and Burgundy, so when looking for well made wines that offer good value for money the Rhone is an excellent place to look.
I have driven through Vacqueyras and, like its neighbouring villages, it is clear that a lot of its land is given over to the fruit of the vine and that this has been the case for a long time. There may be a theme (Grenache, Sryah, Cinsaut, Mourvedre) to the wines from all of these villages, but that recipe has stood the test of time. Can I tell you the difference between a Vacqueryas and a Gigondas? Probably not, but I would be happy with either them, or many of the others.
No comments:
Post a Comment