I went on a winding drive up Mont Ventoux in the Rhône Valley. I was hoping to be rewarded with magnificent vineyard views.
It was breathtaking up there at 1,912 feet.
We had passed dozens of cyclists, their tension visible as they pounded uphill; and others eased downhill after the pain of the ascent.
Ventoux is a place for cyclists, culture and the view of the mountain – wherever you are.
And by golly there is wine!
It was fitting that one of the wines I sipped, at Domaine Vintur, was Le Gentleman (£19, hourlierwines.co.uk).
It is named for Sir Bradley Wiggins who triumphed in the Tour de France, including a gruelling Ventoux stage.
The wine is a blend of grenache noir, syrah, carignan and mourvedre and the wine speaks of dark plums, pepper, earth and hillside herbs.
Those grapes, and cinsault, are the main black varieties in Ventoux, where over half its wines are red.
Those same grapes craft Ventoux’s rosé wines.
There’s a small production of whites, delicious nonetheless, including blends of sunny-side up grenache blanc, clairette and roussanne.
Ventoux is one of the least exported of the Rhône appellations.
Wine producers are on a mission to change that.
They choose to make wine there because of the richness of the soils, Unesco-protected biodiversity; and because, under the influence of Ventoux, the wines have freshness, complexity and good acidity.
“Our mountain is magic,” says one.
Ventoux’s famous cousin Châteauneuf-du-Pape is just an hour’s drive away; and if you enjoy CdP’s grenache blends, but don’t want the price, then Ventoux is calling your name.
Ventoux Rouge Ribes du Vallat, Château Juvenal 2019 (£10.95, The Wine Society) is full-bodied with black fruits. I sipped it as autumnal Rhône sun pierced the winery’s windows.
Another temptation from The Wine Society is Cinsault, Le Paradou, Château Pesquié 2022 (£9.95).
I loved the wines from producer Chêne Bleu; just simply stunning reds. (Watch the harvest at Chêne Bleu on Instagram. )
Especially this one – Astralabe Chêne Bleu Ventoux (£24.40, vinvm.co.uk) which entices not just with the ripe fruits, herbs and oak, but also with a characterful label.
And finally an apricot-driven white, Côtes de Ventoux Blanc ‘Persia’ Domaine de Fondrèche (£25.25, terrawines.co.uk) which wowed in a blind-tasting.
Jane Clare visited Ventoux as a guest of AOC Ventoux. Follow Ventoux wines on Instagram @lesvinsaocventoux or go to aoc-ventoux.com.
First published in UK regional newspapers: See “About ” me