It’s not too hard to guess why the Rhône Valley wine association’s big push is in promoting its white wines. There has been a notable shift in wine consumption patterns among younger generations who are drinking less overall and don’t much favour reds. Climate change is also playing a role. Longer, hotter summers are pushing drinkers towards white and rosé. Hence a shift is needed to lighter, fresher styles.
Rhône experts: Alistair Cooper MW and Matt Walls
To show us how that’s progressing, Rhône Valley Vineyards, the trade body of the historically red-dominated region, has invited us to a party space in a loft conversion in London’s Old Street district. They call the event the Rhône in White Party. There’s a free-pour tasting, some seriously scrumptious canapés - and live-streaming of the Euros matches. Sun streams in gloriously and the vibe is of an elegant beach party. The show is being taken on tour to seven other capitals from New York to Oslo.
The shift to whites is already established. The proportion of white has doubled to 12% in recent years, with rosé slightly higher at 14%. There are 37 white appellations in the Rhône Valley, just over half are showing at the event with many looking for distribution. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is not here - maybe it doesn’t feel the need to be, which is a shame.
Producers and brand ambassadors: Constance Slaughter and Ann Vermeersh
Constance Slaughter from Château de Mille and Ann Vermeersh from LePlan-Vermeersch are two producers flown to London as ambassadors for the region. Vermeersh confesses that as an 18-year-old in Belgium, her go-to drink was vodka and Red Bull. But she’s put all that behind her.
She declares: “The move is to make more elegant whites alongside lighter reds. Rhône has always been seen as a good value wine – but it’s boring being limited to that. We want to produce more high-quality wines by small producers who care about quality and maybe are organic or biodynamic.”
Each wine was placed in one of three tasting categories
Winemaking in the north of the Rhône Valley between Vienne and Valence, home to Saint-Joseph and Hermitage, is quite distinct from the much larger production in the south, where names like Gigondas and Vacqueyras are found. But the organisers have found an overarching classification system with each wine placed in one of the three categories: “lively and fresh”, “fruity and round” and “rich and complex”.
To guide us in detail through a flight of up-and-coming Rhône whites, we have Matt Walls, expert author of the book The Wines of the Rhône (who is also responsible for the food pairings) and Alistair Cooper MW.
Walls has several hints if you are looking for freshness and elegance. The principal one is to opt for the west bank. You get more freshness and tension in the wines here due to the angle of the sun, says Walls. In the south of the valley, the river’s tributaries also give the west bank a bit more freshness. When the flow of the eastern tributaries and Rhône river feed from the Alps is low, that of the western tributaries may be higher as they have a different source.
Laudun is an appellation with great value for money: Matt Walls
Each of the wines Walls is to talk us through has wound up in the “fruity and round” category. We kick off with Maison Brotte, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Laudun, Bord Elégance, 2023 (£15.95 ABV 14%). Laudun is white wine country and is clamouring to be given its own Rhône cru status. In France, officialdom decides who can do what in the vineyard and the cogs move slowly.
But Walls believes Laudun, which offers great value for money, may achieve cru status with this year’s harvest. That would give a big boost to the area which is relatively small at around 550 ha and has two excellent cooperative producers. Our Laudun goes well with a spear of asparagus, usually difficult to pair foodwise, and sunblush tomato.
Next is Les Vignes de l’Arque, Chant des Baumes, 2023 (ABV 14%) from the AOC around the historic town of Uzès. You don’t see this AOC much in the UK with only 350 ha of vines. This is 60% Viognier with the twenty-year old vines harvested at night to retain freshness and the wine aged for six months 50/50 steel tank/ barrel. Walls has put this up against intense pickled lime to show how Viognier, with its slightly oily character, pairs successfully with spicy food.
There is a big step up in quality (and price) with the Domaine de la Mordorée, La Reine des Bois, AOC Lirac, 2022 (£34.50). A blend of seven grapes including Grenache Blanc at 30% and Viognier at 15%, this is full-bodied and is classically Lirac in its breadth on the palate with good acidity and a bitter end-note.
A big wine, this is one of my personal favourites, though recently I’ve become more aware of wine’s alcohol and the ABV of 14.5% is on the high side. The pairing is with slow-roasted pork belly with lemongrass, plum and ginger sauce. The pork is fatty and the way this big wine cuts through is exquisite.
A great match – Lirac white and slow roasted pork belly
Finally, we move to the north Rhône with the Cave Saint Désirat, Saint-Joseph, Côte-Diane, 2022 (ABV 13%). Here we experience intense fruit and a long, saline finish paired with warm potato cake and smoked trout.
No discussion of white Rhône would be complete without a mention of Condrieu. Long the most sought-after white Rhône wine, this world-class wine is produced solely from Viognier and is clearly the reference point for this varietal around the world. Condrieu is a small appellation comprising seven communes in the north. Several producers are on show here including M.Chapoutier Invitare 2022 (£50, ABV 14%) a wine that combines exotic aromatics with beautiful texture and richness.
Since Viognier is so successful in Condrieu, then one obvious step would be for the authorities to allow nearby appellations to plant the varietal. Maybe St-Joseph, for example. Would Condrieu be happy with that? Who knows, but Walls is pretty sure it won’t happen “any time soon”. The French do things their way. As Vermeersch explains: “The rules are bad, but they are necessary.”
