Northern Rhône

Crozes-Hermitage: the valley's biggest red - juicy, peppery Syrah at fair prices.

The plain and slopes around the hill of Hermitage give approachable Syrah with dark berries, pepper and violets. A good grower's bottle is the region's best everyday buy.

The plain and slopes around the hill of Hermitage give approachable Syrah with dark berries, pepper and violets. A good grower's bottle is the region's best everyday buy.

Crozes-Hermitage from a top grower - the everyday star.

Real northern Syrah character at a weeknight price. Choose a named grower over the cheapest supermarket label.

Real northern Syrah character at a weeknight price. Choose a named grower over the cheapest supermarket label.

Grilled lamb or beef + Crozes-Hermitage.

The everyday northern match: charred meat and a peppery, medium-bodied Syrah.

The everyday northern match: charred meat and a peppery, medium-bodied Syrah.

Condrieu: a luxurious white to share soon.

Pricey but unique: the original Viognier. Drink within a few years of the vintage.

Pricey but unique: the original Viognier. Drink within a few years of the vintage.

Foie gras or rich poultry + Condrieu.

A classic local match: the wine's apricot richness and soft acidity sit happily with fat and gentle sweetness.

A classic local match: the wine's apricot richness and soft acidity sit happily with fat and gentle sweetness.

Aperitif nibbles + sparkling Saint-Péray.

A soft, nutty local fizz is the region's own welcome drink - easier on the palate than Champagne.

A soft, nutty local fizz is the region's own welcome drink - easier on the palate than Champagne.

Steep granite slopes beat flat valley land - same appellation, different wine.

In Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage, terraced hillside vines give concentrated, structured Syrah, while flat plain and plateau sites give lighter, simpler wine. The label won't say which - the producer and price will.

In Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage, terraced hillside vines give concentrated, structured Syrah, while flat plain and plateau sites give lighter, simpler wine. The label won't say which - the producer and price will.

IGP Collines Rhodaniennes: growers' Syrah from outside the appellations - often a bargain.

Top northern growers bottle Syrah from young vines or sites just outside the famous names under this regional label. Same hands and style as their appellation wines, at a fraction of the price.

Top northern growers bottle Syrah from young vines or sites just outside the famous names under this regional label. Same hands and style as their appellation wines, at a fraction of the price.

Whole-bunch fermentation: stems in the tank for spice and lift.

Many traditional and natural growers ferment Syrah with its stems. It adds peppery, floral, slightly herbal notes and a fresher feel; destemmed wines taste rounder and fruitier.

Many traditional and natural growers ferment Syrah with its stems. It adds peppery, floral, slightly herbal notes and a fresher feel; destemmed wines taste rounder and fruitier.

Hermitage: the great hill above Tain - France's most powerful Syrah and long-lived whites.

One south-facing granite hill makes dense, tannic reds that need a decade, and rich, nutty Marsanne-led whites that can outlive them. Small, famous, expensive.

One south-facing granite hill makes dense, tannic reds that need a decade, and rich, nutty Marsanne-led whites that can outlive them. Small, famous, expensive.

Côte-Rôtie: the 'roasted slope' - perfumed, silky, peppery Syrah.

Terraces above Ampuis facing south-east make the most fragrant Syrah in France: violets, raspberry, olive and smoked meat, with fine tannin. A splash of Viognier sometimes adds lift.

Terraces above Ampuis facing south-east make the most fragrant Syrah in France: violets, raspberry, olive and smoked meat, with fine tannin. A splash of Viognier sometimes adds lift.

Cornas: the warmest cru - dark, earthy, muscular pure Syrah.

A sun-trap amphitheatre opposite Valence. Black fruit, earth and firm tannin; traditionally rustic, now often polished, and it ages well.

A sun-trap amphitheatre opposite Valence. Black fruit, earth and firm tannin; traditionally rustic, now often polished, and it ages well.

Saint-Péray: the southern tip's white wine - mostly sparkling, from Marsanne.

A small, historic appellation opposite Valence making only whites, most of them traditional-method sparkling. Nutty, soft and rarely seen outside the region.

A small, historic appellation opposite Valence making only whites, most of them traditional-method sparkling. Nutty, soft and rarely seen outside the region.

Local find: natural Syrah or Gamay from the Ardèche hills.

Light, floral, low-sulphur reds from small growers - easier to find in Lyon and local wine bars than abroad.

Light, floral, low-sulphur reds from small growers - easier to find in Lyon and local wine bars than abroad.

Low-sulphur, natural-leaning growers make lighter, floral Syrah.

Mostly in the Ardèche hills and parts of Cornas, some growers farm organically, ferment with wild yeasts and add little sulphur. The wines are silkier and more aromatic.

Mostly in the Ardèche hills and parts of Cornas, some growers farm organically, ferment with wild yeasts and add little sulphur. The wines are silkier and more aromatic.

Pierre Gonon: Saint-Joseph's reference grower in Mauves; Les Oliviers is the white.

A small organic family estate among the very best in Saint-Joseph. Pure, granite-fresh Syrah and a Marsanne-led white from Les Oliviers.

The Gonon family's father was among the first to bottle Saint-Joseph, in 1964, and sons Pierre and Jean have run the Mauves estate since the late 1980s. They farm about ten hectares organically, mostly on the steep granite around Mauves and Tournon - the heart of the appellation. The red Saint-Joseph blends their sites into a firm, perfumed, peppery wine that rewards five to ten years; the white Les Oliviers is mostly Marsanne from one lieu-dit and has a cult following. A tiny old-vine cuvée exists but is rarely seen. If you see one on a list in Tournon or Valence at a fair price, order it.

Alain Graillot: proof that Crozes can be serious; La Guiraude tops the range.

Organic, whole-bunch Syrah of real depth. The family's sister estate, Domaine des Lises, makes a slightly gentler style.

Alain Graillot set up in 1985 and proved that Crozes-Hermitage, long seen as Hermitage's simple cousin, could make wines that sit alongside the famous hills. The estate is organic and hand-harvested, and ferments its Syrah entirely in whole bunches, giving a spicy, perfumed and firmly structured wine. The regular Crozes is a reference for the appellation; La Guiraude is a barrel selection made only in quantities the vintage allows, and ages a decade. Domaine des Lises, the family's second estate, started in 2004, works with partly destemmed fruit for a rounder style and also makes Saint-Joseph and Cornas. Both are on the plain-to-slope edge of the appellation and price well below Hermitage.

Cave de Tain: the big co-op - honest Crozes and a serious Hermitage.

Tain's cooperative handles about half of all Crozes-Hermitage and owns a slice of the Hermitage hill. Its entry Crozes are fair everyday buys; Gambert de Loche is the flagship Hermitage.

Its flagship is named after founder Louis Gambert de Loche; the Cave de Tain gathers some 300 growers and roughly half the Crozes-Hermitage crop. It also owns vines on the hill of Hermitage, the largest cooperative holding there. The range climbs from simple, fruity Crozes (Nobles Rives, Grand Classique) to parcel selections from older vines (Les Hauts du Fief), Hermitage Tradition and the flagship Gambert de Loche, blended from Le Méal, L'Hermite and Les Bessards. The shop in Tain sells the whole range, including Saint-Péray and a straw wine, and is a convenient one-stop tasting. The entry Crozes is a safe restaurant bottle; Gambert de Loche gives a taste of top Hermitage below the grower-name prices.

Guigal: the house that made Côte-Rôtie famous; La Mouline, La Landonne, La Turque.

Ampuis merchant-grower whose three single-site wines are the region's trophies. Its Château d'Ampuis blend and the basic Brune et Blonde are easier ways in.

Founded in Ampuis in 1946, Guigal did more than anyone to put Côte-Rôtie on the world map. Its three single-vineyard wines, often nicknamed the 'La Las', each have a style: La Mouline is the most floral, with a little Viognier; La Landonne, pure Syrah, is the darkest and most tannic; La Turque sits between them. They are rare and very expensive. Château d'Ampuis blends six slopes and is the house's serious-but-attainable Côte-Rôtie, while Brune et Blonde is the entry wine. Guigal is also the biggest name in Condrieu and makes a Hermitage (Ex-Voto) and Saint-Joseph Vignes de l'Hospice. On a trip, taste the Château d'Ampuis and buy a Côtes du Rhône or Saint-Joseph for everyday.

Jean-Louis Chave: Hermitage's most respected grower, red and white blended across the hill.

A Mauves family estate making benchmark Hermitage rouge and blanc from many plots. Its Chave Sélection range (Offerus Saint-Joseph, Mon Coeur Côtes du Rhône) is the affordable door.

The Chave family, based at Mauves, is widely seen as the reference on the hill of Hermitage. Their red and white Hermitage are each blended from several named slopes for balance rather than bottled site by site, and both are built to age for decades; the white, mostly Marsanne, is one of France's great long-lived whites. Supply is tiny and prices high. To taste the house style without paying for Hermitage, look for the domaine's Saint-Joseph (helped by the walled Clos Florentin, bought in 2010) or the Chave Sélection wines, started in 1995: Offerus Saint-Joseph, Silène Crozes-Hermitage and Mon Coeur Côtes du Rhône, made with the same care at gentle prices.

Georges Vernay: the family that saved Condrieu; Coteau de Vernon is the flagship.

The estate behind Condrieu's survival, now run by Christine Vernay. Coteau de Vernon and Chaillées de l'Enfer are the reference single-site Viogniers.

By 1960 Condrieu had shrunk to a few hectares - nearly all the Viognier in the world. Georges Vernay replanted, led the growers for decades and championed a dry, age-worthy style, sharing cuttings so widely he was nicknamed 'Mr Viognier'. He died in 2017; his daughter Christine had taken over in 1997 and has kept raising the bar. The top two wines come from adjacent old-vine plots on the Vernon slope: Coteau de Vernon, the most complete and long-lived, and Chaillées de l'Enfer, from hellishly steep terraces. Malolactic is blocked to keep freshness and only part of the oak is new. The estate also makes Côte-Rôtie and Saint-Joseph.

Hervé Souhaut: natural, whole-bunch Syrah and Gamay from the Ardèche hills.

Romaneaux-Destezet farms old vines above the valley and makes silky, floral, low-sulphur Saint-Joseph and simple Syrah - a cult name on natural wine lists.

Hervé Souhaut founded Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet in 1993 at Arlebosc, in the northern Ardèche hills half an hour from the river. He farms about five hectares of very old vines on granite, ferments in whole bunches in cement or fibreglass, ages on the lees in old barrels and bottles mostly unfiltered with little added sulphur. The result is a lighter, floral, silky take on northern Syrah - the Saint-Joseph St Epine from centenarian vines is the top red, while the plain Syrah is the easy-drinking bottle. Souteronne is Gamay from high, old vines, and there are Viognier-Roussanne whites. Natural wine bars from Lyon to Paris pour these; supply is small.

Domaine du Tunnel: Cornas grower with a strong Saint-Péray range.

Stéphane Robert's estate is better known for rich Cornas but also bottles Saint-Péray - a good way to taste this rare white.

Saint-Péray was once prized above Champagne, but by the 1930s its vineyards had shrunk to a fraction and it fell out of sight. Today a handful of Cornas and Saint-Joseph growers keep it going, and the best still wines have improved fast. Stéphane Robert of Domaine du Tunnel makes ripe, generous Cornas (Vin Noir and Pur Noir from centenarian vines) and also Saint-Péray whites, among the appellation's best alongside those of Chapoutier and Clape. Expect soft, nutty Marsanne with gentle acidity. Order a glass of sparkling Saint-Péray as a local aperitif; it is a curiosity few visitors try.

Steep granite slopes beat flat valley land - same appellation, different wine.

In Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage, terraced hillside vines give concentrated, structured Syrah, while flat plain and plateau sites give lighter, simpler wine. The label won't say which - the producer and price will.

In Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage, terraced hillside vines give concentrated, structured Syrah, while flat plain and plateau sites give lighter, simpler wine. The label won't say which - the producer and price will.

In the glass: Hillside: darker, firmer, longer-lived. Plain: lighter, fruitier, drink young.

Côte-Rôtie may include a little Viognier - it lifts the perfume.

Growers can co-ferment a small share of white Viognier with Syrah in Côte-Rôtie, and a little Marsanne or Roussanne in Hermitage. It brightens colour and adds floral, apricot notes; many now use little or none.

Growers can co-ferment a small share of white Viognier with Syrah in Côte-Rôtie, and a little Marsanne or Roussanne in Hermitage. It brightens colour and adds floral, apricot notes; many now use little or none.

In the glass: More violet and apricot perfume, silkier texture.

North is cooler: Côte-Rôtie elegant, Cornas the warm, powerful one.

From Côte-Rôtie near Vienne down to Cornas opposite Valence, the valley warms. Côte-Rôtie leans perfumed and fine; Hermitage dense; Cornas, the warmest, the most muscular and rustic.

From Côte-Rôtie near Vienne down to Cornas opposite Valence, the valley warms. Côte-Rôtie leans perfumed and fine; Hermitage dense; Cornas, the warmest, the most muscular and rustic.

In the glass: Côte-Rôtie: floral, red-fruited. Cornas: black fruit, earthy, firm tannin.

Whole-bunch fermentation: stems in the tank for spice and lift.

Many traditional and natural growers ferment Syrah with its stems. It adds peppery, floral, slightly herbal notes and a fresher feel; destemmed wines taste rounder and fruitier.

Many traditional and natural growers ferment Syrah with its stems. It adds peppery, floral, slightly herbal notes and a fresher feel; destemmed wines taste rounder and fruitier.

In the glass: Whole bunch: spice, perfume, firmer grip. Destemmed: plusher, darker fruit.

Old big casks keep Syrah savoury; new small barrels add vanilla and gloss.

Traditionalists age in large old foudres or demi-muids; modern houses use more new barriques. Neither is better - pick by taste.

Traditionalists age in large old foudres or demi-muids; modern houses use more new barriques. Neither is better - pick by taste.

In the glass: Old casks: earth, olive, pepper. New barriques: vanilla, toast, smoother tannin.

Top Condrieu often blocks malolactic to keep Viognier fresh.

Viognier is naturally low in acid. Some top growers stop the softening malolactic conversion and use only part new oak, so the wine stays lifted rather than heavy.

Malolactic conversion turns sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid and is routine for reds. For a low-acid white like Viognier it can make the wine flabby, so growers such as Georges Vernay block it for their top Condrieus and age in a mix of new and used barrels, giving richness from lees and wood without losing tension. Others let it run for a creamier style. You can't see the choice on the label, but you can taste it: a Condrieu that finishes fresh and long has usually been handled this way, while one that feels oily and short often has not. Low yields from old vines on weathered granite topsoil also add concentration.

In the glass: Fresher, more precise Viognier; less buttery weight.

Low-sulphur, natural-leaning growers make lighter, floral Syrah.

Mostly in the Ardèche hills and parts of Cornas, some growers farm organically, ferment with wild yeasts and add little sulphur. The wines are silkier and more aromatic.

Mostly in the Ardèche hills and parts of Cornas, some growers farm organically, ferment with wild yeasts and add little sulphur. The wines are silkier and more aromatic.

In the glass: Floral, silky, less tannic; more bottle variation.