Rhône, France
For this post, I decided to focus on a style of wine that I’ve really been vibing with lately – GSM (a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre). Of course, I had to pick the region best known for their outstanding GSM blends (it’s basically synonymous with GSM) – the Rhône region in southern France. Rhône is a large wine-producing region, third only to Burgundy and Bordeaux in France, and contains two distinctly different subregions – Northern Rhône and Southern Rhône. Southern Rhône is where the GSMs are at, so I may spend a little more time focusing on that area. We will most definitely be revisiting Rhône again in the future, though; there is just so much to talk about with this historic and well-loved wine region.
The Rhône wine region is located in southern France; it follows the Rhône River from the city of Lyon south towards its delta into the Mediterranean Sea. The valley is a large sedimentary basin - a result of a vast and active geologic history of tectonic plate convergence, uplift, massive floods, and massive erosion (to put it simply). The landscape is a mosaic of rocky peaks, steep, terraced slopes, rolling hills, and plains. Five primary soil types are dominant throughout Rhône region vineyards, including clay, limestone, granite, sand, and smooth stone, and each impart their own set of characteristics to regional wines. For instance, white grapes are often planted in limestone soils in the Côtes du Rhône appellation, and it’s believed these soils give white wines a certain elegance with aromatic floral and fruity notes.
Winemaking here dates back to the fourth century BC, not long after ancient Greeks planted vines near Marseille in Provence, essentially planting the future of French wine. The Romans developed a thriving wine trade in the area a few centuries later, that remained until the fall of the Roman Empire in the middle of the fourth century AD. After some time, the church took over Rhône’s wine industry, thanks to some thirsty popes who resided in Avignon during a 67-year period in the 1300s. They planted vineyards around the city and developed the nearby port to become a shipping center for goods, including wine. In the 1930s, winemakers of the Rhône Valley found themselves at the forefront of establishing the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) decrees for French wine, in order to protect the quality of their wines. Châteauneuf-du-Pape (meaning “new castle of the pope” and located in Southern Rhône) was the first AOC to be established in France in 1936. The largest of these appellations include Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône Villages, located throughout both Northern and Southern Rhône.
Northern Rhône and Southern Rhône are separated by about an hour’s drive, with a few vineyards sprinkled in between. The two regions are quite different in terms of climate, size, production volume, and wine styles. Northern Rhône only produces about 5% of the region’s total output. It also tends to focus on single varietal wines whereas Southern Rhône focuses primarily on blends. This has very much to do with the climate of the two regions. Southern Rhône experiences a warm, Mediterranean climate (mild winters, hot and dry summers) while Northern Rhône has more of a continental climate (cooler winters and warm summers). The climate of Southern Rhône might not allow the particular grapes that grow there to develop to their full potential of character and intensity in order to be made into good single-variety wines. Blending the grapes is a great way to achieve beautiful wines, and pull particular characteristics from each variety, so this is common practice in the south. In the north, where the climate is a little more moderate, you’re more likely to find incredible varietals of Syrah, Roussanne, Marsanne, and Viognier.
Both the north and south experience the plight of the Mistral winds. The Mistral are intense winds that build off the foot of the Alps and blow southward down the Rhone valley – they’re strong enough to knock a person right off their feet and rip apart a vineyard. On the flipside, these winds also help to moderate the hot summer temperatures and dry out the vines to reduce mold, as well as concentrate the sugars and acids within the grapes… So, they’re not all bad.
Southern Rhône is known for its red blends, but also makes delicious white wines and rosés. Some 23 grape varieties are permitted to be used in Southern Rhône wines, but not all appellations within the region allow all of them. Châteauneuf-du-Pape (CdP), for example, allows 13 of those grapes (I’m not sure what’s wrong with the remaining ten, but I won’t argue – CdP wines are bomb). The primary grapes of the Rhône region include Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and Carignan for reds, and Grenache Blanc (a white mutation of the originally red Grenache grape), Clairette, and Bourboulenc for white wines (if you haven’t heard of that last one, not to worry, it’s new to me too!). Grenache is the top dog in Rhône. In the Côtes du Rhône appellation (the basic appellation of the Rhône region with fewer requirements than higher quality neighboring appellations), winemakers are required to use at least 50% Grenache in their blends. You may find those percentages as high as 90% in Gigondas (an appellation comparable to CdP).
Grenache on its own is a fantastic and versatile grape, giving a bright, juicy pop of fruit (black cherries and strawberries), along with savory tobacco, leather and herbal notes, lavender and maybe some earthy soil notes. Blending in Syrah will add notes of spice and deepen the color and Mourvèdre will bring some complexity and structure to the wine. My oh my, when these grapes are blended right, it is perfection. One thing to note is that the use of oak barrels during the winemaking process is quite uncommon for these wines as Grenache is more sensitive to oxidation than other grape varieties. Rhône reds that contain Grenache will oftentimes be fermented and aged in stainless steel or concrete tanks.
You’ll find GSMs to be medium to full-bodied with medium acidity and a higher alcohol content (14-15% is common, so don’t forget to drink some water while you’re at it). Food pairings are versatile - a Mediterranean spread is a safe bet with olives, roasted red peppers, grilled red meats, chicken or lamb seasoned with rosemary, thyme, or herbs de Provence. Roasted veggies or a hearty stew would be great too. GSMs also pair with French cheeses exceptionally well - maybe throw yourself a fondue party with Fondue Savoyarde and rustic sourdough bread and grilled sausages for dipping.
