The Rhône Valley is France’s second-largest quality wine region, producing powerful reds, aromatic whites, and some of the country’s best rosé across a territory that stretches from Lyon in the north to Avignon in the south. The region naturally divides into two distinct halves with markedly different characters.
In the Northern Rhône, Syrah is the sole red grape, producing wines of remarkable depth and elegance on steep granite slopes in appellations like Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, and Cornas. Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne make rich, aromatic whites. In the Southern Rhône, Grenache-dominant blends rule — Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the headline appellation, but Gigondas, Vacqueyras, and Rasteau offer outstanding quality and value.
We rate the Rhône as one of France’s most rewarding wine regions for the combination of quality, value, and touring experience. The wines are generous and food-friendly, the landscape ranges from dramatic to idyllic, and the producers tend to be less formal than their counterparts in Bordeaux and Burgundy.