Saint-Peray is a small appellation for still and sparkling white wines from the Saint-Peray and Toulaud parishes of the northern Rhone valley. According to the French government's 2005 statistics, the wines claiming the appellation AOC Saint-Peray are made from a total of only 58 hectares (143 acres) of vineyards, producing around 1700 hectoliters (45,000 gallons) per year.
Being an area of sparkling wine production, Saint-Peray stands out among its neighbors. The northern Rhone is known for heavier wines, both red and white; the production of sparkling wines is otherwise left to the producers of the southern Rhone, and the specialists of Die in the east, with their Cremant de Die and Clairette de Die wines. But here in the heart of the northern Rhone Saint-Peray produces lighter-bodied sparkling wines in the methode traditionelle. Due to the immediate local topography, the climate here is not as hot as most locations in the Rhone valley, and the limestone-rich soils in parts of Saint-Peray add to this temperature-moderating effect. This explains in some part the development of the lighter wines styles which Saint-Peray produces. The Marsanne and Roussanne grapes grown here do not make particularly fine wines, which may be why the sparkling styles are preferred. A comparison might be made with the cool, damp Champagne region, whose sparkling wine style distracts from the high acidity and under-ripe flavors often present in its grapes. As in Champagne, many Saint-Peray wines are barrel-aged to add complexity. Unlike Champagne, Saint-Peray also produces richly-flavored still wines, from the warmer vineyard sites.
Geographically, Saint-Peray is impressive. The small town, and some of its vineyards, are located an alluvial plateau traced by a gentle bend in the Rhone river. It is hemmed in by the vertiginous 'Crussol' ridge, rising steeply up from the western side of the plateau, on top of which stands the ruined 13th century Crussol castle, overlooking the vineyards below. The slopes of the ridge are too steep even for the most daring viticulture, with or without terracing. Granite has been identified as being a valuable part of many Rhone terroirs, as it is an efficient heat retainer, provides rapid drainage and is of low fertility, which forces the vines to form deep, strong root systems. While granitic soils are not as prevalent in Saint-Peray as they are in the vineyards of Cornas (just 1 mile /1.5 km to the north) they can be found there in some of the gentler slopes just to the west of the Crussol. It is on these slopes that grapes for the richer, more richly flavored Saint-Peray wines are grown.
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