Rhône Valley wines

The Rhône Valley is divided into two commonly distinguished wine regions: the Northern Rhône Valley (in the north, from Vienne to Valence), and the Southern Rhône Valley (in the south, from Montélimar to Avignon).The wines of the Rhône Valley possess the distinctive character and color of their terroir, born from ancestral know-how. The red wines of the northern valley are smooth and elegant, while those of the south are often higher in alcohol but also age beautifully. Numerous grape varieties are used in the wines, with the best known being Syrah, Grenache Noir, and Mourvèdre for the reds, and Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, and Clairette for the whites.It is the second largest wine region in France after Bordeaux. It extends over six departments (along the Rhône, from Vienne to Avignon) and 66,572 hectares of vineyards for the appellation vineyards alone, which produce annually 2,710,000 hl of red, rosé, dry white and sparkling wines or naturally sweet wines.