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Part
1 of 5
The
North
We were greeted at the Paris airport by our guide
Guilaine Dominici, a young, beautiful French woman with a tremendous
passion for wine. Her thorough knowledge of the area  quickly
became apparent. Representing the organization Inter Rhone, she
laid out her plan for a week of visiting over 30 Rhone Valley
wineries and at least 10 restaurants. Her English was perfect,
and our French was halting, and for a moment, when she thought
it was possible that we might possibly speak French, she launched
into descriptions of what was to come in her more perfect language.
It is here that it would be most appropriate to dispel the myth
that the French are not perfect hosts. Throughout our trip, we
were greeted warmly, and spoken to first in English in order to
determine how quickly they could speak in French to us, and then
in French, if we could keep going. Our arrival was timed for just
after the harvest, which contributed in part for our warm welcome.
The concensus was just about unanimous that the 1999 harvest is
going to be extremely high quality. Follow up trips would be most
welcome, and addresses and phone numbers are provided for anyone
who wishes to follow up.
Syrah and Viogner (red and white) are the grapes that define the
Northern Rhone region, although Marsanne and Roussanne grapes
are used for white wines also. Wine has been produced in this
little corner of France for some 2000 years. Vines that are 50,
70, and even 100 years old are painstakingly cultivated by hand
on slopes too steep for machinery. Winemakers here know how to
work the variety of soils and climate in order to produce the
very best of wines, and from the onset, the name has been "Cotes
du Rhone". The viticulture operations are so labor intensive
in the Northern Rhone, that vineyards were once under the threat
of total abandonment. The steep slopes, however, represent the
finest wines that the region has to offer, and 4 very good vintages,
(with 1999 looking very good) in the past decade have brought
renewed attention to this small region and its very distinctive
wines.
The Northern Rhone comprises 8 small appellations,
which count in total less than 5,500 acres in vines, and in all,
produce about 950,000 cases of wine per year, less than does the
single appellation of Chateauneuf - du - Pape in the Southern
Rhone. The vineyards extend along both banks of the Rhone from
Vienne south to Valence. Although Reds make up over 90% of the
total production in the North, the Whites have been very exciting
to taste. In fact, the Viognier grape produces some of the best
Whites in the world. This grape was almost lost to the world,
but was rescued from extinction after the war some 50 years ago
by a man named Mr. Viognier. The Viognier grape - greatest
white wine appellation in the Valley of Rhone - is one of the
prizes of the Northern Rhone Valley.
In 1937, AOC ( Appelation d'Origine
Controlee) was granted to Cotes du Rhone. There are many considerations
that go into AOC: selection of soil types, grape varieties, techniques,
and tradition. In France, a national body known as INAO, establishes
and monitors these rules, guaranteeing that products bearing the
AOC seal meet the standards governing maximum yield. There is
no resistance from French vintners to live up to or surpass these
standards, as the goal is to produce the best wine possible.
Once considered expensive, the average price of
French wine is coming down to $10 - 20 a bottle, and is considered
within the reach of today's wine consumer. It is experiencing
renewed interest on the retail shelves as well as the restaurant
list in all levels of restaurateurs.
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