Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of hosting a wine tasting event in the sky. Why would I hang from a crane 100ft above terra firma to talk to an audience over dinner about wine, you may ask? We did it to highlight the magic ingredient that one unsung hero French wine region has that means it will be one to watch in the future as the world gets hotter. That region is Ventoux AOC and the magic ingredient is altitude.
What and where is Ventoux AOC?
You’ve seen those films that make you want to buy properties in the south of France, right? Luberon, the Vaucluse Mountains…You may also be a keen cyclist and an avid follower of the Tour de France. This part of the world is where you will find Ventoux; nestled in the south-eastern part of France’s Rhône Valley, signposted by the famous ‘Giant of Provence’ aka Mont Ventoux, sitting at 1912m ASL and providing a beautiful - and very useful - backdrop to a winemaking revolution that has been taking place over the last twenty years.
Wines with Altitude
Helena hosting the Ventoux event with London In The Sky
Ventoux is an AOC, which stands for Appellation d’Origine Controlé. It’s a wine term that describes a delimited area where there are strict winemaking rules around what grapes and techniques you can use, with an aim to maintain the character of the wines from that area and to keep the quality high. To date, Ventoux has been more of a hidden gem region, outshone by its more glamorous, famous neighbours such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas, despite having wines of similar styles (and lower price tags!), but the focus is starting to change. Why? Global heating is a sad reality and the difference these extra degrees are having on grape production are really starting to show. Some say that in ten years, the more famous regions may even be too hot for growing fine wine grapes.
Enter Mont Ventoux, with its higher altitude vineyards that benefit, crucially, from much cooler night time temperatures than many other Rhône regions. What this diurnal swing does to the grapes is cool them quickly, thus concentrating aromas and flavours and preventing the wines from tasting cooked and flabby. This is the reason that wine writers and winemakers alike say that they would put their money here in Ventoux.
Ventoux AOC wine grapes & wine styles
Ventoux is most famous for red blends, which make up 54% of all the wines. Pinks sit at 40% and whites at just 6% currently, but watch this space for more Ventoux blancs; white grapes love limestone from the windy slopes of the mountain.
In Ventoux, you’ll find classic, familiar Rhône valley blends but wines here certainly have a distinctive freshness. The rosé wines are fragrant and fruity, with notes of ripe cherries, raspberries and flowers. The white wines are generally floral, citrussy and elegant with characteristic notes of hawthorn and acacia and the reds offer rich notes of leather, liquorice, truffles, black fruit, and pepper. Keep an eye on Syrah from Ventoux, by the way. It’s one of the red grapes really starting to turn heads.
The boyband and girlband of wine grapes.
You know me and my ‘vinalogies’, well I have always thought of the red and white blends of the Rhone Valley as pop bands, made up of grapes that each bring their own distinctive personality. The main players for reds are Grenache Noir, who is the youthful, cute one. Think soft strawberry and subtle spice. Next up it’s Syrah, the brooding, complex soul who probably plays the guitar. Think plum spice, grilled meat and herbs. We also have the party animal, Mourvèdre, the one with wild hair and who is full-on and meaty, needing the other grapes to tame it. Joining these three are Carignan and Cinsault, the former offering the geeky piano playing and lyrics skills that while a bit skinny, can scrub up quite nicely when needed and the latter, the light-hearted, perfumed pretty boy that gets lots of attention.
On the white side, the leads are Clairette, the elfish blonde who is lean and saline with flowers in her hair; Roussanne, the sassy redhead with her richly aromatic notes of lime and blossom; Grenache Blanc, the curvy one giving good body a complex herbaceous note and finally, Bourboulenc, the exotic, if a touch needy one, which when treated properly, can give great acidity and structure with a hint of smoke and spice.
Ventoux wines to try
At the event in London in the Sky, we tasted a fair few fabulous wines. Here are our top pics from the night:
PINK
Rhonéa ‘Passe Coline’ 2020 (Grenache noir 95%, Carignan 4%, Syrah 1%)
A punchy, pretty and fruity pink with an interesting backstory about a demanding lady called Colline who wouldn’t pass the bottle around the table. Almost luminous in the glass, it’s a vibrant pink that’s great by itself or with lighter bites, such as cold cuts.
Find it here for £10.50
WHITE
Cave de Lumières ‘Aubépine’ 2020 (Clairette 40%,Grenache Blanc 30%, Roussanne 30%)
A light, fresh and floral style with the most stunning bottle you’ll see! Aubépine means ‘hawthorn’, which properly sums up this crisp and refreshing white.
Find it here for £12.90
Château Pesquié ‘Quintessence’ 2019 (Roussanne 80%, Clairette 20%)
Another legendary producer and this is the top of their white wine tree. The Quintessence leads gloriously with sassy Roussanne, offering a white that’s lemon-lime and viscous, with a refreshing saline note and great aromatics.One to be savoured in the glass.
Find it here for £18.50
RED
Domaine de Fondrèche ‘Persia’ 2019 (Syrah 90%, Mourvèdre 10%)
This icon red from Fondrèche is brooding and complex with notes of grilled meat, licorice and dried herbs. It’s a meal in a glass with an effortless freshness. You could even keep this for a couple of years and it will sing.
Find it here for £20.99
Chêne Bleu ‘Abélard’ 2012 Grenache Noir 85%, Syrah 15%)
From another stellar producer, the Abélard is big, bold and beautiful, all about ripe blueberry, spice and chocolate. It’s a gloriously indulgent, rich, velvety red where the extra years of aging add tobacco leaf and cedar complexity. Have it with red meat or a stew - or even some hard, nutty cheese.
Find it here for £55