1960 The U K B G Guide to Drinks (3 rd edition revised)

COTES DU RHONE

Here in an area towards the South of France for roughly a distance of 125 miles starting south of Lyons following the flow of the River Rhone, down to Avignon noted for its bridge, are produced a large number of interesting and delicious wines. Red and white, dry and sweet, golden and rose, also still and sparkling wines. Notable are the wines of the C6te Rotie (Roeisted slopes) producing red wines in small quantity, but much sought after. Two other wines of note from this northern section of the Cotes du Rhone are Condrieu, which is best drunk when young, and the Chateau Grillet, a wine which is hard to obtain due to its small production. In the centre section of the Cotes du Rhone are found the well known wines of Hermitage, which gives us White, Red and Straw-coloured wines. These wines were at one time better known than they are to-day. It has a very early association with the Romans, who first planted the Syrah type of vine in this part of the world and made it famous. Another wine from this area is Cornas, famous for its red wine, and St. Peray, which produces white wine, but is more noted for its sparkling wine, produced by the Champagne process. In the southern part of the area is produced the world- famous Chateauneuf du Pape, a red wine noted for its beautiful colour, the wine being made from a blend of thirteen different types of grape juice and whose recipe is said to be secret. Another notable wine from this area is Tavel, a rose wine, probably the best of its type throughout the world. This is a wine which should not be under-estimated. It is a delightful wine, and can be quite"heady ".

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