Southern Rhone Fine Wine
Part of the larger Rhone Valley wine region, the southern Rhone is separated from the northern Rhone by the 45th parallel and its vineyards fan out across the landscape as the region moves south, following the Rhone River towards the Mediterranean Sea. The climate is Mediterranean and the rugged landscape creates different mesoclimates, aiding production of a diverse range of grapes.
If the northern Rhone is about quality, the southern Rhone takes a more quantitative approach to its wines and is a significant producer of good-quality, value wines for everyday consumption in both France and across its export markets. Much of this wine is labelled as Cotes du Rhone, an appellation title which is applied to a large quantity of the region's output and provides both entry-level quaffers and age-worthy, top-quality fine wines. Some individually named appellations exist including Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Vacqueyras, Gigondas and Beaumes-de-Venise.
