Rhône Rangers is the name given to a group of wineries dedicated to promoting the consumption of wines produced in United States using grape varieties traditional to the region of Rhône Valley, France. In the 1980’s, Bob Lindquist of Qupé Wine Cellars and Randall Graham of Bonny Doon Vineyard started popularizing the use of these varieties with great results and considerable increase in vineyard plantings and, nowadays, the Rhône Rangers is the leading non-profit organization dedicated to this matter.
To be a member of the Rhône Rangers, the winery must produce some of their labels with a minimum of 75% of one or more of the 22 grape varieties used traditionally in the French region of Côtes du Rhône. These include the reds Carignan, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, and the whites Marsanne, Rousanne, Viognier, Grenache Blanc. Petite Sirah is also allowed, even though is not grown in France at the moment. Many of the Rhône Rangers wineries are located in California, including Qupé Wine Cellars, one of the original “rangers”. They continue spreading their passion for these grapes by producing bottlings of Marsanne, Grenache and Syrah in Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley.
Author: Maytte Rivera
