Displaying items by tag: Rhône wine

Summary: 

Do you know your Luberon from your Ventoux? What about Clairette de Die, the Rhône sparkling wine that's actually made of... Muscat?

In this WSG LIve, we'll look at all 8 of the so-called 'Other Rhône Appellations', a diverse collection that includes some of the largest - and smallest - appellations in France. 

We'll look at the key facts about the terroir that makes each of these appellations unique. Additionally, Matt will describe the wine styles you're likely to encounter and offer some suggested producers making classic examples.

These satellite appellations might be lesser known than the more famous Crus such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape - but they produce nearly a quarter of all Rhône Valley AOC wine. If you're not yet familiar with them, this is a great chance to improve your understanding.   

Presenter: Matt Walls

Matt Walls is a freelance wine writer, author and consultant who contributes to various UK and international publications such as Club Oenologique, timatkin.com and Decanter, where he is a contributing editor. He also helps restaurants develop exceptional wine lists, judges wine and food competitions and presents trade and consumer tastings and masterclasses. He is the Panel Chair for the Rhône at the Decanter World Wine Awards. He has recently returned to the UK after living near Avignon in southern France for two years researching his latest book Wines of the Rhône, which was shortlisted for the André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards 2022. Previously he was a wine buyer and manager at London wine retailer The Sampler and Fine Wines Manager for wine shipper Mentzendorff. 

WSG members enjoy a 30% discount off the price of book The Wines of the Rhône! Get your coupon code HERE

Summary: 

Is there a more misunderstood wine than Châteauneuf-du-Pape? The myths, legends and hearsay that surround this huge appellation are part of what gives it such mystique, but there comes a time for dedicated wine lovers and wine professionals to know with certainty which are true and which are false. 

Matt is going to bust some of the myths that surround Châteauneuf, and use them as jumping-off points to cover all the key points of the history and terroir of one of the greatest wines of France. 

Presenter: Matt Watts

Matt Walls is a freelance wine writer and consultant based in London. He is a contributing editor at Decanter and writes regular articles for other magazines and websites such as Imbibe, Club Oenologique and timatkin.com. He won the Best Newcomer award at the 2013 Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards for Drink Me, his first book on wine, which sold over 10,000 copies.  Matt is interested in all areas of wine, but specialises in those of the Rhône – he is Regional Chair for the Rhône at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

His most recent work, Wines of the Rhône, was published by Infinite Ideas as part of their Classic Wine Library series in January 2021. 

When not writing, Walls advises restaurants on wine lists, hosts tastings, judges food and wine competitions and develops wine apps.

WSG members enjoy a 30% discount off the price of book The Wines of the Rhône! Get your coupon code HERE

Summary: 

When it comes to the Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape often hogs the limelight, but there are a further eight Crus that all have something unique to offer (Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Beaumes-de-Venise, Rasteau, Cairanne, Vinsobres, Lirac and Tavel). In this webinar we'll look at the terroir of each of these lesser-known Crus in turn, giving you an idea of how their styles of wine compare, and why they taste like they do. 

Presenter: Matt Walls

WSG members enjoy a 30% discount off the price of book The Wines of the Rhône! Get your coupon code HERE

Summary:

Just 6% of Rhône Valley wines are white, but there is huge variety of styles, from straightforward, everyday wines to some of the finest, most distinctive whites in the world.

Though they share some grape varieties, the white wines in the Southern and Northern Rhône are very different. With some destined for the dinner table and others deliciously drinkable by themselves, there are styles to suit all tastes and plenty of value to be found at every level.

We’ll take a close look at the varieties and appellations that make the white Rhône an increasingly popular and sought-after category.

Transcript: Top Rhône White Wine Producers by AOC

Find below Matt's top white wine produce selection for the Rhône Valley, classed by appellation.

• Côtes-du-Rhône: Domaine du Seminaire, Domaine de l’Amandine, Domaine Gramenon, Domaine de Remejeanne.
• Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Laudun – Vignerons Laudun-Chusclan
• Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Roaix – Domaine Pique-Basse
• Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Sablet - Domaine de Verquière
• Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Séguret – Domaine de l’Amauve
• Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Valréas – Clos Bellane
• Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Visan - Domaine La Florane
• Cairanne - Oratoire Saint Martin, Domaine des Amadieu and Domaine Hautes Cances
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape - Château Rayas, Clos des Papes, Domaine de Marcoux, Château de Beaucastel, Le Vieux Donjon, Domaine du Banneret
• Vacqueyras - Domaine la Ligiere, Le Sang des Cailloux and Roucas Toumba
• Lirac - Château de Montfaucon, Domaine des Carabiniers and Domaine Lafond Roc Epine
• Condrieu - Andre Perret, Yves Gangloff, Remi Niero, Yves Cuilleron, Domaine Georges Vernay
• Saint-Joseph - Domaine Gonon, Domaine Guy Farge, E Guigal, Bernard Gripa, M Chapoutier
• Hermitage - Domaine JL Chave, M. Chapoutier, Domaine Marc Sorrel, Delas
• Crozes-Hermitage - Domaine Aleofane, David Reynaud, Dard et Ribo
• Saint-Péray - Remi Nodin, Domaine du Tunnel, Cave de Tain, Bernard Gripa

Presenter: Matt Walls

Matt Walls is a freelance wine writer and consultant based in London.

He is a contributing editor at Decanter and writes regular articles for other magazines and websites such as Foodism, Imbibe and timatkin.com.

He won the Best Newcomer awards at the 2013 Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards for Drink Me, his first book on wine, which has sold over 10,000 copies.

He publishes a popular wine blog, www.mattwalls.co.uk, for which he won International Wine & Spirit Competition Blogger of the Year 2015.

When not writing, Walls advises restaurants on wine lists, hosts tastings, judges food and wine competitions and develops wine apps.

Matt is interested in all areas of wine, but specialises in those of the Rhône – he is Regional Chair for the Rhône at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

The Rhône is France’s second largest producer of AOC wines (after Bordeaux). Its viticultural history dates back to the Romans who sculpted its terraced topography and introduced the vine.

It is in the Rhône where east  meets west. The granite and schist of the Massif Central (west) collide with the sedimentary soils of the Alps and its foothills (east)….
So, how well do you know the Rhône?

Almost every wine book in print speaks of the 13 grape varieties of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but this count is not exactly accurate. If you factor in all of the color variants of those 13 grapes, you end up with 22 authorized grapes for this appellation!

Christophe Tassan is interviewed by Decanter Magazine’s Andrew Jefford about the Rhône Valley and its wines. “I was born in the dining room, in hospitality,” Christophe tells us, which seems appropriate, as this interview took place in a San Francisco restaurant around the corner from The Battery, where he is currently the wine director.

As autumn is drawing to a close and the wine presses have been washed and put away, the first wines tasted before being blended confirm what had been sensed: 2016 is going to be a fabulous vintage! And if some compare it to the magnificent 2010, some others do not hesitate to go as far as the famous star-vintage 1990… Either way, the evidence that we are witnessing the making of a great vintage is clear.