The Rhône River forms a physical backbone for the eastern region of France.  From its start at an alpine glacier in Switzerland the Rhône flows into France through the mountainous vineyards of Savoie, westward to Lyon and then follows a southern course to the Mediterranean Sea.  The Rhône River and its valley is at times wide, deep, turbulent and steep, but always majestic.  Along the valley runs a nervous system of autoroutes, railway tracks and power generation facilities and power lines, contributing to the economy and prosperity of both the region and France as a whole.

One notable aspect of the region is the famous and persistently gusty wind called the Mistral. This wind blows up the Rhône valley with cold blasts in the winter and equally hot blasts in the summer.  It confers a significant benefit on the vineyards by serving as a natural antibiotic, inhibiting rot, a condition where any part of the vine may decay due to microbial attack. Note the effects of the Mistral on the trees in the photo to the right (the gates to Château La Nerthe in Châteauneuf-du-Pape).

The wine region of the Rhône valley starts in the north some 30 kilometres south of Lyon at Ampuis and continues for 200 kilometres south to Valence, where the Northern region ends.  Wine country resumes 100 kilometres further south at Montelimar and continues southward to approximately Avignon, where the defined region of the Rhône Valley ends.