Where do you find these wines in GA? Letters to Jane Garvey May 11th 2006 The Range of the Rhone

I may as well start this discussion by confessing a serious predilection for the wines of the Rhone Valley in France. While I love a good Burgundy, getting a really good one I can afford these days is a tough assignment in a turf where $40 wines are a norm. Even second labels of fine Bordeaux chateaux can be pricey, never MIND their big brothers.

But the Rhone is another story. Some months back I wrote about La Ferme de Gicon, a fine red Rhone wine that barely wipes out a 10 spot. The Rhone Valley offers good affordable wines as well as fine, serious and more costly ones that last as long as their Bordeaux counterparts. White, red and good rosй as well as sparkling (Saint-Peray made from Marsanne and Roussanne and the crйmant from Die, which lies on the Drome River, a Rhone tributary), and sweet vin doux naturel wines all come out of this “compleat” wine-growing region affected by the river.

This broad expanse of flowing water, threading its way among some quite disparate growing regions, and lending its name to the valley and its wines, is a fit subject for poetry and art. Readers may remember Vincent van Gogh’s blue-swathed painting Starry Night Over the Rhone (1888), an evocative interpretation of this important waterway.

The real thing originates in the Rhone Glacier near Valais, Switzerland, first flows southwest, and then turns northwest as it departs the Alps before heading west to enter Lake Geneva before linking up with the Saone at Lyon and turning south toward the Mediterranean. A trade route since pre-Roman times, the Rhone links several important cities in France to Mediterranean seaports. Historically, wine consumption in this region goes back at least to the first century BC. Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) praised the region’s wines, which were a source of local pride even then and commanded steep prices.

The part of the river’s run that interests the wine lover flows between Lyon in the north and Avignon in the South. At roughly the point where the Drфme River intersects the Rhone, the valley is divided into Northern and Southern sectors. Syrah is the only red grape allowed in the Northern Rhone, while the permitted white grapes are Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Steep slopes shape the vineyards of the Northern Rhone, while the Southern Rhone benefits from a Mediterranean climate and vineyards are planted on more level terrain. While Syrah is important in the Southern Rhone, Grenache is the main red variety. Other important reds include Mourvиdre, Carignan and Cinsaut, used for blending, but a full baker’s dozen (13) are permitted in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The chief white variety in the Southern Rhone is Ugni Blanc, but others include Bourboulanc, Grenache Blanc, Clairette, and Muscat (sweet Beaumes-de-Venise).

In addition, consumers should note Cotes-du-Rhone, a 1937 appellation designating wines made from grapes grown anywhere in the valley, are typically found in the Southern Rhone. This appellation is a large one, covering nearly 100,000 acres embracing 171 villages. Mostly red wines, but some white and rose', come from this appellation. These wines represent the basic good values of the region, but are generally light/medium-bodied wines designed for enjoyment in their youth. A notch better, wines from the appellation Cotes-du-Rhone Vilages, which is much smaller at 11,000 acres, can often be better values, with some able to age a few years. These tend to be medium-bodied with good spice and lively fruit. Part of the difference between the two is that the permitted yields are higher in Cotes-du-Rhone, so lower-yielding Cotes-du-Rhone Vilages wines show greater intensity, and permitted alcoholic strength is higher as well.

Beginning in 1993, 16 selected villages out of a total of 75 were allowed to add their names to the appellation Cotes-du-Rhone Vilages, so you'll see such additions as Rasteau and Cairanne added to this designation.

This brief introduction barely does justice to a vast world of wine, history, culture and cuisine. It's just a start. Discover and enjoy.


Jane Garvey

Food Pairings: Butternut squash-filled ravioli with brown butter or cream sauce; sauteed soft-shell crab with a bit of curry powder mixed into the seasoned flour; lemon Pommery shrimp or chicken; baked salmon with a yogurt/dill marinade; seafood salads; paella; chicken salad with tarragon and almonds; baked garlic halibut; shrimp with garlic or sauce Remoulade, pecan-crusted tilapia; veal scaloppini al limone

Price: $14
Wholesaler: Georgia Crown

Food Pairings: A nearly total meal deal: Lightly salted potato chips with “French” onion dip; crab/lobster dip; veal scaloppini al limone; baked or grilled halibut; baked or poached salmon; wild striped bass; crab legs or crab cakes; poached mild white fish (quenelles de brochet) with a light cream sauce, chicken salad with tarragon and almonds; farfalle with wilted greens; goat cheese

Price: $45
Wholesaler: Empire Distributing Co.

Food Pairings: Rich but light foods: Salamis and similar cured meats; chicken or ham croquettes; empanadas; Croque Monsieur or Madame (grilled ham and cheese sandwiches); tomatoes stuffed with shrimp salad; garlic shrimp or shrimp with Remoulade sauce; Cajun fare (if not too hot); mild curry chicken salad; deep-fried catfish or fried chicken; grilled ham steak, bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with caramelized onions

Price: $12
Wholesaler: National Distributing Co.

Food Pairings: Black olives (or tepanade); barbecue and smoked meats, with or without sauce; smoked or roast turkey; rabbit or chicken chasseur (tomatoes and mushrooms); peppered liver pate; grilled tuna, ham steak or chicken; pasta with meat sauces; braised oxtails or short ribs cooked in red wine; grilled sausage

Price: $14
Wholesaler: LaFayette Selections

E. Guigal St.-Joseph (Rouge) 2001
St.-Joseph (Northern Rhone)

Score: 91 Points

Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied dry red wine; dark purple red. Fine dark fruit aromas, black currant most notably, with black currant flavors, with a touch of black plum and the merest hint of mint. Now it's there; now it's gone. Touch of dried thyme replaces it in the nose and on the palate. Deep and broad in mid palate. Very easy tannins. Spends 16 months in second-fill barrels, but wine is not "oaky." Elegant, balanced, classic. Grape: Syrah. Rare white St.-Joseph is made from Marsanne. West bank St.-Joseph is lighter-bodied than many Northern Rhфnes, but still very rewarding. Potential keeper up to 10 years. Moderately cool room temperature, about 65 degrees, in large tulip-shaped glasses.

Food Pairings: Definite food wine: Rabbit or chicken chasseur (hunter style, with mushrooms and tomato); roast pork loin, chicken, Cornish hen, turkey and duck, casserole of ground lamb, tomato, and a spread of mashed potato on top; grilled or roasted Cornish hens with raisin bread stuffing; firm, well-aged cheeses (but not pungent)

Price: $31
Wholesaler: Atlanta Wholesale Wine (NDC)

Food Pairings: Rich dishes: Roast duck; chicken or rabbit chasseur; leg of lamb (cooked just to pink); roast turkey; smoked meats; barbecue; grilled steak; pork loin; rabbit or chicken chasseur, pasta with meat sauces, grilled or smoked sausages; firm aged cheeses (not strong or pungent ones)

Price: $19
Wholesaler: Empire Distributing Co.