The local cheeses of Rhone Valley with the local wines that suit them, and why they work.
The cheeses of Rhone Valley with the wines made beside them. Pairings marked as a local tradition are the ones a regional source names; the rest are our own picks, and say so.
On the advice of sommelier Sébastien Maucarré, the Saint-Marcellin consortium suggests Rhône whites such as Saint-Joseph. A Marsanne-Roussanne white has the weight to meet the soft style's dried-fruit, honey and cream notes.
Bottles to try:
The accords-mets-vins.fr guide names Crozes-Hermitage blanc first in its answer on white wines for this creamy, slightly milky cheese. A dry Marsanne-Roussanne white raised in used barrels cuts the richness without the heavy oak or sharp acidity the guide warns against.
Bottles to try:
INAO says the cheese goes particularly well with the white wines of the neighbouring Condrieu appellation, and the two appellations share a festival every 1 May. Viognier's floral richness meets the firm, smooth paste with its hazelnut and forest-floor notes.
Bottles to try:
A fresh, supple Picodon is goaty with hazelnut and mushroom notes. Dry, full-bodied Saint-Péray Marsanne has the weight to sit next to that tang without drowning it. The accords-mets-vins.fr guide lists Saint-Péray among its whites for Picodon.
Bottles to try:
Côte-Rôtie is Syrah, sometimes with a little Viognier, with high acidity and fine but real tannin. The acidity cuts the cream of a Saint-Marcellin, and a riper, older cheese with its mushroom and forest-floor notes has the depth to meet the wine's tannin.
Bottles to try:
The accords-mets-vins.fr guide names Crozes-Hermitage blanc among its whites for Picodon, Marsanne and Roussanne wines it says bring floral and fruity notes. Their round, dry body meets the cheese's goaty tang and its mushroom and hazelnut notes.
Bottles to try:
Besides tannic reds, French Wikipedia suggests sweet wines and vins doux naturels for this blue, naming Sauternes, Banyuls and Maury. Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise is a Rhône vin doux naturel, and its sweetness sets off the salt of a mild, creamy blue rather than a sharp one.
Bottles to try:
Châteauneuf-du-Pape reds are warm, ripe southern wines with plenty of alcohol and fruit. That ripeness reads almost sweet against the salt and blue veins of a mild, creamy Vercors-Sassenage, and the cheese's fat rounds off the wine's tannin.
Bottles to try:
The accords-mets-vins.fr guide keeps Provence rosé for young Picodon and picks Tavel, which it calls fuller and more structured, for an aged one. An aged Picodon is drier and firmer, and a dry rosé with Tavel's weight and fresh acidity has the grip to match it.
Bottles to try:
A dry, full Marsanne-Roussanne white from the Saint-Joseph slopes across the river, less perfumed than Condrieu. It leaves room for the hazelnut, forest-floor and whey notes INAO lists for the cheese, and its weight matches the firm, smooth paste.
Bottles to try:
Saint-Joseph rouge is northern Rhône Syrah with bright acidity and light to firm tannin. The acidity cuts the cream of a Saint-Marcellin; choose a riper, older cheese for the firmer bottles, as its mushroom notes and denser paste stand up to the tannin.
Bottles to try:
Châteauneuf-du-Pape blanc is a dry, round southern white of Grenache blanc, Roussanne or Clairette, with moderate acidity. Its weight stands next to the goaty tang and nutty, drier paste of an aged Picodon, where a lean white would be swamped.
Bottles to try:
The accords-mets-vins.fr guide proposes Tavel rosé for Saint-Félicien, for its body and its red-fruit and spice aromas, a contrast with the cheese's sweetness. It advises serving rosé at 8 to 10 degrees C, which keeps the wine fresh against the creamy paste.
Bottles to try:
These Grenache-led southern Rhône reds are ripe and warm, with tannin that runs from soft to firm across the bottles. Their ripe fruit meets the salt of a mild, creamy blue like Vercors-Sassenage, and the cheese's fat softens the tannin.
Bottles to try:
The Saint-Marcellin consortium, on sommelier Sébastien Maucarré's advice, names Rhône reds such as Hermitage. Full, firm Hermitage Syrah suits the riper, older cheese, intense with mushroom and forest floor, better than a young, nearly runny one that its tannin would overwhelm.
Bottles to try:
A full, dry Marsanne-led white as an alternative to sweet wine. The cheese is mild and creamy rather than sharp, so Hermitage blanc, with its weight, low tannin and moderate acidity, holds the blue veins and the fat without needing any sugar.
Bottles to try:
Cornas is dark northern Rhône Syrah with high acidity and medium to firm tannin. A mild, creamy blue such as Vercors-Sassenage has the fat and salt to soften that tannin, and the wine's acidity keeps the rich, buttery paste from feeling heavy.
Bottles to try:
These medium-bodied Crozes-Hermitage Syrahs, raised in used oak, have bright acidity and moderate tannin. The acidity cuts the cream of a Saint-Félicien, and the tannin is gentle enough not to turn bitter against its mild, milky paste.
Bottles to try:
The accords-mets-vins.fr guide picks Côtes-du-Rhône rouge for an aged Picodon, for its soft spice and generous fruit, and warns against powerful, tannic wines. These Grenache-led reds, raised in old foudres, keep tannin light enough for the cheese's dry, nutty paste.
Bottles to try:
Private wine tour of the Rhône Valley, a day out in France tasting great wines in a unique atmosphere.
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In the Drôme and Ardèche departments and the cantons of Valréas (Vaucluse) and Barjac (Gard), according to the Picodon AOP syndicate.
About 60 g after eight days of ageing, according to the syndicate; INAO gives a minimum of 60 g.
The accords-mets-vins.fr pairing guide lists Saint-Péray and Crozes-Hermitage blanc among its whites, Tavel rosé for an aged Picodon and Côtes-du-Rhône rouge among its reds, and warns against wines that are too powerful or too tannic.
4.2 to 5 cm in diameter and 1.9 to 2.4 cm high, with a minimum weight of 30 g, according to the AOP specification published by the EU.
At least 8 days from unmoulding before it can be sold, according to the specification.
INAO says it goes particularly well with the white wines of the neighbouring Condrieu appellation, and the two appellations hold a joint festival every 1 May.
In listed communes of the Rhône and Loire departments in the Pilat massif, including Condrieu, Ampuis and Chavanay, according to the specification.
On the advice of sommelier Sébastien Maucarré, the consortium suggests Rhône Valley whites such as Saint-Joseph, Rhône reds such as Hermitage, or a craft blonde beer.
