[wine] N. Rhones at Auriga on Thursday

Greetings, Happy New Year, etc. I wasn't in on the discussion, but it sounds like we're doing N. Rhones at Auriga this week. Thursday, 6:30. Not sure if the re-mod is finished or if we're in the back or what. N. Rhone includes Cote Rotie, St. Joseph, Hermitage, Croz Hermitage and a few others. FFI here: http://www.wine-pages.com/regions/rhoneexp.htm Cheers, Jim The Rh�ne Valley Continuing a line almost due south of Burgundy lie the vineyards of the Rh�ne valley. This is an area of contrast. In the North, some of the world's longest-lived wines are produced: rare and aromatic whites; tannic and massively structured reds. In the South, a veritable sea of hearty everyday red is produced, but so too are the famous and high quality wines of Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas, as well as sweet wines of high quality. Geography and climate The Rh�ne river begins life way to the north in Switzerland. As it makes it way down through the length of France it widens to become the central feature of the Rh�ne valley, which spans roughly between Lyons and Avignon. The Rh�ne valley divides neatly into north/south regions at the town of Valence. The Northern Rh�ne is a land of steep, steep slopes carved into granite hillsides by the progress of the river over thousands of years. Vines cling to near vertical surfaces, or terraces carved into the rock. It is predominantly a red wine area, but some rare and expensive whites come from here. Towards the south, the steep slopes give way to a broad valley floor which is baking hot in the summer. An enormous quantity of mediocre red wine is produced, but pockets of superb quality exist. map Grapes There are two great grapes of the Northern Rh�ne: Syrah - the noble red wine grape (often called Shiraz outside France) Viognier- for white wines and, interestingly, a small proportion of some reds Marsanne and Roussanne are also grown for white wines. In the Southern Rh�ne a large variety of grapes is permitted. These include: Grenache, Syrah, Mourv�dre and Cinsaut for reds Grenache Blanc, Picpoul, Roussanne and Marsanne for whites. The great wines of the Northern Rh�ne � Cephas Along with those in Germany's Mosel valley, the vineyards here are amongst the steepest and most difficult to work in the world. The Northern Rh�ne's finest wines are the Syrah reds: also some of the world's greatest wines. These include the famous, powerful, rich and long-lived duo of Hermitage and C�te-R�tie. The winemakers of the north are largely long-established, family-owned concerns who have worked these daunting slopes for decades. Hermitage The famous wine of Hermitage takes its name from the hill of Hermitage above the town of Tain. These are historically regarded as the "manliest" of French wines. Deep, dark and serious, these wines are strapping, tannic and vigorous in youth, developing complexity and finesse as they age over 20 years or more. White Hermitage is also produced, from Marsanne and Roussanne grapes. C�te-R�tie C�te-R�tie is an unusual red wine that may contain up to 20% of the white Viognier grape in its blend. This is rarely done however, more often the wines are 100% Syrah. C�te-R�tie shares some of the character of Hermitage, but generally is more approachable when young, is more aromatic, and has a more graceful appeal. Other red wines Look out for Crozes-Hermitage, a more easily available wine made from less formidable slopes around Hermitage. It is a Syrah with some of the quality, but at a fraction of the price. The co-operative of Tain l'Hermitage has a good reputation. St-Joseph and Cornas are other Syrahs with strong personality at a fraction of the price of Hermitage. The vineyards sit on the opposite bank of the river. White wines The north is also the home of rare and expensive white wines made from the Viognier grape, such as Condrieu and Ch�teau-Grillet. These wines are clean and highly aromatic yet at the same time powerful and full-bodied. They are also very expensive and can be very long lived. Ch�teau-Grillet is highly unusual in that it is an Appellation Contr�l�e that is under the ownership of only one producer. Top producers include: Guigal, Jaboulet, Chapoutier, Chave, Grippat. -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *