Why is Hospice du Rhone the greatest wine tasting in the world?
By Brad Harrington

Let me start off by telling you why I think Rhone wines are some of the best and most intriguing wines in the world.

First off, I think these wines show an incredible range of styles and complexities. A lot of this is because there are 22 different varietals that are included in the Rhone classification, including both red and white varietals. The most common are Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre on the red side, Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne on the white side, but there are a number of others that will gain respect as time goes on.

Additionally, they are being grown successfully in a number of countries and in a number of different environmental regions. They had their initial success in the Rhone Valley of France, hence the name Rhone Varietals, but they have also been one of the mainstays of the Australian wine scene for the past 100 years. From there, you would be hard pressed to find many solid red wine producing regions that have not had some success with these varietals. Spain, Italy and Argentina have all had some considerable success with some of the Rhone varietals. In America, California and Washington are leading the charge but there have been some other areas that have had some limited success, that show promise for the future. For example, Oregon and Virginia come to mind.

To some degree the rise of Rhone varietals in the United States is a very recent phenomenon. While they have been around for well over 30 years, there has been an incredible amount of development over the last 10-15 years. Prior to 1994, there were really only a handful of truly good Syrahs that existed in California. Today, you couldn't even begin to count the great ones, let alone the average ones. That is the key to what has been so fun about this grape. I've been able to follow the development of the grape in this country and learn a great deal about what makes these wines so special.

There is truly something exciting and special about being able to jump into a varietal before they are well known. It's fun to witness the successes and growth of a product like this. It's discovery at it's finest.

Now, I'll admit that, at this point, the Syrah ship has been sailed. The wines are getting expensive and there is much less out there to discover that others haven't already done before you. So where does that leave you??

The answer is with Grenache and Mourvedre. Grenache is on the fast track to superstardom itself but it is still in the beginning quarter of it's journey. There are a lot of improvements that will be made in the next few years and I think there is still much to discover about clonal selections, vineyard locations and the true nature of what the grape can give us in terms of style and quality. This is going to be a great ride and it is a train that I am firmly on and would urge you all to get on for the ride yourself. The same can be said for Mourvedre, however developmentally it is way behind, even Grenache.

The thing is, if you have been a fan of wine over the last 10-15 years, like I have been, you have witnessed Syrah go from a fairly shabby, borderline, product to one of the best in the country. The state of Washington has followed suit, making some outstanding Syrahs of their own. Names like Alban, Saxum, Sine Qua Non, Cayuse, Pax, Ojai, Thackery & DuMol have gone from relative obscurity to wine superstardom, rivaling the best wines on the planet. Truly distinct and world class in quality. It's hard to believe that I was buying many of these wines in the mid to high teens, just a few short years ago.

The white Rhone varietals are also in the midst of some great strides. Early on, Viognier was the first to have some limited success in the states, though they were mostly about abundant up-front ripe fruit and little else. They rarely showed the structure or mineral complexity that the finest versions from the Condrieu region of France did. Well, not only have we begun to master the complexities of Viognier, but there are also beginning to be a number of outstanding Roussannes too!! Next will be Marsanne and Grenache Blanc. The next 10 years should show a huge increase in quality for all these grapes.

Let me say that these are wonderful wines now and they are only going to keep getting better.

Another point I would like to make is that the people making these wines are really passionate about them. Often times, especially early on during varietal development, the wineries cannot garner the prices for them that they could if they simply produced Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Those varietals are a lot more popular, especially in the USA and can usually receive higher prices.

In conclusion, I will add that Rhone wines have been my favorite wines for the past 15 years because I have felt a close tie to their progress. I've watched and learned a great deal about what makes these wines so special. They are the best wines in the world because they have a unique set of circumstances that have resulted in wines of great complexity and diversity. They have managed to attract some of the most talented and most passionate winemakers in the world.

What more could you want to have as a basis for the greatest wine tasting in the world?

Segue: Hospice du Rhone, Paso Robles, CA. May 2007

Hospice du Rhone combines three of the best things I can think of for a successful wine event. Education, Community and Fun!!

Education

	HdR is a two day event with two seminars a day. One in the morning, which is followed by a luncheon and another in the early afternoon. There is also a bowling with wine tournament that is held the evening before the rest of the event begins. Not everyone attends the seminars but they are usually very full. These seminars tend to pick a subject based on region and/or perhaps a couple of hot winemakers.
	Chapoutier, Alban, Justin Smith, Gaillard, Ganglof, David Powell, Kongsgaard, Dafné Glorian, among many others, have all been speakers at one or more of the seminars over the last few years. Regions that have been discussed include California's Central Coast, Washington State, Spain's Priorat, Australia's Barossa Valley, various regions within France's Rhone Valley, etc., etc. I have personally learned more about new trends, regional issues and characteristics from these seminars than from anything else I have been exposed to.

Community

The luncheons and dinner parties that are scheduled around town during the event are LEGENDARY!! You get to hang around with a ton of the winemakers, media giants, importers, exporters and general wine geeks for 3 days!! The luncheons are catered events. The food is always excellent and there are a huge number of wines that are brought in from various wineries and from the consumers themselves! The luncheons, on there own, are worth the price of admission!

On Friday evening, during the event, many of the local restaurants host winemaker dinners. These are awesome events as well. Having the opportunity to sit down with the winemaker and his/her wines in a fine dining enviromnent while tasting their wines the way they are intended to be tasted, is a great thing. If you are a foodie, like I am, you know what a great treat it is. The menus are always tailored to the specific wines and the restaurants, in Paso Robles, are getting much better all the time. It's really becoming a cool area! From here, it's all about the tastings at the end of each day. The Library tasting on Friday and the Grand Tasting on Saturday. These are both simply awesome events. All I can tell you is to bring your own spittoon!! You get a lot of people at the Grand Tasting event on Saturday!! Not sure what the head count is but it is substantially more than those who attend the rest of the event.

Fun

Where else do you have the opportunity handed to you to force an ignorant Pinotphilliac to drink Syrah!!!??? Fun??? Are you kidding me? This was a blast!! Poor guy, never knew what hit him! I've heard he is still alive somewhere out there in cyberspace!! There are a number of OFFLINE events that happen at various localities near the event for around a week before the event. I am part of a group of people who meet, usually beginning Tuesday or Wednesday and make our way slowly from Santa Barbara to Paso Robles!! We pretty much run winery tours and dinner parties all week long! It's about the most fun wine event I can think of!!

Bottom line?? Go to Hospice du Rhone or miss out on the best wine tasting event in the world!! Tell them WestCoastWine.net sent you!

Hospice du Rhone Contact Information www.hospicedurhone.com Hospice du Rhône 2175 Biddle Ranch Road San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 USA Ph. (805) 784-9543 Fax (805) 784-9546