CorkonomicsThe economics of wine production, collection, and vineyards
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Vineyard land · Pauillac≈$2,798,250 a hectare▼ down 17% on 20232024Opening price · Château Lafite Rothschild 2025≈$376 a bottle▲ up 17% on the year beforeSold at auction · Romanée-Conti Grand Cru, DRC 2019$22,917 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Burgundy grand cru (Pinot Noir)$48–283US duty on wine from · Canada+50%since Aug 2026Everyday bottle in a US shop$13.77 a litre▼ down 1.3% in a yearSep 2026Vineyard land · Margaux≈$1,567,020 a hectare▼ down 7% on 20232024Opening price · Château Cheval Blanc 2025≈$376 a bottle▲ up 22% on the year beforeSold at auction · La Tâche Grand Cru, DRC 2018$5,417 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Champagne prestige cuvée$26–89US duty on wine from · Australia+12.5%since Jul 2026Vineyard land · Côte-Rôtie≈$1,511,055 a hectare▲ up 8% on 20232024Opening price · Château Mouton Rothschild 2025≈$336 a bottle▲ up 19% on the year beforeSold at auction · Richebourg Grand Cru, DRC 2012$3,542 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Bordeaux classified growth (2nd–5th)$17–61US duty on wine from · New Zealand+12.5%since Jul 2026Vineyard land · Côte de Nuits grand cru≈$7,275,450 a hectare2019Opening price · Château Palmer 2025≈$268 a bottle▼ down 19% on the year beforeVineyard land · Pomerol≈$2,238,600 a hectare2023
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Rhône

Peppery Syrah in the north, warm Grenache blends in the south.

France · Save

Vineyards in Rhône

Rhône in a minute

The grapes
Syrah in the north. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre in the south
What it tastes like
North: blackberry, pepper and smoke. South: ripe strawberry, herbs and spice.
The grapes grown here
GrenacheSyrah

Good to know

The northern Rhône is steep, small and serious. The southern Rhône is broad and sunny and makes most of the wine, including good-value Côtes du Rhône.

On the label

Named after the place: Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

What the land costs

The dearest vineyards here are in Côte-Rôtie: ≈$1,119,300–≈$1,790,880 a hectare (2024). Zone by zone

Low bush vines growing in a bed of large round stones
Bush vines in a bed of round river stones. The stones soak up heat by day and give it back at night, which helps the grapes ripen.
The business side

The Rhône is France's second-largest appellation region by area after Bordeaux, but its collectible wines come from a few hundred hectares: Hermitage (about 137 ha), Côte-Rôtie (about 300 ha) and the top estates of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Prices for the best have appreciated steadily but from a lower base than Bordeaux or Burgundy, and land values reflect that gap.

How the economics work

Northern Rhône terraces are among the most labour-intensive vineyards in France — Côte-Rôtie's slopes can require several hundred hours of work per hectare a year, mostly by hand, and machinery is impossible. Production of a top single-vineyard wine is measured in a few thousand bottles. In the south, Châteauneuf-du-Pape's flat stony soils allow mechanisation and larger estates; the collectible tier there is defined by old vines and low yields rather than by site scarcity.

Land

SAFER reports Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie land in the hundreds of thousands of euros per hectare, well above Châteauneuf-du-Pape and far above generic Côtes du Rhône. The premium is scarcity: Hermitage cannot be expanded.

Facts and figures

Vineyard area
≈ 65,000 ha (Rhône Valley appellations)Inter Rhône
Hermitage
≈ 137 haINAO / Inter Rhône
Côte-Rôtie
≈ 300 haInter Rhône
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
≈ 3,200 haFédération des Producteurs de Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Vineyards of the Rhône
Vines growing among the large galet stones in the French wine region of the… Megan Mallen · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Vineyards of the Rhône
Tain - Rhône et Vignobles Véronique PAGNIER · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Vineyards of the Rhône
Vignoble de Paul Jaboulet à Tain-l'Hermitage Guerinf · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Good years and bad

All regions →

The years to look for: 2016, 2015, 2010.

YearHow the year was ratedThe growing season
2022Very Good
2021Mixed
2020Very Good
2019Excellent
2018Very Good
2017Very Good
2016Exceptional
2015Exceptional
2014Mixed
2013Good
2012Very Good
2011Good
2010ExceptionalCool, dry; exceptional in both north and south.
2009Very Good
2007Excellent
2006Very Good
2005Excellent
2003Very Good
2001Very Good
2000Very Good
1999Very Good
1998Excellent
1995Very Good

Who makes the famous wines here

All producers →
Aerial view of the wine village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape near Avignon, FranceProducerChâteau RayasThe anti-Châteauneuf: 13 hectares of old Grenache in sandy pine woods, yields around 15 hl/ha, and…Château de BeaucastelProducerChâteau de BeaucastelThe Perrin family's 130-hectare Châteauneuf estate, organic since the 1960s, whose Hommage à Jacques Perrin —…Sunset over the vineyards of Tain-l'Hermitage, Rhône Valley, FranceProducerDomaine Jean-Louis ChaveSixteen generations on the hill of Hermitage: about 15 hectares across the hill's climats, and a Cuvée…Ampuis, Côte-RôtieProducerE. GuigalThe house that made Côte-Rôtie collectible: the 'La La' single-vineyard wines — La Mouline, La Landonne, La…

Famous wines from here

All →
Château Rayas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape RéservéChâteau de Beaucastel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques PerrinDomaine Jean-Louis Chave, HermitageDomaine Jean-Louis Chave, Hermitage Cuvée CathelinE. Guigal, Côte-Rôtie La LandonneE. Guigal, Côte-Rôtie La MoulineE. Guigal, Côte-Rôtie La Turque

Appellations

Châteauneuf-du-PapeAppellationChâteauneuf-du-PapeThe southern Rhône's flagship: 3,200 hectares of Grenache on stony soils, with Rayas and Beaucastel at the…Terraced vineyards of Côte-Rôtie at AmpuisAppellationCôte-RôtieSteep Syrah terraces above the Rhône, revived by Guigal's La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque.The hill of Hermitage above TainAppellationHermitageOne hill, 137 hectares, and Syrah that trades with Bordeaux's classified growths.

What a bottle costs to make here

All models →
A glass of dark red wine on a terrace wall in a very steep vineyard above a wide river

Northern Rhône single-vineyard Syrah

$21–$70 to make one bottle

A Syrah from the steep terraces of Hermitage or Côte-Rôtie in the northern Rhône. Farmed by hand, a few thousand bottles a year.

The numbers behind the region: land, grapes, yields and costs

Compare regions

InputRangeUnitYearSource
Land — what a hectare of vineyard sells for
Vineyard land, Châteauneuf-du-PapeDominant price €520,000/ha in 2024, up 2% on 2023500,000–530,000EUR/ha2024SAFER 2024
Vineyard land, Côte-RôtieDominant price €1,350,000/ha in 2024, up 8% on 2023; the official table's range runs…1,000,000–1,600,000EUR/ha2024SAFER 2024
Vineyard land, Côtes du RhôneOfficial 2024 table for the regional appellation: dominant price €10,000/ha, range…7,000–18,000EUR/ha2024SAFER 2024
Vineyard land, HermitageNo official figure: SAFER reports Hermitage as not significant; the range is bracketed by…500,000–1,350,000EUR/ha2024Trade reporting on northern Rhône land
Grapes — what growers are paid
Bulk Côtes du Rhône red, per hectolitre€139/hl on average from August to November 2025 (organic €129, conventional €149); Inter…129–149EUR/hl2025Inter Rhône bulk-market data
Labour — farming and harvest
Vineyard labour, northern Rhône terraces20,000–40,000EUR/ha/year2024Producer interviews reported in the tr…
Barrels
New French oak (barrique/demi-muid)800–1,500EUR/barrel2025Cooperage price lists and trade report…

Where the inputs come from

  1. SAFER / FNSAFER, Le prix des terres 2024 — the official 2024 vineyard-value table (Décision du 26 août 2025, from SAFER data) as reproduced by Fidecorex, 10 February 2026
  2. Trade reporting on northern Rhône land; SAFER publishes no significant figure for Hermitage (the official 2024 table gives Cornas €500,000/ha and Côte-Rôtie €1,350,000/ha)
  3. Inter Rhône bulk-market data, 1 August to 30 November 2025, as reported by Vinetur, December 2025
  4. Producer interviews reported in the trade press; hours per hectare several times the Médoc's
  5. Cooperage price lists and trade reporting (Wine Industry Network, Wines & Vines), 2024–2025

Sources

  1. Chiffres clés des vins de la Vallée du Rhône, Inter Rhône, 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2026.
  2. Le prix des terres — vignes, SAFER / FNSAFER, 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2026. FNSAFER figures as reproduced in the official 2024 vineyard-value table (Décision du 26 août 2025), on a page that opens from outside France.
Last reviewed: September 2026Report an error on this page

Related

CountryFranceRegionBordeauxAppellationChâteauneuf-du-PapeAppellationCôte-RôtieAppellationHermitageGrapeGrenacheGrapeSyrahProducerChâteau RayasProducerChâteau de Beaucastel