The Rhône Valley in France is overwhelmingly devoted to red wine production.
While the Rhône River is dotted with vineyards from its headwaters in Switzerland to its mouth on the French Mediterranean coast, the Rhône Valley properly refers to two clusters of appellations along the banks of the river in Southern France. The Northern Rhône, or Rhône septentrionale, occupies a narrow band of vineyards hugging the river just south of Beaujolais, from Vienne to Valence. The vineyards of the Southern Rhône, or Rhône méridionale, funnel outward south of Montélimar toward Avignon, near the river’s Mediterranean basin. While these two separate stretches are often considered collectively, the Northern and Southern Rhône are climatically and viticulturally distinct.
The Rhône Valley and its environs boast a long history of enological importance. The introduction of winemaking in France can be traced to the Greeks, who established vine cultivation at their Massalia settlement—modern-day Marseilles—in approximately 600 BCE. At the height of Greek trade, some 10 million liters of wine in amphorae were shipped through Massalia into the heart of Gaul via the Rhône River. The Romans continued this trend with their arrival in the Southern Rhône in 125 BCE, and viticulture spread to the Northern Rhône by the first century CE. The Northern Rhône’s picturesque, hallmark terraces were first constructed by Roman workers. Vienne evolved as an important Roman provincial capital, and the Viennese vinum picatum, or "pitched wine," was exported to Rome itself. Whether vinum picatum was simply a reference to the wine’s character resulting from its mode of transport
Hi Keith, this is a great question and I agree that the study guide needs an update. From what I've seen elsewhere, I think that Emily Harrington's comment in the thread you linked to above is likely the correct explanation, and if this is the case, I believe that only estate produced and bottled wines would qualify for the papal crest since others would not be eligible for membership in the Federation. That said, I think there's still room for a bit more clarity here. It might be interesting to repost this comment as a question in the discussion forum to see if others might have more insight.
That's correct.
The section on the Gaillac AOP includes the following text: ‘Duras, Fer, Syrah, and Gamay account for the red blends, with a smaller allotment of Bordeaux red varietals now allowed.’ The Compendium page and Cahier des Charges for the Gaillac AOP both indicate that Gamay is only an accessory variety (as are the Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot) in the red blends of the Gaillac AOP.
The section on the appellations of the Sud-Ouest includes the following portions of text: ‘Bergerac AOP produces all three colors of wine from Bordeaux varietals’ and, later, ‘Monbazillac is the most notable, generating botrytised wines from Bordeaux varietals’ and for the Gaillac AOP: ‘Duras, Fer, Syrah, and Gamay account for the red blends, with a smaller allotment of Bordeaux red varietals now allowed.’ Word choice: In each case, ‘varietals’ should read ‘varieties’.
The section on the appellations of the Roussillon includes the following text: ‘Other dry wine appellations include Côtes du Roussillon AOP, a regional appellation for red, white, and a high percentage of rosé wines. A subzone, Côtes du Roussillon Les Aspres, was recognized in 2003 for Syrah- and Mourvèdre-based red wines from the villages nestled within the area of Les Aspres and the Albères Mountains. Côtes du Roussillon Villages AOP is reserved for the red wines of 32 communes to the north of Les Aspres. Four communes may add their names to the appellation: Latour-de-France, Caramany, Lesquerde, and Tautavel.’ As noted on the Compendium page for Côtes du Roussillon Villages AOP, the designated subzone of Côtes du Roussillon Les Aspres no longer exists as the commune of Les Aspres is now a geographic designation (now one of five, not four) for the Côtes du Roussillon Villages AOP (which appears now to include a good number more than 32 communes by my count).