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The Rhône Valley has a very long history of viticulture and today produces some of the most characterful and impressive red, white, and rosé wines in the world.
The topography of the region is key to understanding the distinctions between the Northern Rhône and the Southern Rhône, with dramatically steep slopes in the north that give way to the rolling plains of the south. These distinct features dictate the grapes grown, the styles of winemaking practiced, and the differences in the resulting wines.
The Northern Rhône is home to four local grape varieties (Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne) and small, terroir-driven appellations. Most of the vineyards are planted on ancient igneous rock. The climate is continental. The Southern Rhône appellations, in contrast, are much more expansive regions where winemaking traditions are based on blending. Soils are younger, more varied, and largely sedimentary, and the climate is Mediterranean.
History of the Rhône Valley
The history of winemaking in France dates to approximately 600 BCE, when Greek settlers from Phocaea, in Anatolia, arrived and founded the city of Massalia (modern-day Marseilles), close to where the Rhône River flows into the Mediterranean. This settlement came under the control of the Romans in the second century BCE and was an important stop on their trading route to Spain. The Rhône River enabled the Romans to expand viticulture northward, and fragments of clay amphorae and other Roman artifacts have been found along the river.
When the Romans reached the Northern Rhône, they found that they were not the first to consider making wine there. The Allobroges, a Gallic tribe whose capital was Vienna (modern Vienne, near the vineyards of