Rhone Valley Vineyards

THE CLIENT: 18 miles south of Lyon, where the vineyards are among the most extensive, a pilgrimage through the vineyards of the Rhône properly begins at Vienne. Like Burgundy, The Rhône region is divided into two sections: the northern Rhône, which extends from Vienne to Valance, and the south, which begins at Montelimar and reaches south to Avignon. The northern section includes among others the appellations of Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, Cornas, Condrieu, Château-Grillet, St.-Joseph and St.-Péray. In the south the appellations include Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Baumes-de-Venise. Côtes-du-Rhône accounts for some 80 percent of the red wine produced in the Rhône Valley. It is the Rhône’s best-known, or at least the most popular wine. It can differ considerably from producer to producer because it is always a blended wine, and some 20 grape varieties are authorized to be used in the mix. Invariably, grenache will dominate, with syrah, mourvèdre and cinsalut as supporting reds. Grapes that can be used for white Côtes-du-Rhône include marsanne, roussanne, grenache blanc and bourboulenc. In the south, the most important wine by far is Châteauneuf-du-Pape (the pope’s new castle). Arguably, it’s even better known than Côtes-du-Rhône, although production is far smaller and prices for the best much higher. There are red and white Châteauneuf-du-Papes. Thirteen grape varieties are permitted. The best, red or white, are powerful, extremely dry wines.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: While Bordeaux has been reigning supreme for years with its diverse offerings from different regions, the Rhône Valley is now making its mark in Asia's media and tech savvy younger consumers. There are Rhône Valley wine schools in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou introducing wines to younger consumers. Publicist PR supported the client through a PR program to expand awareness and traction around Inter-Rhône, by getting the stories and wine regions in front of the media.

RESULTS: In Singapore, Publicist PR supported the client through introducing the region to tier 1 wine media and journalists through a meet-the-press dinner as well as media fam trip with tier 1 media to Avignon. This PR campaign included developing the media kit and samples program, as well as ongoing pitching.