For the record, wine assumptions are extremely easy to debunk. As soon as someone makes a declarative statement about wines, someone else can point out the flaws, contradictions and examples to prove that the statement isn’t just always, but is more likely, seldom true.
So. I’m going to dive right in and say that if you’re a fan of wines from California, I’d like to introduce you to my friends from the Rhone Valley. Wine friends, that is.
But before I get too far ahead of myself on the forthcoming rant, a few disclaimers…
Disclaimer #1: wine labels from the Rhone Valley are largely written in French. If that makes you uncomfortable, you might want to stop reading right now.
Disclaimer #2: the labels often do not list the grape (or grapes) in the wine, rather, the labels list the place where the grape (or grapes) are grown. If that also makes you uncomfortable, see disclaimer #1
Disclaimer #3: vintages are sometimes important in Rhone Valley wines because the weather is not the same every year. Changes (rain, frost, excessive heat, excessive cold, etc.) in weather causes grapes to sometimes taste differently.
The above disclaimers not withstanding, if you like bright, fruit forward wines that require little or no aging AND are less expensive than the same quality of wine from California, you should really try wines from the southern Rhone Valley. And/or if you like prestigious, hard to find, limited production, structured and age-worthy wines that are less expensive than the same quality of wine from California, you should really, really try wines from the northern Rhone Valley.
(I guess I need to add another disclaimer right about here…wines from the Rhone are not made with Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. So, if your ‘wine expert’ brother-in-law will make fun of you for drinking other grapes, please be aware that he’s really, truly not much of an expert.)
OK, here’s why I think that you’ll like the wines from the Rhone Valley:
- Plenty of sunshine. Often what people find appealing about wines from California is that the persistent sunshine there helps produce ripe grapes that make generally soft, fruity, friendly wines. That’s echoed in the southern Rhone.
- Accessibility. This has two meanings. The first refers to the fact that there are a lot of grapes grown in the Rhone, therefore a lot of wine is made. Almost any store can have these wines on their shelf (if they care about good wines.) The second meaning is that the wines are easy to enjoy because of reason #1 (above).
- Cost. Land is expensive in California. Building a new winery adds to that cost. The result is often that wines cost more from California. Shipping is surprisingly cheap, so the costs of shipping from California are not dramatically less than from France.
- Small production/lack of monopoly. Sure, there are some large landowners and corporate entities in the Rhone, but a whole lot more smal
- l producers, many of whom are multi-generational. Competition tends to lower prices. Additionally, some of these same small, family-run producers make tiny amounts of their very best wines, and only in years when they think that their grapes of the highest quality. Some of these wines sometimes cost over $50 per bottle! Imagine that! That same small, family-run producer in California that makes only a tiny amount of wine? Well, because the costs are higher, the similarly rare wine from California often sells from multiples of that price.
- Do you like big, bold, structured, tannic wines? Do you like wines that stain your lips and teeth purple? Do you like wines that are monstrous and powerful and critics give enormous scores to? Then drink wines from Hermitage or Cornas (Northern Rhone). They are monsters. They are hard to find. They are expensive. They are stupendous.
Here is where I usually get into wine wonky-ness and talk about the grapes and yields and weather conditions and barrel treatments. But, I’m not going there today. I want to simplify things. Wines from the Rhone Valley are everything that you want, regardless of your wine likes. W
e’ll help you translate the label, too.