Saône: the ancient Roman Arar. The Saône (Italian: Saona) is the main right-bank tributary of the Rhône. It rises in the Vosges mountains, east of Alsace, at a modest altitude (402 meters above sea level).
Its main tributary is the Doubs. After their confluence, the river becomes navigable up to the vicinity of Lyon, where, after traveling 480 km from its source, it flows into the Rhône.
The first notable feature of this river is its massive water flow, due to the consistent rainfall typical of the oceanic climate. It’s enough to consider that the Rhône, after receiving its waters, sees its flow increase by 50%.
Saône: A Wine River. But Why?
Despite being several kilometers away in a straight line from the main wine-producing areas, the Saône—working together with powerful winds coming from the east (even as far as Siberia)—manages to influence the wine-growing regions of parts of the Loire, the Auxerrois, Chablis, and the Côte d’Or.
It acts as a hydro-thermal regulator for that part of the Loire where Sauvignon Blanc is the leading grape variety (Sancerre and Pouilly-sur-Loire).
When its course becomes perpendicular and reaches Lyon and the Rhône, it affects the areas of the Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise et Couchois, the Mâconnais, and Beaujolais.
Pinot Noir, Gamay, Chardonnay, and Aligoté are the grape varieties that benefit, maturing optimally thanks to the river’s influence.
Traveling along the Route Nationale (D974) through the Côte d’Or, between Beaune and Dijon, on the right side you’ll find vast vineyard areas that extend in patches as far as the riverbanks, several kilometers away. This predominantly silty land is nothing other than the enormous ancient riverbed left by the Arar and/or Saône millions of years ago—a legacy handed down to humankind.
The ancient Romans, centuries before Christ, cultivated vines here, giving thanks to the Arar (the Latin name of the Saône) for the land’s fertility. Arar, like a deity.
Urano Cupisti
