Things To Do in Chateauneuf-du-Pape

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. The region played a central role in the initiation of the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, France's strict quality-control system. 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.

A useful source is La Vinadéa, or Maison des Vins, 8 rue Maréchal Foch (tel. 04-90-83-70-69; www.vinadea.com), a promotion house set up by the winemakers' Fédération des Syndicats de Producteurs. It's open for wine tastings and sales daily.

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. One of the best known is Clos des Papes, avenue Pierre de Luxembourg, in the town center (tel. 04-90-83-70-13; www.clos-des-papes.fr), where Paul-Vincent Avril is the fourth generation of winemakers to produce top-class wine.

The town's museum devotes all its exhibition space to winemaking. The Musée du Vin, avenue Pierre de Luxembourg (tel. 04-90-83-70-07; www.brotte.com), 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 April to September from 9am to 1pm and 2 to 7pm, and October to March 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, merchants selling locally made handicrafts, concerts, a gala dinner, and a torchlight parade. 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 only a few euros and is sold at strategically positioned kiosks around town.

Wine & Chocolate -- If you're a fan of wine and chocolate, visit Vin Chocolat & Compagnie, a chocolate and wine showroom on the Route d'Avignon (tel. 04-90-83-54-71; www.vin-chocolat-castelain.com), about 3km (2 miles) south of town. In these show rooms, chocolate-maker Bernard Castelain demonstrates how he produces Bouchons de Châteauneuf-du-Pape, dark chocolate (ganache) flavored with a distilled version of the wine produced in local vineyards (vieux marc de Châteauneuf). Children and adults can make their own chocolate to see how their creations compare to the company's best-selling Palets des Papes and Picholines.