The Rhone Valley winds its way down from Vienne in the North, through the near vertical vineyards of Cote Rotie and Condrieu, through Hermitage and on down to Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Avignon in the South. By this time the Rhone itself has become a huge wide and lazy monster flowing towards the Mediterranean, and the landscape has changed for the flatter. For wine purposes, the Rhone Valley can be split into North and South, with the wines of the North being Syrah dominated and those of the South being more Grenache Noir based, although Mourvedre and Cinsault also make appearances. For white wine, Condrieu in the North is the most famous with its superb Viognier wines (in fact before the fairly recent resurgence of Viognier around the world, Condrieu was the sole surviving outpost of this tricky grape). As we move South, Marsanne and Rousanne blends become the norm, as for example in white Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

Whilst the wines of the Northern Rhone do tend to be fairly expensive (and superb!), those from the South in areas such as Cotes du Ventoux offer great value for money and deliciously different flavours.