Warm, spicy reds are the order of the day here, as Syrah dominates either as the single variety in the Northern Rhône, or as a full-flavoured part in the Southern Rhône blends.

It exudes class, and nowhere more so than in its spiritual home of the Rhône Valley, where, certainly in the Northern Rhône, you find it on the cusp of its range and therefore prone to making wonderful wine. The Southern Rhône is more about blending to achieve complexity, a process which reaches its apotheosis in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, yet in many simple Côtes du Rhône, it is the character of Syrah that holds sway. A trip from north to south along this famous river must start in Ampuis, nestling below the ‘roasted slopes’ of the Côte-Rôtie. There are three properties we follow here, with three contrasting characters producing the wines. Gilles Barge makes his to age, his vineyard (Combard) is the most steeply sloping on the Côte-Rôtie. Gilles is a complete contrast with René Rostaing, dapper and neat in the most spotless winery, striving for the purest expression that the soil can give him. Third of the trio is the quietly spoken Robert Niero, now assisted by his son Rémi. Their Condrieu has a lovely purity and freshness about it.

Pascal Jamet can be found further south in Arras, making fabulous Saint-Joseph - Pascal makes terrific value-for-money wine. Our other producer here is Jean-Louis Chave, thinker and experimenter, whose Offerus aims to be the very essence of its terroir, the true expression of his Syrah grapes. On to Cornas and another genuinely challenging winemaker in Thierry Allemand, producer of almost impenetrably inky wine, deep and brooding, made high up on the side of the hill of Cornas.

Back down next to the river you come across Domaine Mucyn, where Jean-Pierre and Hélène make Crozes-Hermitage in both red and white. Their white, seductively peach-and-apricot flavoured, is delicious while their red improves every vintage. Just around the corner is Tain l’Hermitage, below the famous hill itself. Florent Viale, almost as tall as the hill, makes both Crozes and straight Hermitage at Domaine du Colombier, both big with plenty of oak.

Whites from the Rhône are among the biggest, fattest and most long-lived in the world. While purity and acidity also feature, it is the richness of Viognier and its allies, Marsanne and Roussanne that make these wines stand out. Some, such as that from Château de Beaucastel, have an intensity, southern warmth and complexity that sets them apart; Condrieu, from the North is stylish, with a real streak of elegance in its make-up. Quite a contrast, yet both age magnificently. In between these two classics are the likes of Crozes-Hermitage from Domaine Mucyn, or the Réserve from Perrin, offering wines with depth of flavour to tackle food while not breaking the bank.

The most sophisticated, most renowned red wines coming from the Southern Rhône are the famous Châteauneuf-du-Papes. Two of the greatest Châteauneuf properties, Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe and Château de Beaucastel, with whom we have long associations, can also offer something more for even the most hesitant experimenter. Le Pigeoulet, from the former stable, is the perfect foot on the Châteauneuf ladder, as the Brunier brothers source grapes from the Vaucluse and stamp their style all over it, while the Perrin family at Beaucastel make our Tanners Rhône Valley Red. Both offer fabulous flavours at great prices, while you wait for the big names to mature!

Neighbouring villages of Vacqueyras and Gigondas are next to investigate. Both age well, with Gigondas possibly the more elegant of the two. It is always worth comparing the work of the Vache brothers who make Clos des Cazaux from both villages; the Bruniers (extending their influence east) at Domaine Les Pallières; and the extraordinarily concentrated Domaine du Cayron, created in utmost simplicity by Michel and Delphine Faraud in a cramped cellar under their house!

Continue north-east, crossing the Ouvèse river and you come to Rasteau. If you want big, robust and alcoholic wine, André and Frédéric Romero make them at
Domaine La Soumade. The yields are tiny, the resulting wines amazing. Then further north-east of the hills above Rousset-lesVignes on the southern slopes you find the warm spiciness in Château Suzeau. This is quintessential Côtes du Rhône, soft and easy at a good price, as is Marc Ryckwaert’s Grand Moulas. Finally back over the river to Château Courac in Laudun, where the charming and tireless Arnauds make something a bit more modern, a bit more immediate.

Robert Boutflower