Shiraz and Grenache are the standard bearers of the Northern and Southern Rhone respectively.

When grown in it's home ground, Shiraz (or Syrah as the rest of the world calls it) is dark fruited, grown on soils of schist and granite in a continental climate. 

Grenache from the South on the other hand is famous for it's red fruits, grown on sandy/stony soil and in a Mediterranean climate.