Rhône

One of the demanded red wine regions in France is the Rhône! The Valley is starting south of Lyon and is continuing along the Rhône River until Provence.

Due to its notable length, it has varying soils, expositions, micro-climates and varieties.

The north is home to appellations such as Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, St-Joseph, Cornas and features Syrah as its sole red grape. Its whites include Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier.

In its southern half of the Rhône, the wines are notably different. The vineyards are hotter, flatter and composed of different soils and varieties, such as Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan as well as the ubiquitous Syrah. The resulting wines such as Châteauneuf du Pape, are rich and robust with lots of character and warmth.

Cave de Tain

Established in 1933, Cave de Tain is located at the foot of the Hermitage hillside.

Cave de Tain is the leader of “cru” wines in the northern Rhône Valley in producing 5 famous appellations: Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint Joseph, Cornas and Saint Peray.

The winery owns 28ha of vineyards and has access to more than 1000 hectares through a longterm partnership with farmers in buying their grapes every year, making Cave de Tain the leader in the region from far.

The Rhône Valley is the birthplace of Syrah. It is the only red varietal used for 5 of the “crus” wines produced in the northern Rhône: Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint Joseph, Cornas appellations and in the very north Côte Rôtie.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, is home to some of the most famous châteaux in the world of wine. Their exceptional terroir and superlative wines have long reigned as some of the most sought after and investment-worthy.

The majority of Bordeaux wines are dry, red blends from Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon or Cabernet-Franc.

The finest (and most expensive) of these come from the great châteaux of the Left Bank (higher in tannins, alcohol and acidity, more on Cabernet) like Pauillac, Margaux, St Estephe or St Julien and the Right Bank (softer, less tannic and lower in alcohol and acidity. Merlot is the dominant grape), appellations of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. They are complemented by high-quality white wines (particularly from Pessac-Leognan) and the sweet, botrytized nectars of Sauternes.