Vacqueyras: Domaine La Perdriere

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.

One of the celebrated crus of the southern Rhône, in the Vaucluse near the Dentelles de Montmirail, elevated from Côtes du Rhône Villages to its own appellation in 1990. Grown on steeply terraced vineyards of varied soils, and kept to low yields, its wines are predominantly red - around 94% of production - built on at least 50% Grenache blended with a minimum of 20% Syrah and Mourvèdre. Often made artisanally with whole-bunch fermentation and ageing in large, older oak, they are robust, complex, and rustic, showing ripe dark fruit, spice, and garrigue character.