Do parallel wines ever meet?
The Northern Rhône, Willamette Valley, Bordeaux, Central Otago, and Vladivostok all lie near the 45th Parallel. But they don’t all make great wine.
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Wine producers often cite their global positioning as evidence of the quality of their product. Today’s tasty Rhône white wine, “Parallèle 45,” actually makes such a claim in its brand name.
But does this actually make sense? Sometimes, as the latitudinal kinship (or lack thereof) among Oregon, Bordeaux, and Vladivostok in chilly coastal Siberia suggests. But not always.
The truth of this proposition lies in the obvious geographical reality that grapes grow best in the world’s temperate zones, and temperate by definition – in the Northern Hemisphere – falls around 45º north latitude, halfway between the equator and the poles.
The vast majority of vineyards are located between 40 and 50 degrees north latitude and 30 and 40 degrees south latitude (the two vine belts), according to Wine-growing countries, a map of the world’s wine-growing regions from the German Wein.plus Lexicon, which bills itself the largest wine encyclopedia in the world.
All other things being equal, the most successful vineyards in the Northern Hemisphere should grow between 40º and 50º, and most of them do. Those global lines incorporate Napa to the Yakima Valley and Canada’s Okanagan; Virginia’s vineyards to the Niagara Peninsula, and virtually all of Europe’s vines from Spain eastward through France and Italy to Turkey; from Portugal and Jerez north to Champagne, the Rhine, and the Mosel.
Conditions shift a bit in the Southern Hemisphere, thanks to ocean currents and the random fact that there’s more cooling water and less warming land south of the Equator. The best temperate growing regions there span 30º to 40º South, which takes in virtually all the hemisphere’s commercial growing regions: Argentina’s Mendoza, Chile’s vineyards, South Africa’s Cape, Australia’s growing zones along its southern edge, and most of New Zealand.
Okay, fine, that all makes sense. But how do we explain why wine doesn’t grow in Vladivostok or, for that matter, Inner Mongolia, which straddles that magical line, while splendid wine grapes grow in places like California’s Central Coast, which extends as far south as the 35th Parallel? Add the effects of global warming nudging wine zones northward into Canada, Britain, and even Denmark and Sweden. And China? Don’t even ask, as the vast Asian nation is exploding into wine production even if we don’t see much of it in the U.S. or Europe as yet.
The answer, of course, is that latitude matters because it defines temperate bands geographically. But climate, nearby ocean currents, altitude, and the amount of rainfall matter too, and they vary according to factors that have nothing to do with latitude.
If you want to dig deeper, check out this deliciously nerdy web page on Imgur, A look at climate types near the 45th Parallel, from a user with the moniker “@cntread,” whose bio simply states, “I really like maps.”
Wine producers often cite their global positioning as evidence of the quality of their product. Oregon and Bordeaux lie near the 45th Parallel, but so does Vladivostok. How much influence do you think latitude has on the quality of the local wine?
Our featured wine today, the affordable and delicious Paul Jaboulet Ainé 2023 “Parallèle 45” Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc, a popular French brand of white, red, and rosé Rhône wines since 1950.
As the producer explains its choice of label: “This cuvée is named after the famous latitude where great wines are born worldwide. A famous circle of latitude that marks the midpoint between the equator and the North Pole … it spans across France and passes over the cellars of Maison Paul Jaboulet Ainé.”
Does this location matter? What do you think? But I’ll say this: It’s a wine of excellent value.
Today’s Tasting Report
Paul Jaboulet Ainé 2023 “Parallèle 45” Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc ($15.99)
A typical Southern Rhône white blend of organically grown Viognier (38%), Grenache Blanc (33%), Marsanne (12%), Roussanne (10%), and Clairette (7%), Paul Jaboulet Ainé 2023 “Parallèle 45” Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc shows a clear straw color in the glass. Appealing stone-fruit aromas of peach, mango, and apricot meet and mingle, with subtle floral notes in the background. White fruit carries over in the oak-free, medium-bodied, freshly acidic flavor that gains complexity from a backdrop of stony minerality. 13.5% alcohol. U.S. importer: Korand Corp., Purchase, N.Y. (Oct. 11, 2025)
FOOD MATCH: The importer offers the oddly specific match of curried mussels, and I think that combination of spicy and seafood flavors would work. It should be fine in more general terms with seafood or poultry or plant-based risotto or pasta dishes. We enjoyed it with a simple risotto built on porcini and cremini mushrooms.
WHEN TO DRINK: There’s no immediate rush, but this is not a wine for cellaring. Enjoy it while it’s fresh and move on to the most recent vintages.
VALUE:
This excellent white is absolutely worth my $16 local price, but Wine-Searcher.com lists a $23 average U.S. retail price with some merchants offering it for even less.
WEB LINK:
Here’s the importer’s fact sheet on this wine. Jaboulet Ainé also has an English-language page on the 2022 vintage This link
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for “Parallèle 45” on Wine-Searcher.com.
Read more about Southern Rhône white blends and find many good examples at this Wine-Searcher link.
Follow this Wine-Searcher link to read more about the Côtes-du-Rhône and browse red, white, and rosé wines of the region.
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I have to admit that while I have consumed cases of that Jaboulet in red over the years, I had no idea there was a white.