Down along France's Rhône River, south of the region where the pricey Burgundy wines are made, is the Rhône Valley. Many a time when I was put off by the prices of Burgundy on a restaurant wine list, I have turned to Rhône wines to save my daughter's inheritance.
Oh, you can pay well over $100 for a fine Hermitage red from the Rhône, and have something to brag about to your friends. But there are plenty of alternatives in supermarket price ranges.
Rhône Valley wines come in two types. In the northern Rhône, the primary red grape is syrah, and the wines, such as M. Chapoutier's Crozes-Hermitage, are big, fat and powerful. Sometimes they need years of age to mellow, although winemakers there are growing them riper these days for earlier drinking. In the southern Rhône winemakers start with syrah, then add grenache and up to 11 other grapes, turning out wines that can be inexpensive and easy to drink young.
Big, syrah-based northern Rhône wines like Chapoutier's are great for rich, fatty dishes like prime rib, roast goose, roast duck or knuckle of pork. The lighter, grenache-based southern Rhônes go well with everyday meals -- meatloaf, pizza, roast chicken, maybe even salmon or tuna.
White wines from both areas are intensely fruity with hints of minerals, made of such grapes as grenache blanc, marsanne and viognier. They go well with spicy food, from Chinese to Tex-Mex.
Big, super-dry rosé wines are popular in the Rhône, made of such red grapes as grenache, cinsault and syrah. They get their pale color when the white juice is permitted only brief contact with the red skins after the grapes are crushed. They're good with fruit platters, picnic sandwiches, chicken or tuna salads.
HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED
• 2007 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage ``La Petite Ruche'' red (syrah): deep purple in color; powerful and rich, with stewed cherry aromas and flavors; smooth, warm with alcohol; long finish; $25.
• 2008 Jaboulet Ctes du Rhône ``Paralle`le 45'' white (grenache blanc, marsanne, viognier, bourboulenc): deep golden color, apricot, peach and mineral flavors; $13.
RECOMMENDED
• 2007 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage ``La Petite Ruche'' white (marsanne): light chartreuse color; very fruity and minerally, with apricot flavors; $25.
• 2008 Jaboulet Ctes du Rhône Paralle`le 45 rosé (grenache, cinsault, syrah): dry, full-bodied; tart strawberry and cranberry flavors; $13.
• 2006 Jaboulet Ctes du Rhône ``Paralle`le 45'' red (grenache, syrah): rich and muscular, with ripe black cherry and mineral flavors; $13.
• 2006 Maison Bouachon Les Rabassie`res Ctes du Rhône red (grenache, syrah, mourve`dre): soft and ripe; spicy black plum flavors; medium body; $15.
• 2006 Maison Bouachon Chateauneuf-du-Pape ``La Tiare du Pape'' red (syrah, mourve`dre, counoise, terret noir, muscadine, Vaccarse): oak and black cherry aromas and flavors; smooth and rich; $39.
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