Cornas

The appellation of Cornas lies in the northern-central region of the Rhone Valley. The region, enclosed by steep, granite cliffs on the west side of the river Rhone, boasts an ideal climate with copious amounts of sunshine allowing for the creation of long lasting, rich wines with smooth tannins.

The Cornas red wine is exclusively produced using the Syrah grapes. All wines that claim to be Cornas AOC have to be totally 100% Syrah to be declared as Cornas AOC, other grape kinds can be cultivar but such wines have to carry a different tag.

In the village of Saint-Peray is the Domaine du Tunnel of talented winemaker Stéphane Robert. He started this winery in 1994 at the age of 24, inspired by a 160-metre-long stone tunnel that runs under one of his vineyards.

The Cornas wine region stands out for its focused production across just 110 hectares. Those with terraced vineyards are dug with granite that promotes drainage as well as strengthening vines and building roots. Cornas has garnered a poor reputation, meaning burnt land in an ancient Celtic language for reasons which are still undergoing renovation with the help of modern and older winemakers such as Jean Luc Colombo and Auguste Clape.