A wine-lover's guide to the magical (and affordable) white wines of the southern Rhône
I'm talking about Rhône whites and the catch is that the wines vary tremendously in style and scope.
You've got Condrieu, the heady, all-viognier appellation that I would argue stands outside this aphorism. Then there are the whites made from roussanne and marsanne in (mostly) the northern Rhône. These are majestic beasts: muscular and intense, with oak that smells expensive and prices that race into triple figures. Such wines are loved by collectors and Burgundy -heads – in my experience, though, they're an acquired taste.
Then you've got the whites from the southern Rhône: approachable blends that give you, for a fraction of the price, a quality I love to find in a glass of wine: escapism. We're talking evocative, airy whites that smell of summer evenings in southern France.
This isn't only my imagination. I'd just finished writing that when I opened an email from the wine writer (and Rhône guru) Matt Walls, who I had messaged to ask how he would persuade people who didn't know them to try these wines.
He described the sensation in an uncannily similar way: 'Whites from the southern Rhône are all about generosity. They're rich in body and flavour, satin-textured, fresh but not acidic. They're Provençal in spirit, conjuring warm air and pine sap. You can almost hear the cicadas trilling when you open a bottle.'
What is creating this magic? That can vary enormously, not just from sub-region to sub-region but also from producer to producer. We're talking blends. These might include a portion of those stately grapes found in the northern Rhône: marzipan-scented marsanne and powerful roussanne – and the more of these in the mix, the more weighty the wine is likely to taste.
Other grapes bring freshness and subtlety: think viognier, with its haunting floral perfume; white grenache; and rolle (aka vermentino), which smells like dried meadow grass. In the mix, there might also be clairette, with its waxy white flower perfume, or bourboulenc, which has a gentle spice.
Wines with a large portion of white grenache can feel both rounded and weightless, like the delicious Vacqueyras Blanc (sadly not available in the UK) I tasted from the Bungener family's Clos de Caveau. Others, like the partially barrel-fermented Château de Saint Cosme Les Deux Albion 2023, France (13%, Cambridge Wine, £21.50), are more sleek and weighty.
The best way to find your way around southern Rhône whites is by trial and error. Start with Côtes du Rhône and Costières de Nîmes; look to Ventoux for freshness and value; to Gigondas Blanc, a new white appellation authorised since 2023, for wines that are based on clairette (at least 70 per cent of the blend).
Matt Walls adds, 'For powerful, opulent whites, try Châteauneuf-du-Pape. For lighter, zestier styles go to Luberon, Lirac or Laudun. Between the two, Vacqueyras and Cairanne combine richness with drinkability.'
You can also look to Rhône-style blends beyond the Rhône: there are brilliant budget options from elsewhere in southern France – such as the white version of the famous Vieille Ferme (widely available, around £8.50) – and finer wines from further afield in Australia, the US and South Africa.
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