The Rhone Valley is an Appellation d’origine controlee (AOC, or controlled designation of origin) wine region running roughly 200 km south of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes administrative region in the central-southeast of France. Although strictly one region, the Rhone realistically can be split neatly into two the north and south. In Northern Rhone, Syrah is king, with famous appellations such as Cote Rotie, Hermitage, St-Joseph, Cornas and Crozes-Hermitage producing stunning wines along with lighter tones from the whites based around Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne from Condrieu, Chateau Grillet, St-Joseph, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage and St-Peray. In Southern Rhone, Syrah combines with Grenache and Mourvedre in the enchanting wines of Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, and the eminently drinkable wines of Cotes du Rhone. With its diversity of terroir and famous appellations, the Rhone Valley gives the wine-lover a great range of wine styles from some of the world’s most famous sub regions.