The Southern Rhone Flashcards
What is the climate in the Southern Rhone?
Mediterranean
What are the stones called that cover most vineyards, how are they beneficial and name one prestigious area that has these?
Galets - These stones also lock in moisture and slow down the evaporation of water from the soil which can be very beneficial in this dry climate.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Which two climatic factors can damage vineyards in this area?
Mistral - Northern winds
Drought.
How are Southern Rhone wines different from those found in the North?
They are often complex blends…maybe made from 12 varieties or more.
What are the four most commonly used black varieties?
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault.
What do winemakers have to balance with red wines from this area?
High acidity and high alcohol levels.
What is the range in red wine styles from this area?
Wine styles vary from light to medium-bodied fresh, fruity wines with low tannins to highly tannic, full-bodied reds with flavours of spice, meat and/or earth.
What is the role of Grenache in blends and what are the characteristics of it?
It dominates the blends here. The warm summers enable the grapes to fully ripen and produce wines with complex spiced red fruit flavours. In hot years the fruit can take on baked and jammy notes.
What is the role of Syrah in blends and how does it fair in this area?
It adds extra colour and tannins but struggles in the hottest sites
What is the role of Mourvedre in blends and how well suited is it to this area?
It is at the northern limit of where it can ripen successfully and thrives in these locations. It is deeply coloured, and very high tannins. When fully ripe, it develops dense black fruit flavours as well as mgamey and meaty aromas that are prized, especially in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
What is the role of Cinsault in blends?
It provides a supporting role in red wine blends by adding red fruit flavours, rather than tannin or colour.
Also, it’s a blending partner to Grenache in the production of fresh, fruity rose wines.
Although this region is not known for its white wines, the ones that are made are from which varieties?
Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Bourboulenc.
The best whites are richly textured, full-bodied, high in alcohol, with low to medium acidity and subtle fruity aromas. New oak is rarely used.
Which appellation makes up more than half of the entire wine production in the Southern Rhone?
What are these wines like?
Cotes du Rhone
Most are medium-bodied, fruity but simple.
Fruity rosés and white wines are made under this appellation too.
What does a village have to do to qualify for Cotes du Rhone Villages appellation status?
To qualify the wine must adhere to more stringent minimum alcohol levels, yields and a greater percentage of the blend must be made from GSM.
How can a village add its name to a Cotes du Rhone Village appellation?
A few villages can add their name to the label if 100% of the wine comes from the named village (eg: Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne).
These are the best wines outside the crus and have more body, structure and spiced red fruit flavours than generic Cotes du Rhone.
All of these named villages have the option to apply for cru status.
