Rhone | Watson's Wine

Rhone

The Rhone is the river which links together the four main districts in the greater Rhone valley. The southern Rhone is the most important in terms of quantity, encompassing Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Rhone Villages. The wines from these huge appellations are typically light, fruity red from a blend of grapes in which Grenache dominates, made using full or semi-carbonic maceration. Small amounts of white and rose wine are also produced.

The best quality wines from the southern Rhone come from the delightful village of Chateauneuf du Pape and are, at their best, powerful, full-bodied, high in alcohol and spicy. Traditionally the red wine is a blend of 13 grapes, including a couple of white varieties, though most producers stick to Grenache, Mouvedre and a little Syrah.

The northern Rhone stands for quality over quantity and includes Hermitage, Crozes Hermitage, St Joseph and Cote Rotie. The reds from Hermitage are strong and powerful with great body and richness, and perhaps show the best structure of all the wines of the Rhone. Here, Syrah is blended with a little Marsanne, a white grape which helps lift the aroma. On the other hand, the wines of Cote Rotie are more refined, with more tannins and acid; and are very accessible, particularly given the increasing use of new oak. A little Viognier is blended in with the Syrah here, again for enhanced aromas.

隆河北部则以质素取胜，包括埃米塔日(Hermitage)、克罗兹．埃米塔日(Crozes Hermitage), 圣约瑟夫(St Joseph) 及罗第丘(Cote Rotie)。埃米塔日的红酒浓烈而且澎湃，酒体醇厚、味道丰富，在众多隆河葡萄酒之中，结实可说是最佳。葡萄酒以切拉子(Syrah)为主调，混合少量白葡萄玛珊(Marsanne)，以提升香气。另一边厢，罗第丘的葡萄酒更加细腻，单宁和酸度较高，而且因为多使用新木桶的关系，味道更为人接受。酿酒时亦有将维欧尼(Viognier)混入切拉子(Syrah)中，同样为了提升香气。

罗第丘(Cote Rotie)下有两个著名只造白酒的冠名产区，包括孔得里约(Condrieu)和细小的格里月庄园(Chateau Grillet)，两者都以动人、香气馥郁的维欧尼（Viognier）以闻名，最适合年轻时享用。