Cotes du Rhone: Domaine La Perdriere Les Camassots

The Rhône Valley is home to some of the oldest vineyards in the world, with wine production dating back to Greek occupation in the 4th century BC and thriving under the Romans; it was later revived when the papacy moved to Avignon in the fourteenth century, giving Châteauneuf-du-Pape ('the Pope's new castle') its name. The Northern Rhône is home to prestigious names such as Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, and Hermitage - small-production wines of exceptional quality - where Syrah is the sole red grape and whites come from Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne. The larger, warmer Southern Rhône is best known for the bold Châteauneuf-du-Pape and its rival Gigondas, alongside excellent-value names such as Vacqueyras, Rasteau, and Cairanne. Its wines are predominantly red, built chiefly on Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre.

The vast, catch-all appellation of the Rhône Valley, covering red, white, and rosé wines made along the river from near Lyon down to Avignon. Spanning some 30,000 hectares across six departments and 171 villages, it is the second-largest AOC in France, though in practice it is used almost entirely in the warmer southern Rhône. The wines are always blends, predominantly red - around 84% of production - built on the famous 'GSM' combination of Grenache (at least 40% by law), Syrah, and Mourvèdre, giving ripe, generous, fruit-forward wines full of southern character.