Every fall, the grape harvest
happens.
Around the world vineyards
come alive with winemakers racing to and through vineyards,
testing for ripeness, watching the weather, scheduling picking,
sorting and destemming tons of grapes, assessing the juice,
fermenting and punching down grapes to deliver the elixir we
crave.
With the cooler weather, we slip on a sweater and begin to move away from those chilled wines of summer to something warmer, more full-bodied that match the heartier fall dishes. Squashes find their way into soups, frittatas and stews. Mushrooms pop up in stews, in risotto, Beef Bourguignon and on top of steak. Apples and pears adorn salads, cheeses and meat dishes. This makes my mouth water and my hand reach for a Rhone.
Rhone varietals would be a good go-to for fuller bodied but not too full-bodied fall wine. Grapes such as Syrah, Viognier Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Roussanne are indigenous to this French region. There are a bunch more indigenous varieties – a few you may have heard of, some are little known and are allowed in this appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) – Picardan, Picpoul, Carignan, Clairette Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Cinsault, Marselan and let’s not forget Muscat a Petites Grains!
The Rhone region is divided in half, both with a different set of rules on how to make wine with the same grapes. Northern AOC red wines are Syrah only and typically co-fermented with the light touch of Viognier to bring up the aromatics and to soften the hard edges of Syrah.
Southern Rhone is the Heinz 57 of the wine world. A wine from the Chateauneuf du Pape AOC can be a blend of up to 13 grape varieties! A Cotes du Rhone is typically a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. This is a large area so the wines — both red and white — can be easily found and enjoyed.
Rhone grapes can be found in vineyards around the world. Eastern Washington, Australia, and California all make Rhone-style wines. In fact, Chelan’s Cairdeas Winery has vines from Southern Rhone by way of California.
Other regions of the world may label their Rhone-style wines with the grape name (must be at least 75%) or give it a proprietary name such as GSM, for Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre.
Cairdeas Winery produces traditional 
blends as well as unique
blends, both styles inspired by the Rhone region and grapes. Its
delightful wine “Northern White” is a blend of 60% Marsanne and
40% Roussanne. This Rhone-style wine is a perfect dry white
for a steaming bowl of mushroom risotto.
Another is the Caisléan an Papa – an Irish way of saying Chateauneuf du Pape. This red blend is made up of 37% Grenache, 26% Mourvèdre, 16% Syrah, 11% Counoise, and 10% Cinsault for a delicious, almost traditional, highly rated wine.
The Guigal family, one of the largest producers in the Rhone Valley, specializes in white Rhone varieties. Most Rhone wines produced are primarily red; white wine production is nominal. In contrast, Guigal’s production of white wine is large, at least a quarter of wines produced.
Its Cotes du Rhone Blanc is a blend of many white grapes: Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier. It’s a fragrant full-bodied white, and a very good value.
Famille Perrin has, for centuries, made an exquisite Chateauneuf du Pape. Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Syrah, Muscardin, Vaccarese, Counoise and Picpoul from Château de Beaucastel’s vineyards are fermented separately and later blended before aging in foudres (big oak barrels) and bottle.
Another classic Rhone-style wine is made with the legendary Australian Shiraz grape. Shiraz is Australian for Syrah, the legendary grape of Northern Rhone. Australia is also home to some of the world’s oldest Syrah vineyards.
Shiraz vineyards planted in the mid-1800s produce
tiny crops of intensely concentrated grapes from ungrafted,
pre-phylloxera vines. Penfolds has been making Rhone-style wines
since 1844. Its Bin 138 is the traditional southern Rhone blend of
Grenache, Syrah and Mataro (Mourvedre). This classic GSM from
Barossa Valley includes grapes from some vines that are over 100
years old. 
And if you ever get a chance, there is an award-winning, classic wine made by Penfolds since 1951. Grange (called Grange Hermitage until the 1989 vintage) is made with Shiraz and a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. The term “Hermitage” was dropped from the label since the European Union won’t allow the name of a French wine appellation on a wine that is not from that appellation.
Marsanne, a Rhone white grape, is more likely to be found in Australia than even its native Rhone. Tahbilk Winery, in Central Victoria, has the largest vineyard site of Marsanne in the world. Its Marsanne is fermented in stainless for a crisp, dry white. Like many classic whites, with age it transforms into a full-bodied, aromatic wine. Perfect with a curried pumpkin soup. (Couldn’t go without mentioning the ubiquitous fall vegetable).
Cheers, Mate!
