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Wine region

Rhone

Rhone is a wine region in France, home to 1,137 wineries, producing red, rose, white wines, known for Rhone Blend, Syrah/Shiraz.

Rhone at a glance: predominantly red; known for Rhone Blend, Syrah/Shiraz; wines range from VdF to AOP.
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Rhone's 1,137 wineries produce predominantly red wine; Viognier is the most common single-grape bottling; wines carry AOC, AOP, IGP designation.

About the Rhone region

    Location
    The Rhône wine region (Occitan: Region vinicona del Ròse) in Southern France is situated in the Rhône valley and produces numerous wines under various Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) designations.
    Climate
    The northern Rhône is characterised by a continental climate with harsh winters but warm summers.
    Soils
    Rhône Valley soils differ markedly by zone: the northern Rhône is mainly clay, rocky and granite, while the southern Rhône includes clay, rocky, limestone and sandy soils.

Region facts sourced from Inter Rhône, Territory and terroir, retrieved 2026-07-12. (Inter Rhône website terms; factual extraction with minimum necessary quotation), Wikipedia contributors, "Rhône wine", Wikipedia, revision 1345277244, retrieved 2026-07-11. (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International).

Most common single-grape wines

When Rhone wines are made from a single grape (rather than a blend), these are the most common:

Wine profile

Rhone is predominantly a red-wine region (about 74% of its wines).

4,831 distinct Rhone wines tracked, spanning the colours and styles below.

  • Red3,541 · 74%
  • White1,088 · 23%
  • Rose171 · 4%

Types: Sparkling, Still, Vin Doux Naturel.

Catalogue vintages span 1966 to 2020.

Representative Rhone wines

Selected from stable product-to-region relationships for diversity — not a claim that these are the region's best wines.

  • Domaine du Terme — Vacqueyras
  • Garon — Jardins de Rome Syrah de Seyssuel
  • Gabriel Meffre — Sainte-Blandine Syrah
  • Ferrand — Chateauneuf-du-Pape
  • M. Chapoutier — Cote Rotie
  • Monpertuis — Chateauneuf-du-Pape
  • Saint Gayan — Gigondas
  • Domaine Raymond Usseglio — Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Sub-regions & appellations

Within Rhone, these appellationsA legally-defined smaller growing area within a wine region, often with its own grapes and rules. are smaller growing areas, often with their own character:

  • Chateauneuf-du-Pape
  • Cotes du Rhone
  • Saint-Joseph
  • Cote Rotie
  • Crozes-Hermitage
  • Cotes du Rhone Villages
  • Gigondas
  • Condrieu
  • Vacqueyras
  • Cornas
  • Collines Rhodaniennes
  • Hermitage

Quality designations

Wines here span quality tiers from everyday VdF to the strictly-controlled AOP — you'll find both accessible and prestige bottles.

  • AOCFrance's protected-origin designation (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) — controls where and how a wine is made.
  • AOPThe EU protected-origin label (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) — the modern equivalent of AOC.
  • IGPEU Protected Geographical Indication (Indication Géographique Protégée) — a regional wine label, broader than AOP.
  • VdFVin de France — the entry-level French category, with the fewest restrictions.

France wine designations

AOC
AOC is the French national controlled-origin recognition for a product whose production stages are carried out using recognised know-how within the same geographical area, giving the product its characteristics.
AOP
An AOP identifies a product whose production stages take place using recognised know-how within the same geographical area, which gives the product its characteristics.
IGP
An IGP identifies a product whose quality, reputation or other characteristics are linked to its geographical origin.
PDO
PDO is the European Union protected designation of origin category.
VdF
Vin de France is the French country-of-origin wording used for wine in the category without a protected geographical indication.

Classifications

2eme Cru Classe
Within the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac classification, 2ème Cru Classé is the third of three sweet-white-wine levels.
3eme Cru Classe
Within the 1855 Bordeaux red-wine classification, 3ème Cru Classé denotes the third of five ranked levels.
4eme Cru Classe
Within the 1855 Bordeaux red-wine classification, 4ème Cru Classé denotes the fourth of five ranked levels.
5eme Cru Classe
Within the 1855 Bordeaux red-wine classification, 5ème Cru Classé denotes the fifth of five ranked levels.
Cru Classe
In the Graves classification, Cru Classé denotes an estate authorised to use the title Grand Cru Classé de Graves; all current classified estates are in Pessac-Léognan.
Grand Cru
In Burgundy, Grand Cru is an AOC category applied to 33 appellations identified by individual Climat names.
Grand Cru Classe
In the current Saint-Émilion classification, Grand Cru Classé is a classified-estate level for red wines of Saint-Émilion; the 2022 edition lists 71 estates at this level.
Premier Cru
In Burgundy, Premier Cru identifies precisely defined individual plots, known as Climats, within certain Village appellations.
Premier Cru Classe
Within the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac classification, Premier Cru Classé is the middle of three sweet-white-wine levels.
Premier Cru Superieur
Within the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac classification, Premier Cru Supérieur is the highest of three sweet-white-wine levels.
Premier Grand Cru Classe A
In the current Saint-Émilion classification, Premier Grand Cru Classé A is the distinguished A level within the Premier Grand Cru Classé category; the 2022 edition lists two estates.
Understanding the wine data
Designation
The protected-origin or administrative category associated with the wine, interpreted using country-aware rules. The same abbreviation can mean different things in different countries, so we only show the meaning approved for that country.
Classification
An additional quality, hierarchy, vineyard, site, ageing or producer classification where supplied. Its meaning varies by country — it is not a universal quality score.
How this ranking is built

Producers are included when WhatDrink has a canonical producer-to-region relationship supported by the catalogue data. Display order may use represented wine count and relationship confidence to provide useful coverage; it is not a ranking of winery quality, prestige, production volume or critical acclaim.

Representative wines are selected from products with a stable relationship to this region, with preference for clear producer identity and a useful spread of producers, wine styles and designations. Inclusion is not an editorial score and does not mean these are the region’s best wines.

How to choose a good Rhone wine

For everyday drinking, VdF bottles are the accessible choice; for something special, AOP signals the region's most tightly-controlled, prestige wines.

FAQs

Where is Rhone?
The Rhône wine region ( Occitan : Region vinicona del Ròse ) in Southern France is situated in the Rhône valley and produces numerous wines under various Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) designations.
Which grapes are associated with Rhone?
Rhone is represented in the WhatDrink region dataset by Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvedre, Shiraz, Syrah, Viognier. Grape coverage reflects the products currently linked to the region and is not a complete legal planting register.
What do the designation terms on Rhone wines mean?
AOC: AOC is the French national controlled-origin recognition for a product whose production stages are carried out using recognised know-how within the same geographical area, giving the product its characteristics. AOP: An AOP identifies a product whose production stages take place using recognised know-how within the same geographical area, which gives the product its characteristics. IGP: An IGP identifies a product whose quality, reputation or other characteristics are linked to its geographical origin. VdF: Vin de France is the French country-of-origin wording used for wine in the category without a protected geographical indication. These terms describe geographical or regulatory categories; they do not by themselves guarantee that one producer or bottle is better than another.
How are wineries and producers selected for Rhone?
Producers are included when WhatDrink has a canonical producer-to-region relationship supported by the catalogue data. Display order may use represented wine count and relationship confidence to provide useful coverage; it is not a ranking of winery quality, prestige, production volume or critical acclaim.
How are representative Rhone wines selected?
Representative wines are selected from products with a stable relationship to this region, with preference for clear producer identity and a useful spread of producers, wine styles and designations. Inclusion is not an editorial score and does not mean these are the region’s best wines.
How much wine data does WhatDrink have for Rhone?
The current regional catalogue contains 4831 linked wines from 1137 linked producers. Counts describe WhatDrink catalogue coverage and may change as source data is refreshed.

Regional data is aggregated from wine directory and product-catalogue sources; grape and style associations reflect characteristic varieties and may vary by producer and vintage.