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French
Wines: The Essential Guide to the Wines and Wine Growing Regions of France
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The Southern Côtes-du-Rhône Wine
Trail
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The southern part of the Rhône Valley manages to combine
the charms of Provence with the pleasures offered by wine. Following
our wine trail you will be seduced by the beauty of the countryside
and the small villages, and you will discover red, white and rosé
wines full of character, the best known of them coming, without
a shadow of doubt, from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. |
Our wine trail through
the southern part of the Rhône Valley passes through four départements:
Ardèche, Gard, Vaucluse and Drôme. The region includes a number
of towns interesting from a tourist point of view (Avignon, Orange
and Vaison-la-Romaine), as well as a host of small villages of genuine
charm (Séguret, Rochegude, Grignan, Taulignan, Gigondas, Crillon-le-Brave
and so many more).
Not far from Vaison, the Dentelles de Montmirail offer the visitor
landscapes of utterly breathtaking beauty which will delight casual
walkers as well as agile climbers. As for lovers of wine, lulled
by the mild climate they will delight in stopping over at one of
the many wine producers whose vineyards border their route: there,
often in an incredibly beautiful situation, they will be able to
sample typical local red, white and rosé wines of high quality. |
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A
brief history
The Templar influence on the development
of the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in particular and Provence
in general...
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The
characteristics
A Mediterranean climate, a great diversity
in varieties of grape grown (for both red and white wines), and
typical local wines which are often of a high standard.
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Classification
There are several levels of appellation:
two regional AOCs - AOC Côtes-du-Rhône and AOC Côtes-du-Rhône
Villages - and five local appellations: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas,
Vacqueyras, Lirac and Tavel.
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En
route!
It's quite impossible to claim to be
able to see the whole region in one or two days: if you tried
you would just come back frustrated. The southern part of the
Rhône Valley is a huge area ideal for rather longer stays - at
least 3 or 4 days - and for coming back to as often as you want.
As for lovers of wine, they can concentrate on one small area
and then come back and explore another the following year!
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Practical
tips
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