While our ship was docked in Avignon, Viking organized an afternoon tour to the Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine region, known in France as one of the appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) regions. Here, in one of the hottest wine regions in France, you get wines with wonderfully warm and spicy aromas such as cinnamon, cloves, and freshly roasted coffee.

 Quick History Lesson 

The name "Châteauneuf-du-Pape" means "the pope's new castle" but the name does not allude to the papal palace. The town was probably already called Châteauneuf when the popes arrived. In 1893 the villagers, realizing the marketing potential of the name, added "du-Pape". Only one tower remains intact of the summer palace. Time, religious wars, and finally a German bomb during World War II have seen to that. But it is still quite impressive as is the stunning view over the vineyards and the river Rhône.

The above information was extracted from Wikipedia.

Vines Waiting For Warmer Weather

The vines are pruned for removal of the unwanted wood. For those of you who do not understand why the vines are pruned, we suggest that you visit Pruning Grapeviness for a short explanation of why it is necessary.

Rocks In The Vinyard?

The only purpose for those rocks is to keep the heat in the ground! The stones attract heat during the day, and the soil is therefore kept warmer at night.

Tour Bus in Vineyard

It was a bit brisk this particular day, but still an interesting view of a vineyard in the winter. The vines are left dormant until Spring.

Montmirail Mountains

Those are the (in the Dentelles de Montmirail mountains) and Mont Ventoux (just to the east of the Dentelles de Montmirail), as we looked east from the vineyard.

As shown in the above images, the vineyards are distinctively rocky, and these rocks are useful to the vines because they keep the daytime heat "in" the soil for a longer period of time, which keeps the roots warm overnight. This entire area has a unique clay sub-structure, and the combination of the heat retaining rocks, on top of this clay structure, produces a unique variety of grapes.

Stunning Wine Barrel

Have you ever wondered what 7,000 liters of wine would look like?  In the image to the left, I am standing next to a barrel that contained that much Grenache!
In this area of the winery, there were another 15 of these barrels, each full of wine.

 Quick History Lesson 

The wine classified as Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) is produced from grapes grown in the commune of Châteauneuf-du-Pape as well as in portions of the four adjoining communes in the Vaucluse department. The vineyards cover an area of approximately 3,200 ha. Of this total 1,659 ha (abbreviation is "hectare" a unit of surface area equal to 100 acres) lies within the commune of Châteauneuf, 674 ha (21.1%) within Courthézon, 391 ha within (12.3%) Orange, 335 ha (10.5%) within Bédarrides and remaining 129 ha (4%) within Sorgues. Unlike its northern Rhône neighbours Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC permits thirteen different varieties of grape in red wine but the blend must be predominantly Grenache. In 2010 there were 320 producers. The total annual production is around 100,000 hectolitres (equivalent to 13 million bottles of 0.75 L) of which 95 percent is red. The remainder is white: the production of rosé is not permitted by AOC rules.

The above information was extracted from Wikipedia.

Castle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape

In 1317, one year after his election, Pope John XXII ordered the construction of a castle at the top of the hill above the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The castle was destroyed by the German Army, as it retreated from this area in August 1944.
Click here to read a good Wiki Article about this castle.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape Village

The Chateauneuf-du-Pape village center, looking north. We were wandering about the village, and because it is very small, there wasn't much there to look at more closely.

Castle Ruins

Celeste and I posing just in front of the Castle ruins.

Walking down to the Village

Taking a break before continuing down the very steep walkway. I could not keep myself from wondering how many people may have taken a tumble down these stairs after too much wine?

Village Center

The fountain in the center of the village was pretty, and a natural gathering place for the entire village. All of us felt like we were in a Medeival Village!

Tour Break

A quick break from all of our Village exploration, before we head back up the hill to the tour bus.

Wine Tasting Class

Celeste and I are learning about the famous wines grown in this area. Touristy? Yeah, but the guy knew his wines, and the area's history, so in the end it was well worth the experience.
When you become aware that there are over 320 wine companies in this region, you realize how important these vineyards are.

Did I mention the types of wine grapes grown in this area? We had been told at the wine tasting, but when I Googled it, I was amazed at how many types are grown in this region. I've provided you with a link to the "Wine Searcher" website for each wine, because if you are interested in wine like I am, you will want to know more about these types. Whenever "Wine Searcher" did not have information on a type, I've linked it to Wiki or "Wine Folly". Click any grape name below to be taken to a page that will provide you with an in depth description.

1. The Mainstream grapes
   1. Grenache
   2. Syrah
   3. Mourvèdre
2. Other allowed red grapes
   1. Counoise
   2. Cinsaut
   3. Muscardin
   4. Vaccarese
   5. Picpoul Noir
   6. Terret Noir

3. Authorized white grapes
   1. Grenache Blanc
   2. Roussanne
   3. Clairette
   4. Bourboulenc
4. The 5 very rare grapes that are allowed
   1. Clairette Rosé
   2. Grenache Gris
   3. Picardin
   4. Picpoul Blanc
   5. Picpoul Gris

One Must Swish Each Taste

Doing the obligatory swishing of the wine, preparing for my next bite of cheese.
Anyone can taste wine the 'Wine Folly' website tells us, all you need is a glass of wine and your brain and follow these 4 steps;

1) Look: A visual inspection of the wine under neutral lighting

2) Smell: Identify aromas through orthonasal olfaction (e.g. breathing through your nose)

3) Taste: Assess both the taste structure (sour, bitter, sweet) and flavors derived from retronasal olfaction (e.g. breathing with the back of your nose)

4) Think/Conclude: Develop a complete profile of a wine that can be stored in your long term memory.

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