This fact is not difficult to explain: the famous Grenache-Sirah-Mourvedre trio, which is commonly associated with them, is guaranteed to produce a bouquet in the glass that is hard to resist.
This applies not only to the famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape. There are other appellations in the Southern Rhône worthy of comparison with "Châteauneuf", first of all - the so-called Côtes du Rhône cru. By the way, the hegemony of GSM is also only apparent: there are dozens of varieties that play mostly secondary, but no less important roles, such as Senso or Cunoise. We should not forget about white varieties, such as Marsanne, Roussanne and white mutations of red varieties such as Grenache blancs.

Here it is worth asking the question: Why do we remember the wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the first place, what made them so famous?
First of all - terroir. Located in a bend in the left bank of the Rhone, sometimes directly in the old riverbed, dictates a particular soil composition.  The combination of river pebbles from the Rhone bed, sand and clay provide good drainage, so that the vine gets both a branched root system and maximum access to moisture, but without the risk of water stagnation in the soil. Separately, it is worth mentioning pebbles - they retain heat well, accumulating it during the day and giving it to the vines at night, which can be quite cool. All this together makes the grapes as ripe as possible, and the wines - dense and rich.
Secondly - a beautiful history. In the XIV century French King Philip IV the Beautiful quarreled with the Vatican, and decided that the Pope should live in France - so in Avignon in 1309 appeared the residence of Pope Clement V, also known as "Antipope", which served the pontiffs until 11378. Of course, both Clement and all of the following six Avignon popes drank local wine.

Now let's see what else the cru of the Southern Rhone has to offer us?

This appellation (since 1947) lies northwest of Avignon, on the right bank of the Rhone, and includes the communes of Roquemore, Saint-Laurent-de-Arbre and Saint-Genès-de-Comola. Red wines make up 87% of the wine they produce. The vineyards (796 hectares) are mainly located on limestone plateaus covered with a layer of red clay and pebbles. In the center of the appellation, in the commune of Saint-Laurent-de-Arbre, the vineyards lie on alluvial terraces. In the XVI century the wines from them were sent directly to the bishops of the Avignon diocese. Today, they make complex wines with great aging potential, whose bouquet of fruitiness is tinged with tones of spicy herbs. Sandy soils prevail in Saint-Genès-de-Comola, so the reds here are finer and less tannic.

Another right bank appellation (896 hectares), for rosés only, is located in the vicinity of the town of Tavel. The unique technological point of rosé from Tavel is the blending of white and red grape varieties before pressing, accordingly they are fermented together as well. The traditional blend of Tavel includes Grenache and Picpoul, which, in addition to the basic red version, also exist in gris and blanc versions, as well as the pink variety Cleret and the white variety Bourboulenc. This composition, as well as the long contact of the must with the grape skin during fermentation, makes it possible to obtain one of the brightest rosés in terms of aromas and flavors, in addition, with a rather high alcohol level of about 14%.

AOC (since 1971), where they make reds and very few rosés. According to archaeologists, these vineyards were cultivated by soldiers of the 2nd Roman Legion, and the first written evidence of winemaking here dates back to the 12th century. They got their modern look in 1956, after heavy frosts olive groves at the foot of the Dantel de Montmirail had to be uprooted, and the hillsides were planted with vines. The climate is mainly hot and dry, but not without the cold influence of the Mistral. The soils are marl with flecks of limestone. The reds are characterized by liqueur-fruit tones, which, when aged, turn into earthy and truffle notes. Pinks give notes of ripe red fruits, almonds and spices.

A large (32,560 hectares) appellation in Vacqueyras with varied terroirs, largely shaped by the Dantel de Montmirail ridge. The vineyards are located in two communes, Vacqueyras and Sarrian. The soils are primarily sandy loam, with flecks of pebbles. The diversity of conditions allows the production of red, white and rosé wines. The reds (93%) are powerful, brutal, which some mistake for crudeness.

The village of Rasteau is located on a hilltop at an altitude of 200 meters, overlooking the Dantel de Montmirail. The vineyards (961 hectares) are protected from the Mistral and oriented to the south. Many of the plots belong to the bed of the river Uvez and are therefore covered with pebbles. In short, this terroir is designed to produce powerful dry reds. The AOC was registered in 2010. However, there has been an appellation for fortified Vin Doux Naturel since as early as 1934. The dominant variety is Grenache, for both dry and fortified.

AOC Cairanne (since 2016) is the closest neighbor of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the vineyards of the commune of Cairanne (877 hectares) are located just outside the former papal enclave of Avignon. The climate here is dry Mediterranean, with the Mistral blowing through the vineyards, preserving and cooling them.  This grape ripening regime produces complex red wines that reveal themselves during the aging process.

Past owners of local vineyards include the Barons of Montauban and the Prince of Orange. Residing as Côtes du Rhône Villages since 1957, Vinsobres received its own appellation almost 60 years later, in 2016. Today, it makes dense reds with a dominant grenache character. The 522 hectares of vineyards are located with an altitude difference of 200-450 meters above sea level, on terraces arranged around the village in a kind of amphitheater. Summers are hot and dry, but winds such as Mistral and Pontias bring cooler air at night. The slopes of the surrounding Wensobre hills provide a great variety of soils, mostly combinations of marl and limestone. The combination of climate, soils and the relative obscurity of the appellation makes these long maturing wines not the easiest to understand, although their potential is obvious.

The vineyards of Bom de Venise suffered serious damage from phylloxera in the late 19th century, but were revived in the early 20th century. In 1957 this part merged into Côtes du Rhône AOC becoming Côtes du Rhône Villages in 1978. In 2005 the red Beaumes-de-Venise became an independent appellation, today it includes the villages of Beaumes-de-Venise, Lafar, La Roque-Alric and Suzette. Because of the Dantel-de-Montmirail mountains, Mistral does not get here, so the reds here are quite concentrated. However, they are not the only ones here. Muscat de Beaumes de Venise is one of the most famous versions of southern fortified wines, the so-called Vin Doux Naturel.

So, do you think any of the Southern Rhone's crus can compete with Chateauneuf-du-Pape? We surely think so. Maybe not all of them, but two or three for sure. We recommend that you do a practical comparison.

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