Rhône Flashcards
How many AOCs are in the Diois area of the Rhone Valley?
There are 4 AOCs:
* Clairette de Die (major grape Muscat)
* Crémant de Die (mostly Clairette)
* Coteaux de Die (still white wine)
* Châtillon-en-Diois (white, red, rosé)
What is the hottest and driest Non-CdR AOC in the Rhône Valley?
Costières de Nîmes AOC
Which Non-CDR AOC in the Rhône produces mostly rosé?
Luberon AOC
Which Non-CdR AOC in the Rhône climbs to 6,000 feet?
Ventoux
In the Rhône what is Septentrionaux?
It means “of the north”
In the Rhône what is Meridionaux?
It means “of the south”
What is the climate of the southern Rhône ?
Mediterannean
What is the Mistral?
A northerly wind that blows through the Rhône
What Rhône AOC was the first to have its zone of production delineated?
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
What 2 Rhône AOC’s makevin doux naturels (VdN)?
- Rasteau: white, rosé, & red
- Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise: majority white fortified
What are foudres?
Large wooden barrels
What is the only red grape variety grown in the Northern Rhône?
Syrah
Is Côtes du Rhône Villages made in the Northern or Southern Rhône, or in both?
All 95 CdR villages lie within the southern Rhône.
What are the 2 Northern Rhône Crus located on the left bank?
- Hermitage
- Crozes-Hermitage
What is the difference between the Beaumes-de-Venise AOC and the Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise AOC?
The first is dry red and Muscat is a white VDN.
The term échalas refers to?
A teepee like trellising structure that provides support and wind protection for vines.
What are the main soil types found in the Northern Rhône?
granite & schist
Where is the most Côtes du Rhône produced in the North or South?
The south. The north makes only about 4% of total production.
What is the principal grape of Tavel AOC rosé?
Grenache
The “Rhône Rangers” are whom?
California winemakers making Rhône style wines.
Are Côtes du Rhône Villages wines strictly single varietals or blends or can they both?
CDR Villages are blends.
Rhône Valley vineyards are situated between the ____th and ____th parallels north?
44th and 45th
Can the entire Rhône Valley produce wine under the Côtes du Rhône AOC designation?
No, the Côtes du Rhône AOC is a delineated area within the greater Rhône Valley.
What are the 3 main white grapes of the Northern Rhône?
Viognier
Marsanne
Roussanne
What are Galets?
Rounded river stones
What is the most common vine training system in the Southern Rhône?
Gobelet
What is the Southernmost AOC in the Southern Rhône?
Costières de Nîmes
What are the Characteristics of the Non-CDR AOC of Costières de Nîmes?
- Location: Right Bank; southernmost appellation
- Climate: Hot, annual semi-drought. Cold air from the Petit Camargue cools the nights; the Mistral also impacts
- Variety: Unlike rest of Southern Rhône, Syrah is the dominant grape here.
What are the characteristics of the Non-CDR AOC of Ventoux?
- Location: Left Bank; foot of Mont Ventoux
- Climate: Mediterranean with alpine influences
- Largest of the 7 Non-CdR AOCs
- 36% is rosé; half of production is red
- Carignan and Cinsault are both primary grapes (all wines at least 2 primary grapes)
- UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
What are the characteristics of the Non-CDR AOC of Luberon?
- Location: Left Bank
- Production: Over 50% rosé
- Climate: Mediterranean with strong continental influences
- UNESCO Bisophere Reserve
What is Méridionaux?
The Southern Rhône
What is the principal grape of Clairette de Die?
100% Muscat
What is the most common style of wine in the Diois?
Sparkling white
What is the primary grape of the Rasteau AOC?
Grenache
What is the primary difference between a wine labeled Clairette de Die and a wine labeled Coteaux de Die?
Clairette de Die AOC is sparkling; Coteaux de Die AOC is dry white still
What Rhône Cru is devoted to making only rosé wine?
Tavel
What are the 8 Crus from North to South in the Northern Rhône
- Côte-Rôtie
- Condrieu
- Château-Grillet
- Saint-Joseph
- Crozes-Hermitage
- Hermitage
- Cornas
- Saint-Péray
What are the primary red grapes in the Southern Rhône?
Grenache Noir
Mourvèdre
Syrah
When does most of the Southern Rhône precipitation fall?
In the winter
How many hours of sunshine does the Southern Rhone receive?
2600-2800 hours
What is the climate of the Southern Rhône ?
Mediterranean
What is the Southernmost town/area of the Côtes du Rhône area?
Avignon
What towns are the North and South ends of the Southern Rhône Valley?
Montélimar in the north and Nîmes in the south
What types of wines are made in the Diois?
Majority is white sparkling wine
What is the climate and topography of the Diois?
- Continental climate with alpine influences
- Seasonal and diurnal variations are the greatest in all of the Rhône Valley
- One of France’s highest wine regions up to 2,300 feet
- Soil is mainly limestone and clay
What are the characteristics of the Northern Rhône cru AOC of Saint-Péray?
- Steep slopes of a deep valley make it slightly cooler than its neighbors
- Still and sparkling Roussanne/Marsanne
- 100% white
- Sparkling produced since 1825
What are the characteristics of the Northern Rhône Cru AOC of Cornas?
- Right bank
- Steep, southeast-facing terraced slopes of granite
- means “burned earth”
- natural ampitheatre protecting vines from cold winds
- 100% red/100% Syrah
What are the characteristics of the Northern Rhône Cru AOC of Hermitage?
- One of oldest vineyards in France still under cultivation
- Reds: Syrah with up to 15% Marsanne/Roussanne (co-fermented)
- Whites: Marsanne/Roussanne blends - long lived whites
- 2/3 red, 1/3 white
What are the characteristics of the Northern Rhône Cru AOC of Crozes-Hermitage?
- Left bank with varied soils
- Largest of Northern Rhône Crus
- Reds: Syrah with up to 15% Marsanne and/or Roussanne
- Whites: Marsanne/Roussanne blends
What are the 3 primary white grapes of Southern Rhône?
Bourboulenc
Clairette
Grenache Blanc
What special soil type is Châteauneuf-du-Pape known for?
Galets
What 3 Southern Rhône AOCs are considered on the plain?
- Châteauneuf-du-Pape (LB)
- Lirac (RB)
- Tavel (RB)
Soils of Garrigue, sand/sandstone, shingle/clay, galets, loess/molasse
What 3 Southern Rhône AOC’s are considered the hilltop towns with vineyards at elevation?
- Vinsobres
- Rasteau
- Cairanne
What 3 Southern Rhône AOCs are nestled in the foothills of the Dentelles de Montmirail?
- Gigondas
- Vacqueyras
- Beaumes de Venise
Where does the Rhône River begin?
As a glacier in Switzerland on Lake Geneva, flowing through the lake and becoming a river in Geneva
What are the characteristics of the Northern Rhône Cru AOC of Château-Grillet?
- Right Bank; within boundary of southern Condrieu
- Very steep terraces constructed by the Romans
- 100% white Viognier only
- Very small AOC only 8.6 acres
- One of two monopoles outside of Bourgogne
Other monopole is Coulée de Serrant in Loire Valley.
What are the characteristics of the Northern Rhône Cru AOC Condrieu?
- Right Bank
- 100% white Viognier only
- 90-95% dry although sweet is allowed
What are the characteristics of the Northern Rhône Cru AOC Côte-Rôtie?
- Northernmost of Northern Cru AOCs
- Right Bank on steep slopes
- Southeast facing
- 100% red with up to 20% Viognier, co-planted and co-fermented
What is the Rhône Valley wine industry like?
France’s 2nd largest producer of AOC wine
The wine industry is the regions #1 business activity.
How does the Rhône River link to other waterways?
- From its start to finish the Rhône River falls 6,000 feet in 505 miles
- It links to the Rhine, Seine, and Loire through a series of waterways
- It connects the Mediterranean with Northern Europe