Wset - the Southern Rhône

Question 1

What’s the terrain like in The Southern Rhône?

Answer 1

It’s much flatter than the north.
Most of the best sited have very stone soils that absorbes the sun’s heat and warm the vineyard, adding ripening.

Question 2

What’s the stone’s in Châteauneuf-du-Pape called?

Answer 2

Galets.

Question 3

What’s the climate like in the Southern Rhône?

Answer 3

Medeterrainean, with mild winters and warm dry summers when drought can be a problem.

Question 4

What’s the northern wind in the Southern Rhône called?
and what’s the consequences of it?

Answer 4

Mistal is the name of the wind that gain speed and can cause extensive damage to vineyards. There are fewer slopes to protect the vines from the wine, meaning windbreaks have to be planted.
From the most part, Grenache is bush-trained low to the ground to offer protection from the wind and to benefit from the warmth of the soil.
Syrah is more easily damaged in the wind than Grenache and it benefits from the support offered by the training system

Question 5

Is it common doing blends in the Southern Rhône?

Answer 5

Yes, wines are often complex blends, in certain cicumstances wines are made from a dozen or more grape varieties.

Question 6

Which is the dominante grape variety in the Southern Rhône? And what’s the characteristics for it?

Answer 6

Grenache
The warm summers mean that Grenache can ripen fully here, producing wines with concentrated spiced red fruit flavours.
hot years: flavours can become baked and jammy.

Question 7

Which two grape varieties play a supporting role to Grenache?

Answer 7

Syrah and Mourvèdre
Cinsault when it comes to fresh, fruity rosé

Question 8

What does Syrah provide a blend?
and where does it thrive?

Answer 8

Extra colour and tannins, but it an struggle in the hottest sites.

Question 9

What does Mourvèdre provide a blend?
and where does it thrive?

Answer 9

deeply coloured and very high tannins,
fully ripe: dense black fruit flavours.
It is at the northern limit of where it can ripen fully and successfully.

Question 10

The style of wine vary a lot depending on the winemaker, give an exempel of what different styles it can vary from?

Answer 10

from a light- to medium-bodied fresh, fruit wines with low tannins to highly tannic full-bodied reds with flavours of spice, meat and/or earth

Question 11

The techniques used vary a lot depending on the winemaker, give an exempel of what different techniques it can vary from?

Answer 11

techniques can vary form cold pre-fermentation maceration and storage in stainless steel to warm extractive fermentations in traditional open fermenters and maturation in large oak vessels.

Question 12

Which white grape varieties are used in the Southern Rhône?

Answer 12

clairette, grenache blanc, bourboulenc, viognier, marsanne and roussanne

Question 13

What’s the characteristics for the best whites from the Southern Rhône?

Answer 13

usually richly textured and full-bodied, high in alc,with low to medium acidity and subtle fruity aromas.
New oak is rarely used.

Question 14

Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 13 grape varieties?

Answer 14

grenache (noir, gris and blanc)
syrah
mourvèdre
cinsault
counoise
bourboulenc
roussanne
vaccarese (brun argente)
clairette (blanc, rosé)
muscardin
picardan
piquepoul (noir, gris, blanc)
terret noir

Question 15

Which appellation accounts for more than half of the entire production in the Southern Rhône?

Answer 15

Côtes du Rhône

Question 16

What’s the typical characteristics for a wine under the appellation Côtes du Rhône?

Answer 16

Most reds are medium-bodied, fruity, but simple wines.
Rosés and white wines are made under this appellation to.

Question 17

Within the appellation Côtes du Rhône, a number of villafes are entitled to call their red, and some white and rosé a different name, which?
And what’s the characteristics of that kind of wine?

Answer 17

Côtes du Rhône Villages
They are have more stringent minimum alcohol levels and maximum yields must be observed and a greater percentage of the blend must be made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.
Some individual villages can add their name on the label if 100% comes the named village.

Question 18

Give an exempel of an village that’s allowed to add their name on the label under a Côtes du Rhône Villages.
And what’s make this appellation different from a normal Côtes du Rhône

Answer 18

Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret.
These have more body, structure and spiced red fruit flavours than generic Côtes du Rhône.
All of these named villages have the option to apply for cru status.

Question 19

Which is the largest of all the crus in the Rhône valley?

Answer 19

Châteauneuf-du-Pape
the first area to have Appellation contrôlée status

Question 20

Why are there a lot of diversity among the red wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape?

Answer 20

cause there’s wide range of soil types, aspect and the large number of grape varieties winemakers can choose from, 13st.

Question 21

Which grape variety dominates? and which is the “second” one?

Answer 21

Grenache
Mourvèdre

Question 22

What’s the characteristics of the best wines from Châteauneuf?

Answer 22

full-bodied and richly textured with concentrated spiced red fruit flavours that balance the characteristic high alcohol.

Question 23

Which are the only two southern crus that are on the west bank of the Rhône?

Answer 23

Tavel and Lirac

Question 24

What do they produce in Tavel?
and which is the most common grape varieties?

Answer 24

Tavel is an AC for rosé wines only, made mainly from Grenache and Cinsault

Question 25

What’s the characteristics for a rosé from Tavel?

Answer 25

full-bodied comparied with Provance rosés, intensley flavoured and capable of developing greater complexity when aged in bottle.

Question 26

What do they produce in Lirac?

Answer 26

best known for top-quality red and white wines in the style of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but even a small production rosé.

Question 27

Which are the two most long-standing of these crus in the Southern Rhône?

Answer 27

Gigondas
Vacqueyars

Question 28

What do they produce and what’s the characteristics of wines form Gigondas and Vacqueyars?

Answer 28

They make red wines, usually Grenache-led blends, in similar full-bodied, spicy style to Châteaneuf-du-Pape and many of the wines are as good as those that come from the more famous appellation.