Rhone, there is so much to discover, from scintillating Syrah, to ripe summer fruits from Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne, to full-bodied, ripe red and black fruit blends from Chateauneuf-du-Pape. I’ve travelled twice to France and both times I stopped in the Rhone Valley. To see the Tain Hermitage hill, to get a chance to walk the hill and overlook Cornas and St. Joseph in the distance is special. My Rhone adventure with Chapoutier.
I received information about an international professional wine event being held in the Rhone Valley in April, and would like to pass that information along to you, to consider attending. Enjoy.
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If you’re planning to attend just one international wine event in 2017, registration is open now for the 9th edition of the Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône, the largest professional wine fair of the Rhône Valley, taking place from April 10-13, 2017.
Over four days, 650 wine producers welcome you to taste upwards of 4000 wines in four prestigious sites in the heart of Rhône Valley wine country. Several grand tastings are balanced with more intimate winery dinners, plus master classes and seminars led by the Rhône Valley’s most acclaimed wine experts. Exclusively for professionals, this is an opportunity to engage directly, with unrestricted access, to more than a dozen trades in the industry, including winemakers, grape growers, winery owners, importers, journalists, and more. The previous edition welcomed nearly 2,200 guests from more than 30 countries, making this event one of the most international in scope.
Your Rhône Route
The week begins in Avignon, where for two days (April 10, 11) guests will taste wines from 480 exhibitors in multiple historic venues, all from Southern Rhône AOCs such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Beaumes de Venise, Tavel and more. On April 12, attendees will travel north to Tain l’Hermitage and Mauves to experience the great wines of more than 100 producers from Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Cornas and Saint-Peray. The final day’s tasting salons take place in Ampuis alongside 60 wineries from Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie.
Reasons for Rhône
Michelle Bouffard, noted wine educator, writer and presenter, attended the previous edition in March 2015 and believes that the event is a great way to get updated on what’s happening in the region to get a sense of the wines being produced in the area.
“Every day you focus on a different region. When you get to Avignon, you attend amazing seminars on lesser-known appellations which are now coming to our market. It’s a chance to learn about the complex terroir of those appellations and to get a feel for what they do best,” she says. “One of the best parts was going to the media events with wine experts from around the world and being able to engage with and discuss the most relevant topics facing our industry.”
Recognized as being among the world’s great wine values, wines from the Rhône Valley are being served and consumed in increased quantities on retail shelves and restaurant lists across Canada. Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône offers wine professionals the chance to get up close and personal with a region that has been producing wines for more than 2,000 years. Deeply rooted in history, today’s Rhône Valley wines offer a unique and diverse blend that fuses tradition with modern sensibility. The 2nd largest wine producer of regional-specific wines in France, the Valley is well-known for its red wines based on Syrah (Northern Rhône) or Grenache and Mourvèdre (Southern Rhône), the region produces impressive red, white, rosé, dessert and sparkling wines at every level.
For more information, contact decouvertes@inter-rhone.com or visit decouvertes-vins-rhone.com.
