Ranger to Ranger: The Rhône Rangers

I belong to many wine trade organizations including the Applegate Valley Vintners Association, the Rogue Valley Vintners, and the Oregon Winegrowers Association. I had a similarly long list when I worked in the Napa Valley. Each of these organizations are defined by a place. Then there are the Rhône Rangers . The Rangers diverge from these place-based organizations as the Rhône Rangers are defined by the varieties they grow. To be a Rhône Ranger wine, 75% of the wine’s content must include one or more of the twenty-two traditional Rhône grape varieties as approved by the French government for the wines of the Côtes du Rhône, with Petite Sirah tacked on because of its early contributions in the American wine industry. So the Rhône Rangers are not defined by a place, but by an ideal—a belief in the unique characteristics of these classic Southern French varieties as expressed in American vineyards. The members of the Rhône Rangers span the continent, not an AVA. In this episode of the Wi

by Craig Camp · source ↗