Attractions

Wine Lure & Lore

The local wines are distinctive in their blending of 13 varieties of grapes, grown on vines surrounded by stones that reflect heat onto them during the day and keep them warm in the cool night. As a result, the wines produced in the district's vineyards are among the most potent in France, with an alcohol content of at least 12.5% and, in many instances, as high as 15%. The region played a central role in the initiation of the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, France's strict quality-control system. This was formed when the late Baron Le Roy de Boiseaumarie, the most distinguished of the local vintners, initiated geographical boundaries and minimum standards for the production of wines given the Châteauneuf-du-Pape label. In 1923, local producers won exclusive rights to market their Côtes du Rhônes under that label, and thus paved the way for other regions to identify and protect their distinctive wines. You'll see a plaque devoted to his memory in the town's place de la Renaissance.

The two major associations de vignerons, representing a consortium of individually owned vineyards whose owners pool their marketing, advertising, and bottling programs, are great for learning the town's wine-related lore. Open Monday through Friday from 8am to noon and 2 to 6pm, Prestige et Tradition, 3 rue de la République (tel. 04-90-32-57-28), represents 10 vintners. They offer dégustations and sales.

Another useful source is La Vinothèque, 9 rue de la République (tel. 04-90-83-74-01). A sales and marketing outlet for Madame Carre, matriarch of the Comtes d'Argelas vineyards, it's open for wine tastings and sales daily from 10am to 6pm. On the premises is La Boutique de la Vinothèque, where wine accessories (corkscrews, racks, decanters) are sold.

Touring & Tasting the Wines -- A map posted in place du Portail (but called place de la Fontaine by just about everyone), pinpoints 22 wineries open for touring and tasting. The best known is Domaine de Mont-Redon, on D68 about 5km (3 miles) north of the town center (tel. 04-90-83-72-75; www.chateaumontredon.fr). It offers samplings of recent vintages of reds and whites and sales of eau-de-vie, a clear grape liqueur produced in a limited batch annually. A noteworthy competitor is Clos des Papes, avenue Le Bienheureux Pierre de Luxembourg, in the town center (tel. 04-90-83-70-13; www.clos-des-papes.fr), where humidified cellars produce what many connoisseurs consider the region's best wine. Both establishments prefer advance notice before your arrival.

The town's only museum devotes all its exhibition space to winemaking. The Musée des Vieux Outils de Vignerons of the Caves du Père-Anselme, avenue Le Bienheureux Pierre de Luxembourg (tel. 04-90-83-70-07), contains the history and artifacts of local wine production, including a 16th-century wine press, winemakers' tools, barrel-making equipment, and a tasting cellar. It's open daily from mid-April to mid-September from 9am to 1pm and 2 to 7pm, and the rest of the year from 9am to noon and 2 to 6pm. Admission and tastings are free.

A Wine Festival -- During 3 days in early August, the village hosts the annual Fête de la Véraison, a medieval fair. It includes tasting stalls set up by local winemakers, actors impersonating Provençaux troubadours, bear-baiters (who are much kinder to their animals than their medieval counterparts), falconers with their birds, merchants selling locally made handicrafts, battered flea market kiosks, and food. Don't expect dancing -- what you'll get is a festival where the antique fountain on place du Portail spurts out wine, and vast amounts of that beverage are consumed. If you attend, you can drink all the wine you want for the price of a verre de la Véraison. This souvenir glass, filled on demand at any vintner who participates, costs 4€ ($5.20) and is sold at strategically positioned kiosks around town.