Our chateau in Chateauneuf du Pape

This is what's left of the original chateau of Chateauneuf du Pape

This was our chateau

Choosing sites to visit while on holiday is difficult. Choosing where to sleep and eat can be even more difficult.

After touring the Roman Theatre in Orange, rather than go on-line as is our habit, we went to the tourist office to see what accommodation might be available in the area since it was nearly 6pm. Sally found a brochure for a castle. “This would be nice” she said to the guy behind the counter. “It’s not here” he said. “It’s in Chateauneuf du Pape.”

When I worked for David Mooney at Narod in the early 80’s we drank quite a bit of Chateauneuf du Pape when a Haut Brion wasn’t on the wine list. (Of course this was before our 1983 receivership), so I thought why not. The agent phoned on our behalf and there was a ‘privilege’ room available at a discounted price since it was late in the day. So we booked it and set off.

When we arrived, Sally couldn’t believe her eyes. “Is this the place? Are we really sleeping in the castle?” Of course this was not the chateau of Chateauneuf du Pape…it’s just a ruin. But we were staying in the 19^thCentury Chateau des Fines Roches.

It was fabulous. The reception was very informal and comfortable. One of the interesting things we experienced here and in other French properties outside of town is they don’t request a credit card on arrival. They trust you! As the manager said, “You are my prisoner here!”

We had a wonderful room overlooking the swimming pool with a view of the vineyards. Rather than drive into town, we agreed to have dinner in a small dining room since the other dining room was full. 

Of course we had to try the wine made from grapes growing outside our window

As Pete McMartin so correctly observed, it's hard to find Coq au Vin in France anymore...especially in restaurants like this. Everything has to be a work of art, often with lots of foam! Me? I prefer escargot, but not on the menu!

Some of the different Chateauneuf du Papes on the wine list, on display outside the restaurant.

There was one other couple near us; a very attractive young couple about half our age, but I couldn’t place their accent. We started to chat after dinner. It turned out they were from Copenhagen and were staying in very nice places and eating well. They had learned about the chateau from a website that features small but exclusive properties outside of towns and cities. 

There was an honour bar in the drawing room, but since a glass of Lagavulin was not much less than what I pay for a Duty-free bottle, I passed. (Admittedly, this one was a few years older.)

I was curious how a young couple my daughters' age could enjoyed such a standard of travel. But I soon understood why. He was in commercial real estate!  I told him to come to Vancouver since real estate is just about our only industry these days. The next morning we went into the village. It's charming, but not exceptional. What is special are all the caves which have their own tasting rooms. You could spend a day eating their cheese and sausages and trying their wines....and not just any wines. Chateauneuf du Pape. 

It was too early in the day to start tasting, and we had plans to set off for Vaison la Romaine, but we did buy a bottle of the local digestif. Who knew there was a Chateauneuf du Pape digestif?

Hopefully I will get it back to Vancouver without breaking it....unlike my last trip to France when 6 bottles of liqueur and aperitif arrived broken. (It's hard to get Chartreuse out of a white shirt!)

One of the reasons for the wine quality in the region is the pebbly soil.

A local wine dealer was surprised that I wasn't going to purchase this vertical collection. (I think they add the dust to increase the appeal)

Ok, so we did taste some of the wines at the wine museum. Yes, there's a wine museum in Chateauneuf du Pape.