Three hundred million years ago, volcanic activity in the Massif Central produced the granitic rocks of the northern Rhone, while in the South, successive layers of fluvial and calcareous marine sediments formed such reliefs as the Dentelles de Montmirail — a huge bar of worn and scalloped limestone — and Mont Ventoux. Forty million years ago, the Alps were pushed upwards, causing the valley separating the two massifs to collapse.
The Alpine Gulf created in this way was filled by the Mediterranean, which gradually deposited a base layer of hard limestone and marl calcareous clay.
Later, the closing of the Strait of Gibraltar considerably lowered the level of the Mediterranean, with the result that the Rhone began digging itself a deeper bed, creating fluvial terraces on either side of the valley and mixing the different elements in the hillside soils: sands, clay containing flinty pebbles. The bedrock plays an essential role in the way in which the growing vines are supplied with water, determining the varied aromas and flavours of Rhone wines.
In the fourth century BC, during the Greek colonisation, grapes were grown in Marseille. In the northern part of the Rhone Valley, wine-growing developed in the first century AD… and Rhone wines soon rivalled the products of Italian vineyards. Workshops making amphorae developed at around the same time.
These archaeological finds, together with historical research, prove that the Rhone vineyards are some of the very oldest in the world. The Romans, sailing up the Rhone, founded the town of Vienne and planted vineyards, which soon became famous for their wines.
This involved heavy labour: double-digging, the planting of the vines and the construction of retaining walls for the terraces… The result was a flourishing wine trade. The collapse of the Roman Empire, however, was a severe blow to the development of the industry, suddenly deprived of outlets for its wines, except for the vineyards close to the Mediterranean ports and the northern Rhone wine-growing area, which supplied the city of Lyon.
In the Middle Ages, it was the influence of the Church which gave fresh impetus to the wine industry. In the 14th century, the papacy moved from Rome to Avignon and the popes, great lovers of the local wines, planted extensive vineyards around the city. Later, at the end of the 17th century, and for the next years, the port of Roquemaure Gard became a great centre for the shipping of goods by river.
Regulations were introduced in to guarantee their provenance and quality. Concerned for the quality of its wines, the Rhone Valley played an active role in the establishment of French wine-industry appellations.
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