October 13, 2023
Orange & Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Today a quick trip to Orange and one of the most famous of wine AOC's, CndP. We started out with a train ride to Orange, and I was tickled to see this in the Avignon train station. The sign says "for you to play"! I didn't.
We quickly found the theater. I was expecting a stadium like Arles or Rome, but this was a pure theater with a stage and backdrop. Seating held 10,000 (skinny) people. Not sure how many it would hold today.
Then its off to Chateaufneuf-du-Pape. Very well kept town, wine tasting signs everywhere. Not many tourists this late in the year, which we welcomed! Clearly there is lots of money here.
We started walking up the streets, pausing to look at the houses along the way. There was the remains of a chateau at the very top.
Still up...
And then the view from the top was very impressive with Mt Ventou as the backdrop.
They also showed all 13 varieties of grapes used in the wine, and I was surprised to find out that while the classic mix of Syrah, Mouvedre, and Grenache does occur, some of the more expensive wines were pure Grenache. I wasn't as fond of them. Take a look at how rocky that soil is. Not what you would think would grow the best anything! Some of these older vines are 60yr old.
We then worked our way down through the cute town, had a glass to celebrate the occasion and came home to Avignon.
That's all for today. Tomorrow it is off to Gordes.
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 4 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |