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Vacqueyras is an appellation for red, white and rose wines from the vineyard-strewn area around the parishes of Vacqueyras and Sarrians, in the southern Rhone Valley in France.
Until 1990 Vacqueyras was one of the Cotes du Rhone Villages, but the consistent quality of its wines (particularly the concentrated, powerful red wines) earned it an upgrade to a full, independent AOC. The Vacqueyras appellation laws are similar to those of Gigondas and Chateauneuf-du-Pape, its respected neighbors to the immediate north-east and south-west, and its wines also very similar, if a little less refined. One key difference between the wines of Vacqueyras and Gigondas is the proportion of Grenache required by their respective appellation laws. All Gigondas red wines must comprise at least 80% Grenache, whereas Vacqueyras wines are only required to contain 50% of this classic southern Rhone variety. The remaining percentage is made up of Syrah and Mourvedre, with an addition of 10% of any of the other Cotes du Rhone varieties, excluding more ...
Rhone wine region
The Rhone Valley is a key wine-producing region in the south-east of France. The valley follows the north–south course of the Rhone river for almost 150 miles (240km) as it flows from Lyon to its end point at the Mediterranean Sea.
The length of the valley means that Rhone wines are the product of a wide variety of soil types and mesoclimates. The region's wine-producing areas cover such a distance that there is a widely accepted division between its northern and southern parts. Rather neatly, they are separated by a 25-mile (40-km) gap between the towns of Valance and Montelimar, in which almost no vines are grown.
This division is reflected not only in geography and preferred grape varieties, but also in the quality and quantity of wines produced. The smaller, more quality-driven northern section focuses almost entirely on Syrah for red wines and Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne for whites, while the larger and more prolific south employs a much longer list of varieties. The most notable of these are the red varieties Grenache and Mourvedre, which are combined with Syrah to produce the 'GSM' blend so characteristic of the southern Rhone. While the granite-blessed slopes of the north are paired with a more ...
