Between Orange and Avignon, Châteauneuf-du-Pape protects its image based on the memory left by the prelates and the production of a very highly reputed red wine. Two essential reasons for having a snoop around the narrow streets of this delightful medieval village.

Its bottles can be recognised anywhere. Engraved with the tiara and Saint Peter’s keys, they easily identify the wine of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which many consider to be the flagship of the Côtes-du-Rhône appellation. This red wine is of course the emblem of the village. Produced by 300 wine-makers on over 3,000 hectares, its quality is rivalled only by the rigour with which it is made. No less than 13 grape varieties are used to make it.

But it had not always had a rose-coloured history. The vineyards were destroyed by phylloxera in 1866, and had to wait fifty years before they could be replanted. A saga that the Popes could not have imagined when they were in power in Avignon. Their arrival in the Vaucluse in the 14th Century drastically changed the village’s life in other ways. Charmed by the site, they had a castle built, which they used for their holidays. So Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a sort of French Castel Gandolfo!

We can tell how important the citadel must have been by the imposing mass of the fortress sited at the top of the mound. From the keep there is a superb view over Avignon, the Alpilles, the Luberon and Mont Ventoux. But let’s get back to wine. In the village, a museum that should not be missed presents the history of the “appellation d’origine contrôlée” (AOC). And during the year, three ritual festivals accompany the work in the vineyards: the “Floraisons (flowering) Musicales” in May, the “Véraison” (when the grapes change colour) in August and the “Ban des Vendanges” (harvest festival) in September. Three more reasons for visiting Châteauneuf-du-Pape!