The Study Library · The Cellar Journal

The Rhône Valley appears, at first, to be one continuous wine region following one of Europe's great rivers south toward the Mediterranean. In reality, it contains two remarkably different wine worlds.

The Northern Rhône is narrow, steep and strongly associated with individual appellations. Syrah dominates its red wines, while Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne define the whites. Vineyards frequently cling to dramatic granite slopes above the river, and some of the most important wines come from remarkably small areas.

The Southern Rhône is broader, warmer and more Mediterranean. Here, Grenache becomes the central red variety and is commonly joined by Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and numerous other grapes. Blending plays a far greater role, the vineyard landscape expands across plains, plateaus and hills, and the appellation structure moves from the broad Côtes du Rhône through Villages and named villages to individual Crus.

The Rhône is therefore not best understood as one stylistic continuum. Its central idea is the contrast between north and south: Syrah and Grenache, steep slopes and open landscapes, varietal focus and assemblage, semi-continental influence and Mediterranean warmth.

The river connects them. Almost everything else changes along the way.