Châteauneuf-du-Pape. France. Days 102 – 106 August 9th to 13th 2019
A confession before I begin – I had never heard of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or its exceptional red wines before a sleepover at friends in Sydney earlier in the year. I can at least take credit for uttering the statement “There is a village here (Google search) that looks perfect for our stay it’s called Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Gasps and outbursts of ecstatic love followed by a booking to complete our trip after Montpelier together. And soon enough here we were.
The village surrounding the towering structure of Châteauneuf-du-Pape was visible from some distance. Driving through the rows and rows of squat grape vines surrounded by limestone or heaped volcanic rocks others in the car became quite emotional. We were here.
Entering the village with its narrow streets, famous wine, sandy toned buildings and terracotta rooves I did become excited. This was to be our home for the week.
It seemed driving in that whatever space was not taken up with chateaus and shops was filled with bright green vines currently laden with bunches of ripe-almost-ready-to-pick grapes. Each aspect built a picturesque village perched on a hillside overlooked by the towering remains of the Pope’s summerhouse.
Step One – settle into our apartment in the tiny lane just off the main square. A very quickly followed Step Two – stroll the barely 100 metres to the nearest awning covered wine bar to drink in the whole of it. The week begins.
Our first day was Chris’s birthday and a chance for him to live a dream. The dream – to wander through a village in France with a fresh Baguette under his arm. The vision had included beret and striped shirt, we had to make do with a Baguette and bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s famous red wine.
The day began – in the high summer heat with a walk to the remains of the Chateau on the hill. This done we visited Epicerie d’estelle filled with delicious temptations. And tempted we were succumbing to “take-way” Charcuterie and Fromage platters, with the perfect bottle of wine to accompany it. Soon enough there we were on our balcony lunching with the platters, salad, a soft Rose and of course the Baguette. Life is very good.
Afternoon siesta – of course. An obligatory promenade through the town before it is time to celebrate Chris’s birthday with a dinner at Le Tables de Vignerons. We pride ourselves on a great choice. Owned by the winery Domaine Durieu the restaurant has a view over the valley below, with the moon rising almost to full above us. We had superb, knowledgeable and attentive service, delicious food and wine.
The daily trips to the Boulangerie, cave à vin, delicatessen and when necessary the supermarket gave opportunity for the newly learned language skills to be tested – with varying degrees of success. This did not affect our ability to eat local produce and sample local wines. Three working together seemed to get by – some being more adventurous than others, others having mastered pronunciation slightly more French than Strine.
At a local Writers festival held in the main street forty authors had gathered to discuss and sell their books. Dennis fearlessly walked up to a stall and began a conversation with the author – in French – only to find the author replied in English. He tried.
Most of our time over our week was spent in and around the village – why leave. Kerri had read in a local tourist booklet that there was a community oven in the village square. This proved an excellent “Where’s Wally” kind of focus for exploring – leaving no street untouched in the search for the oven. Which eventually we found did not exist. Great idea though.
One particularly hot 36c day we ventured up near the Chateau on the hill to Caves St Charles, for a wine tasting. Not your usual – we were the only guests for an hour of tasting, information and education. No charge and no obligation to buy – though of course we did! And all in a wine cellar built in the 14th century. Our host David was a font of knowledge, encouragement and fun. Learning more about using the senses to properly get understand what you are drinking.
A favourite for pre-dinner drinks was a small, simple outside bar Le Jardin de Paval, under the remains of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape. We began on the outer and gradually moved forward as people left until we were sitting with uninterrupted views across Châteauneuf-du-Pape and out to Mt Ventoux.
One post dinner adventure was to visit the cemetery on the edge of town filled with beautiful mausoleums and headstones. The men remained outside theoretically gaining shots of the Château. Under the bright full moon the women – arm in arm (or arm clutching arm) – strolled the paths through the eerily lit, but beautiful graveyard.
