What follows in the coming reports and pictures is exactly what is includes in my previous blog http://wineworld.spaces.live.com/
The idea of bringing the reports to new space is mainly to keep the information in only one place.
I have not done any changes to the original posts, because I believe that every experience has its particular moment.
Perhaps, today I would have other opinion on some issues, but what I reproduce here belongs to that time.
In this Part 14, I report my experience in the Rhône Valley, on September 2007.
Please, click on the photos to see the slide show and double click to go Picasa and see the map location.
SECOND REGION VISITED IN FRANCE
After leaving Bordeaux by train in a journey that took 7 hours, with a connection in Montpellier; many cereal bars; some fruits; a lot of coffee and a McDonalds stuff (no, no, I still the same healthy conscious person: I bought there an yoghurt), I reached my next destination: Rhône Valley.
My base in the region was Avignon, a delightful town that has a wall all around in its most ancient part and, is fascinating everywhere. It is known as "City of Popes" since it used to be the residence of Popes who migrated from Rome when the safety of the Church and own their lives were under threat.
That charm is also in the very only backpacker accommodation available in town where you find the best view of it..JPG)
The hostel is not exactly in the centre of the town, you have to walk for about 20 minutes towards Ile de Barthelesse - a small green island that divides the river in two. To be fair, I can't complain, because the bed was cheap, the people working were ok, the food was the best value in the France (considering the part of the country this traveler has being so far), the backpackers were very friendly, and the view... wow!
THE RHÔNE VALLEY
First things first, let me introduce you to the Rhône Valley, from a wine-lover perspective. To do it, I relate words that are not exclusively mine, but, I also use some narrative from the book "Wines of the World - Eyewitness Companions".
This is a region of extreme contrasts. If the north is cool, discreet, noble, and expressed in different shades of just one red grape, the south is the exact opposite: warm, exuberant, heartily earthy, with numerous grape varieties. The unifying factors are the Rhône River and the enduring appeal of all its wines.
As the Rhône River flows downriver from Lyon, it courses through a northern landscape of high, rocky hills which plunge to the water's edge: a mass of granite, schist and gneiss, with vineyards hanging to the sides.
The south is a picture of largesse. Here, the Rhône Valley opens out into a broad panorama of river plain, oak and olive trees and bush-grown vines offset by mountains. Over 90% of the Rhône's 80000 ha are cultivated here. Estates are larger than in the north, and instead of Syrah (the main grape grown in the north Rhône Valley), the south grows a range of grapes, including Grenache and Mourvèdre.
REGIONS VISITED
It was not difficult to choose the AOC's to visit in the Valley, as my choice was made for convenience. As in many of the visits I made, I chose to join a group, not only for being this the easiest way, but also for the fun.
From the tourism office I learned about the possibilities in the surrounding area and visits to wineries.
As I am a confessed fan of wines that come from one of the nearby regions: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, I included this appellation in two of the visits booked.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with its warm, generous, mostly red wines, is the largest and most famous cru. Gigondas and Vacqueyras are its red wine cousins.
Gigondas, like Vacqueyras, lies in the shadow of the Dentelles de Montmirail hills. The two AOC's have similar soils, but Gicondas has most of its vineyards on limestone-and-clay slopes, which rise as high as 400m. These soils and the slightly cooler temperatures give additional intensity and volume, and a tighter structure, to the Grenache-based blends, making them firmer and longer ageing. A decade presents no problem to these powerful wines, and although the price has risen in recent years, Gigondas still offers excellent value.
Côte du Rhône, a name sometimes used to refer to the the Rhône Valley, is also the label given to a broad base of generic wines. Côte du Rhône Villages, is a distinct step up from Côte du Rhône, implying limestone -and-clay or stony soils, stricter rules of production, and wines of greater depth. The village appellation covers 96 Southern Rhône communes, of which are allowed to print their village names on the labels. Beaumes de Venise; the village I visited; makes a sweet, fortified vin doux naturel* from Muscat.
* It is not naturally sweet, as the name implies, but a fortified wine made by the process of mutage, which involves adding neutral grape brandy (at 96% of alcohol) to partly fermented grapes. This stops fermentation, leaving a percentage of residual sugar and resulting in wines that are sweet and powerful in style.
Wind that travels through the river path
In the two tours that I took part, a character that plays an important role in the local viticulture: Mistral, was mentioned as a huge natural influence in the region, which has the River Rhône cutting it throughout and letting Mistral to run freely in its course.
The cold, northerly mistral wind whistles down the Rhône Valley from the Alps and is a climatic feature of the region. In winter its influence can leave the valley colder than central and northern Europe.
In 1956, it blew for three weeks and temperatures dropped to -15°C, destroying the olive trees but not the vines. Its ferocity can cause disaster to vine trellising, particularly in spring, hence the tradition of bush-trained vines. On the positive side its dry, cool effect helps keep fungal diseases, and concentrates the grapes prior to harvesting.
Terroir Contemplation
The first visit combined the historic Orange and, the not less important historically: Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC.
The Rhône most celebrated wine takes its name from the location of a summer residence for the pope, built in the 14th century when the papal seat was temporarily moved to Avignon - nowadays just you find just the remains of this Château.
By far the largest cru in the Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a sizeable appellation of 3200ha producing over 100000hl of wine yearly.
Many of the vineyards here are covered with galets roulés, large, smooth pebbles that retain heat, ensuring full ripeness and flavor. The wine itself is mostly red.
The fact that 13 different grape varieties are allowed in the appellation and winemaking techniques vary, as do soils and exposures, means that style and quality vary considerably.
The group was very friendly, fun and small: our guide and driver - a young French lady that spoke very good English; a lovely Australian couple - that spoke very good English too; a Chilean couple - that spoke very little English, very little French and very well Spanish and, me - who was the translator to the Chilean couple.
We started with Orange and in the end of the afternoon we were at the wine AOC that for so long I dreamed to visit.
I must confess that when I saw the vineyards with big rounded stones on their foot, it was like bringing alive the books I have being reading. The words and pictures became a sensation, that one feel when is part of something. For a moment I was an element of the place: seeing the light, observing the colors, feeling the warm, smelling the earth...
Well, that is enough of contemplation.
FIRST VISIT
My first visit in Châteauneuf-du-Pape was in Maison Bouachon, that was founded in 1898.
It was a little disappointing as it was partially self-guided visit, what - I believe - is a lazy way to show around your business. When the winery spokesperson; who is from the founder family; joined us and took us for a tour around, he had some problem to understand our questions in English and we lost the opportunity to learn.
When he showed the work of the business in the glass, it didn't match the expectations I had of this appellation. We tasted white and red samples, being the first my pioneer try to this kind of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Understandably, because all white wine production in the region is mostly drank within it.
No one bought any wine from the winery. Perhaps they didn't weren't appealing to the others neither.
We headed to Avignon when the sun was getting ready to set and the journey back was very enjoyable, with everyone trying to remember old French songs. Edith Piaf was a must, and then the chorus cried out: "Chanson d'Amouuuuur, trataratara..." - As I mentioned, it was fun!
SECOND TOUR
The second tour - organized by a different company and with others "visit-mates" - was entirely related to wine. We visited three appellations and tasted various wines, some of them outstanding.
Our fist stop was at Vignerons de Beaumes de Venise, in the village with the same name. The organization has diverse business, they buy grapes and made all the rest necessary to produce the sweet wine that is the appellation's best known; they sell other appellation wines and they even store wine for those who had bought them, but don't have the place with the right conditions to keep them.
Diverse were also the samples of Muscat de Beaumes de Venise we had; all made from Muscat à Petits Grains grapes; were:
• Muscat Tradition - probably the best seller, the vin doux naturel that has a unique bottle style that is not exactly rounded but "cornered". It was also, the cheapest sample: 8,75€;
• Muscat Carte Or - for this, there is a selection of grapes and the price is also slightly upgraded: 9,30€;
• Muscat Rosexclusif - as the name suggest it is a rosé version, a different style of sweet wine, sold for 9,95€;
• Muscat Bois Doré - a briefly oaked type, that shows an interesting and more complex sweet wine, priced 12,50€;
• Muscat Ambré - that is the most matured one, the fortified wine is 48 months oak aged, has a complex bouquet, raisins and figs aromas. It is recommended as partner of black chocolate dessert or as a digestif, what in French means to drink it after meal. The "digestion helper" is sold for 22€.
After leaving the sweet things behind, we went towards to Gigondas, a small, pretty and still asleep town built on the village of Cairanne.
We first had a little of walk around and then went to visit Domaine Brusset.
There I had the same impression when visited the previous establishment, our guide gave all the explanation and was the one interested in helping us, and on the other hand the person who worked for the place didn't show much interest on the group. It seems to me that marketing and sales are part of the business that the locals don't give much attention.
Any case, the wines were relatively good and among them there was 'Gicondas, Domaine Brusset, Tradition La Grand Montmirail 2006'; 'Les Hauts de Montmirail 2004' and '2005', which was a good chance to experiment a vertical taste.
Once again, no one bought any wine at this winery, perhaps a marketing problem or the expectations, which were big, with our next destination: Châteauneuf-du-Pape - in my case, the second occasion.
I was hoping to find something more exciting at this time. For my happiness, it reserved the best visit of the day. I would say: it saved the day.
One more time, I was in this unique spot in Provence, right at the feet of the old Pope's Castle.
The place visited was Cave du Verger des Papes, located few meters down the hill of the old castle itself.
The enterprise is a Tasting Cellar with several tasting rooms and a one-room-museum where ancient Roman remains related to wine where found not long ago.
The Cave seems to be very popular for visits. No wonder, as it was by far the most professional and friendly I visited in the region.
The taste was set in a room that was absolutely full, because our group joined another one that had arrived previously. However, the wine expert that guided us through the tasting was able to deal with the situation, give useful explanation and help everyone that required.
We had a selection of domaines and châteaux, which included white and red samples and a wine made from grapes of the oldest vines I ever tried.
The white type was a 'Saint-Henri 2006', made 100% from Grenache and aged in oak barrels that had been used previously by the Château d'Yquem - famous premier cru in Sauternes, what gave an interesting flavor to this wine that has a small production of 700 bottles/year.
The red version from the same producer was one of the other sampled: 'Saint Henri 2004'. The wine doesn't have the traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape's insignia on its bottle, because it was not bottled at the propriety but at the Cave du Verger des Papes, respecting the AOC rule.
The last taste was left to the one made from grapes of 120-years-old vines: 'Le Calice de Saint Pierre, Heritage, 2004'. The beautiful wine made me visualize having it with a gorgeous duck based plate. That is what good wine does to us: dream!
Next region to be related is a daydream place: Bourgogne, known in the English-Speaking market as Burgundy.
That's all for now!
Cheers,
Marcia.
The idea of bringing the reports to new space is mainly to keep the information in only one place.
I have not done any changes to the original posts, because I believe that every experience has its particular moment.
Perhaps, today I would have other opinion on some issues, but what I reproduce here belongs to that time.
In this Part 14, I report my experience in the Rhône Valley, on September 2007.
Please, click on the photos to see the slide show and double click to go Picasa and see the map location.
SECOND REGION VISITED IN FRANCE
After leaving Bordeaux by train in a journey that took 7 hours, with a connection in Montpellier; many cereal bars; some fruits; a lot of coffee and a McDonalds stuff (no, no, I still the same healthy conscious person: I bought there an yoghurt), I reached my next destination: Rhône Valley.
My base in the region was Avignon, a delightful town that has a wall all around in its most ancient part and, is fascinating everywhere. It is known as "City of Popes" since it used to be the residence of Popes who migrated from Rome when the safety of the Church and own their lives were under threat.
That charm is also in the very only backpacker accommodation available in town where you find the best view of it.
.JPG)
The hostel is not exactly in the centre of the town, you have to walk for about 20 minutes towards Ile de Barthelesse - a small green island that divides the river in two. To be fair, I can't complain, because the bed was cheap, the people working were ok, the food was the best value in the France (considering the part of the country this traveler has being so far), the backpackers were very friendly, and the view... wow!THE RHÔNE VALLEY
First things first, let me introduce you to the Rhône Valley, from a wine-lover perspective. To do it, I relate words that are not exclusively mine, but, I also use some narrative from the book "Wines of the World - Eyewitness Companions".
This is a region of extreme contrasts. If the north is cool, discreet, noble, and expressed in different shades of just one red grape, the south is the exact opposite: warm, exuberant, heartily earthy, with numerous grape varieties. The unifying factors are the Rhône River and the enduring appeal of all its wines.
As the Rhône River flows downriver from Lyon, it courses through a northern landscape of high, rocky hills which plunge to the water's edge: a mass of granite, schist and gneiss, with vineyards hanging to the sides.
The south is a picture of largesse. Here, the Rhône Valley opens out into a broad panorama of river plain, oak and olive trees and bush-grown vines offset by mountains. Over 90% of the Rhône's 80000 ha are cultivated here. Estates are larger than in the north, and instead of Syrah (the main grape grown in the north Rhône Valley), the south grows a range of grapes, including Grenache and Mourvèdre.
REGIONS VISITED
It was not difficult to choose the AOC's to visit in the Valley, as my choice was made for convenience. As in many of the visits I made, I chose to join a group, not only for being this the easiest way, but also for the fun.
From the tourism office I learned about the possibilities in the surrounding area and visits to wineries.
As I am a confessed fan of wines that come from one of the nearby regions: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, I included this appellation in two of the visits booked.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with its warm, generous, mostly red wines, is the largest and most famous cru. Gigondas and Vacqueyras are its red wine cousins.
Gigondas, like Vacqueyras, lies in the shadow of the Dentelles de Montmirail hills. The two AOC's have similar soils, but Gicondas has most of its vineyards on limestone-and-clay slopes, which rise as high as 400m. These soils and the slightly cooler temperatures give additional intensity and volume, and a tighter structure, to the Grenache-based blends, making them firmer and longer ageing. A decade presents no problem to these powerful wines, and although the price has risen in recent years, Gigondas still offers excellent value.
Côte du Rhône, a name sometimes used to refer to the the Rhône Valley, is also the label given to a broad base of generic wines. Côte du Rhône Villages, is a distinct step up from Côte du Rhône, implying limestone -and-clay or stony soils, stricter rules of production, and wines of greater depth. The village appellation covers 96 Southern Rhône communes, of which are allowed to print their village names on the labels. Beaumes de Venise; the village I visited; makes a sweet, fortified vin doux naturel* from Muscat.
* It is not naturally sweet, as the name implies, but a fortified wine made by the process of mutage, which involves adding neutral grape brandy (at 96% of alcohol) to partly fermented grapes. This stops fermentation, leaving a percentage of residual sugar and resulting in wines that are sweet and powerful in style.
Wind that travels through the river path
In the two tours that I took part, a character that plays an important role in the local viticulture: Mistral, was mentioned as a huge natural influence in the region, which has the River Rhône cutting it throughout and letting Mistral to run freely in its course.
The cold, northerly mistral wind whistles down the Rhône Valley from the Alps and is a climatic feature of the region. In winter its influence can leave the valley colder than central and northern Europe.
In 1956, it blew for three weeks and temperatures dropped to -15°C, destroying the olive trees but not the vines. Its ferocity can cause disaster to vine trellising, particularly in spring, hence the tradition of bush-trained vines. On the positive side its dry, cool effect helps keep fungal diseases, and concentrates the grapes prior to harvesting.
Terroir Contemplation
The first visit combined the historic Orange and, the not less important historically: Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC.
The Rhône most celebrated wine takes its name from the location of a summer residence for the pope, built in the 14th century when the papal seat was temporarily moved to Avignon - nowadays just you find just the remains of this Château.
By far the largest cru in the Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a sizeable appellation of 3200ha producing over 100000hl of wine yearly.
Many of the vineyards here are covered with galets roulés, large, smooth pebbles that retain heat, ensuring full ripeness and flavor. The wine itself is mostly red.
The fact that 13 different grape varieties are allowed in the appellation and winemaking techniques vary, as do soils and exposures, means that style and quality vary considerably.
The group was very friendly, fun and small: our guide and driver - a young French lady that spoke very good English; a lovely Australian couple - that spoke very good English too; a Chilean couple - that spoke very little English, very little French and very well Spanish and, me - who was the translator to the Chilean couple.
We started with Orange and in the end of the afternoon we were at the wine AOC that for so long I dreamed to visit.
I must confess that when I saw the vineyards with big rounded stones on their foot, it was like bringing alive the books I have being reading. The words and pictures became a sensation, that one feel when is part of something. For a moment I was an element of the place: seeing the light, observing the colors, feeling the warm, smelling the earth...
Well, that is enough of contemplation.
FIRST VISIT
My first visit in Châteauneuf-du-Pape was in Maison Bouachon, that was founded in 1898.
It was a little disappointing as it was partially self-guided visit, what - I believe - is a lazy way to show around your business. When the winery spokesperson; who is from the founder family; joined us and took us for a tour around, he had some problem to understand our questions in English and we lost the opportunity to learn.
When he showed the work of the business in the glass, it didn't match the expectations I had of this appellation. We tasted white and red samples, being the first my pioneer try to this kind of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Understandably, because all white wine production in the region is mostly drank within it.
No one bought any wine from the winery. Perhaps they didn't weren't appealing to the others neither.
We headed to Avignon when the sun was getting ready to set and the journey back was very enjoyable, with everyone trying to remember old French songs. Edith Piaf was a must, and then the chorus cried out: "Chanson d'Amouuuuur, trataratara..." - As I mentioned, it was fun!
SECOND TOUR
The second tour - organized by a different company and with others "visit-mates" - was entirely related to wine. We visited three appellations and tasted various wines, some of them outstanding.
Our fist stop was at Vignerons de Beaumes de Venise, in the village with the same name. The organization has diverse business, they buy grapes and made all the rest necessary to produce the sweet wine that is the appellation's best known; they sell other appellation wines and they even store wine for those who had bought them, but don't have the place with the right conditions to keep them.
Diverse were also the samples of Muscat de Beaumes de Venise we had; all made from Muscat à Petits Grains grapes; were:
• Muscat Tradition - probably the best seller, the vin doux naturel that has a unique bottle style that is not exactly rounded but "cornered". It was also, the cheapest sample: 8,75€;
• Muscat Carte Or - for this, there is a selection of grapes and the price is also slightly upgraded: 9,30€;
• Muscat Rosexclusif - as the name suggest it is a rosé version, a different style of sweet wine, sold for 9,95€;
• Muscat Bois Doré - a briefly oaked type, that shows an interesting and more complex sweet wine, priced 12,50€;
• Muscat Ambré - that is the most matured one, the fortified wine is 48 months oak aged, has a complex bouquet, raisins and figs aromas. It is recommended as partner of black chocolate dessert or as a digestif, what in French means to drink it after meal. The "digestion helper" is sold for 22€.
After leaving the sweet things behind, we went towards to Gigondas, a small, pretty and still asleep town built on the village of Cairanne.
We first had a little of walk around and then went to visit Domaine Brusset.
There I had the same impression when visited the previous establishment, our guide gave all the explanation and was the one interested in helping us, and on the other hand the person who worked for the place didn't show much interest on the group. It seems to me that marketing and sales are part of the business that the locals don't give much attention.
Any case, the wines were relatively good and among them there was 'Gicondas, Domaine Brusset, Tradition La Grand Montmirail 2006'; 'Les Hauts de Montmirail 2004' and '2005', which was a good chance to experiment a vertical taste.
Once again, no one bought any wine at this winery, perhaps a marketing problem or the expectations, which were big, with our next destination: Châteauneuf-du-Pape - in my case, the second occasion.
I was hoping to find something more exciting at this time. For my happiness, it reserved the best visit of the day. I would say: it saved the day.
One more time, I was in this unique spot in Provence, right at the feet of the old Pope's Castle.
The place visited was Cave du Verger des Papes, located few meters down the hill of the old castle itself.
The enterprise is a Tasting Cellar with several tasting rooms and a one-room-museum where ancient Roman remains related to wine where found not long ago.
The Cave seems to be very popular for visits. No wonder, as it was by far the most professional and friendly I visited in the region.
The taste was set in a room that was absolutely full, because our group joined another one that had arrived previously. However, the wine expert that guided us through the tasting was able to deal with the situation, give useful explanation and help everyone that required.
We had a selection of domaines and châteaux, which included white and red samples and a wine made from grapes of the oldest vines I ever tried.
The white type was a 'Saint-Henri 2006', made 100% from Grenache and aged in oak barrels that had been used previously by the Château d'Yquem - famous premier cru in Sauternes, what gave an interesting flavor to this wine that has a small production of 700 bottles/year.
The red version from the same producer was one of the other sampled: 'Saint Henri 2004'. The wine doesn't have the traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape's insignia on its bottle, because it was not bottled at the propriety but at the Cave du Verger des Papes, respecting the AOC rule.
The last taste was left to the one made from grapes of 120-years-old vines: 'Le Calice de Saint Pierre, Heritage, 2004'. The beautiful wine made me visualize having it with a gorgeous duck based plate. That is what good wine does to us: dream!
Next region to be related is a daydream place: Bourgogne, known in the English-Speaking market as Burgundy.
That's all for now!
Cheers,
Marcia.