Rhône

The Rhône Valley splits into two very different wine countries, joined by one river. In the north, steep granite terraces cling to the hillsides around Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie and Cornas, where Syrah is grown almost alone, producing wines that are dark, structured and often laced with black pepper, olive and cured meat. Head south past Montélimar and the landscape opens out into sun-baked plains scattered with galets roulés, the round stones that store daytime heat and release it through the night. This is Grenache country, blended with Syrah, Mourvèdre and a supporting cast of a dozen other varieties in villages like Gigondas, Vacqueyras and, most famously, Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

What unites the two halves is a sense of place you can taste. Northern Rhône reds have a savoury, meaty intensity that rewards a few years in the cellar. Southern Rhône wines tend to be warmer and rounder, built for long lunches rather than quiet contemplation. And it's not just red: Viognier reaches its purest expression in Condrieu, while the south produces some of France's most underrated rosé, from Tavel.

Whether you're after a Côtes du Rhône for a Tuesday or a Châteauneuf-du-Pape for something worth waiting for, this is a region where character comes before polish: wines with grip, spice and a genuine sense of the land they came from.