Lirac is the southernmost AOC of the Rhone Valley. Mainly red wines (80%) are produced in this hot area but they also produce Rosé (15%) and White wines (5%). The area gets more then 2700 hours of sunshine a year and a minimal amount of rain, something like 700 mm or 27.5% inches. This area is also impacted by the strong wind – the Mistral. The soils are not very fertile and combined with the heat, the yields here tend to be small. The reds and the rosé wines are made from Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre. These are dark, ample wines that sing of the Mediterranean with notes of garrigue, spice and black and red fruit. The whites are made from Clairette, Bourboulenc and Grenanche Blanc.
Lirac may not have been on your radar as it competes with so many other amazing AOCs in the Southern Rhone such as Tavel for rosé, Chateauneuf-du-Pape for luxurious red, and a host of others but it should be. Lirac offers great values for excellent wines that pair well with a variety of dishes.
Lirac is not far from the town of Avignon and is very close to the city of Tavel. I was excited to receive samples of these wines from Teuwen Communications. I am looking to taste French wines as I study for the French Wine Scholar certificate. The bottles were beautiful with an embossed crest. Very elegant.
The wine pictured above comes from Domaine La Lôyane, and was made with 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah with 15% alcohol. It was perfect with my filet mignon.
I was very excited to see that it came old vines. I’ll be trying the other three wines I received this weekend with various food pairings and writing about them separately as I continue to explore this region. I’m so excied to the chat latter today and to read all the amazing posts below.
Posts From Other French Winophiles
Here’s a list of great posts so you can keep learning about Lirac if you like! And join us on Twitter on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 10 a.m. CST – use #Winophiles – we’re going to jam on Lirac for an hour! Cheers, everyone!
- Michelle from Rockin Red Blog sharesLirac AOC Produces Your New Favorite Wines
- Payal at Keep the Peas shares “Lirac AOC: Hidden in Plain Sight”
- David at Cooking Chat shares “Mushroom Mac and Cheese Casserole with Wine from Lirac”
- Gwen from Wine Predator shares “Discover Lirac’s Southern Rhone Palate with the #Winophiles”
- Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Savory Stew paired with Lirac is Luscious“
- Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Poulet au Citron et Lavande + La Lôyane 2016”
- Jane from Always Ravenous shares “Mediterranean Flavors of Bouillabaisse Paired with Lirac Blanc”
- Jill from L’Occasion shares “Lirac: Five Star Wine And Travel“
- Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles shares “Lirac – Castles, Keeps, Wolves & Divas in the Southern Rhône”
- Martin from Enofylz shares “A Taste of Lirac – Rhone’s Undiscovered Cru”
- Kat from Bacchus Travel and Tours shares “Lirac: The Rhone’s Hidden Gem“
- Rupal from Syrah Queen shares “Discover Lirac – Rhône’s Best Kept Secret”
- Nicole from Somms Table shares “Cooking to the Wine: Clos de Trias Ventoux with Bacon Teriyaki Burger”
- Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “Lirac: Wine from the Wrong Side of the Tracks”
- and here at Avvinare, I am sharing “Lirac Wines- Discovering the Southernmost AOC of the Rhone.”
avvinare.com 
FWS — very cool! I very much enjoy the program… have my Provence Wine Masters and would gladly take another round of courses! I will have to check out Domaine La Lôyane on my next visit. Cheers!
I was excited about these wines too and can’t wait to try more pairings.
I would love to do FWS some day. Best of luck. Keep tasting Lirac, they are awesome.
[…] Susannah from Avvinare shares “Lirac Wines- Discovering the Southernmost AOC of the Rhone“ […]
Good luck with the FWS program Susannah! Your post a wonderful read! Thanks for sharing!
Thaanks great post