Rhone Valley Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the main grape varieties in Northern Rhone?

A

Red:
- Syrah

White:
- Viognier
- Marsanne
- Roussanne

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2
Q

Northern Rhone is attached to the southern base of which region?

A

Beaujolais

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3
Q

Which two regions is Rhone between?

A

Burgundy and Provence

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4
Q

How long is the gap between northern and southern rhone?

A

30 miles

montelimar is the unofficial dividing line between the two regions

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5
Q

What is the climate like in Northern Rhone?

A

Moderate continental with maritime influences

  • Dry summers
  • Cold winters
  • Little humidity
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6
Q

Which city is Northern Rhone southwest of?

A

Lyon

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7
Q

Which cities are at the northern and southern tips of Northern Rhone?

A

Vienne in the north and Valence to the south

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8
Q

What is the geography like in Northern Rhone?

A

The rhone river carved out a deep gorge. The region has steep slopes and winding roads. Most of the vineyards are terraced

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9
Q

What does the rhone river do for the vineyards in Northern Rhone?

A

It reflects light onto the vineyards, and concentrates the effect of the mistral

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10
Q

What kind of grapes do best in Northern Rhone and the mistral wine?

A

Thick skinned grapes

Due to the mistral wind, this region has its own unique tee pee like trellising system

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11
Q

What kind of soil is in the Northern Rhone region?

A

decomposed granite and schist

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12
Q

What are some winemaking preferences in Northern Rhone?

A
  • small amounts of white grapes are co-fermented with syrah
  • syrah has deep concentration and is usually aged in large oak foudre
  • white wines tend to be made using oak aging, lees stirring, and malolactic fermentation
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13
Q

What is white wine like from northern rhone

A

rich wines that maintain a floral and frutiness

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14
Q

what are the important AOPs of Northern Rhone and their styles

A

Cote Rotie AOP
- reds only using syrah. 20% viognier is allowes
Condrieu AOP
- white only, 100% viognier
Cornas AOP
- red only, 100% syrah
Chateau Grillet
- White only, 100% viognier
St. Joseph AOP
- Whites from marsanne and Roussanne
- Red from syrah, up to 10% marsanne and roussanne
Crozes-Hermitage AOP
- whites from marsanne and roussanne
- red from syrah, up to 15% marsanne and roussanne
Hermitage AOP
- whites and vin de paille from marsanne and roussanne
- red from syrah, up to 15% marsanne and roussanne
Saint Peray AOP
- sparkling and still made from marsanne and roussanne
- must be aged 12 months in from tirage

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15
Q

What AOPs make traditional method sparkling wines in Rhone Valley?

A
  • Coteau de Die
  • Crémant de Die

These are made using clairette

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16
Q

What kind of wine does the Clairette de Die AOP make in Northern Rhone?

A

Traditional method and method ancestral sparkling

17
Q

What are the red wines like in Northern Rhone

A

classic syrah status
- full bodied
- firm
- savory

They manifest a host of secondary aromas such as
- smoke
- grilled meat
- lavender
- peppercorn
- olive

18
Q

What benefits does co-fermentation have?

A
  • stabilizes red wine color
  • moderating tannin extraction
19
Q

What are the main grapes of Southern Rhone?

A

White
- Bourboulenc
- Marsanne
- Roussanne
- Clairette
- Viognier
- Grenache Blanc

Red
- Grenache
- Mourvèdre
- Syrah
- Cinsault
- Carignan

20
Q

What are the secondary grapes in Southern Rhone?

A

White
- Picpoul Blanc
- Ugni Blanc

Red
- Vaccarèse
- Counoise
- Muscardin
- Picpoul Noir
- Terret Noir

21
Q

Which grapes of rhone come in white, gris, and rouge versions

A

Grenache and Pipcoul

22
Q

What cities does southern rhone stretch between?

A

Montelimar to Avignon

23
Q

What is the southern rhone geography like?

A
  • flatter terrain
  • rolling hills
  • less slope
24
Q

What does the rhone river do for souther rhone?

A

It provides a cooling effect

25
Q

What is the southern rhone soil like?

A
  • galets
  • alluvial
  • limestone

This region is a true patchwork of different soil types

26
Q

What are galets?

A

large stones left behind by glaciers that hold in the daytime heat

27
Q

What is the climate like in southern rhone?

A

True Mediterranean
- abundance of sunshine
- mild winters
- heavy rainfall

28
Q

what is a major climate influence in southern rhone?

A

the mistral wind
- helps with the humidity
- the wind along with the sunshine thickens the grape skins

29
Q

what do growers do to protect the vines from the mistral wind in southern rhone?

A

they train their vines low and trellis them

30
Q

which wine growing region was the first to be struck by phylloxera?

A

Southern rhone

Lirac

31
Q

What was the first AOC?

A

Châteauneuf-du-pape in 1936

32
Q

What are some winemaker preferences in southern rhone?

A
  • most wine will be aged in neutral barrels
  • producers can blend any variety of approved grapes, this makes for a wide range of styles
33
Q

What are the qualities of a typical wine from southern rhone?

A
  • high alcohol
  • medium acidity
  • dustiness & ripeness
  • some will have a raisin like character
34
Q

what are cotes du rhone wines like?

A

they can vary in quality but
- show more fruit character
- can have carbonic maceration

35
Q

List the major AOPs of Southern Rhône and the style of wine they can make

A

Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Rhone Villages
- red, white, and rose from any allowed grapes but grenache seems to dominate

Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOP
- white or red & can be made from 18 different varieties
- highest minimum abv in France at 12.5%

Carianne AOP
- red and white from approved varieties

Gigondas AOP
- red and rose

Vaqueras AOP
- white, red, and rose

Beaumes de Venise AOP
- red only

Vinsobres AOP
- red only

Lirac AOP
- red, white, and rose

Tavel AOP
- rose only

Rasteau AOP
- dry reds, sweet, fortified vin doux naturels in all colors

Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venice AOP
- Vin Doux Naturels, in white, rosé and red

36
Q

Which producer in Chateauneuf du Pape released the first estate bottled wine?

A

Chateau la Nerthe in 1785

37
Q

What signifies an estate bottled wine from producers in Chateauneuf du Pape?

A

A papal crest

38
Q

Why are wines in southern rhone usually blended with grenche?

A

grenache lacks acidity

grenache is used for sweet wines in this region because of its tendency to higher sugar content