Wine Articles | An Introduction to Chateauneuf-du-Pape Wines

There are so many different factors that make the wines of Chateauneuf-Du-Pape truly unique, the most surprising one is that to make their red they are allowed to mix white and red grapes, and not just 2 varieties, they can actually blend up to 13 different types of grape to create this exceptional wine.

It is not surprising then to find that these wines, when they reach their maturity are developing some incredibly complex flavours.

Located in the southern part of the Rhone Valley, between Orange and Avignon, on the left bank of the Rhone river, Chateauneuf-du-Pape is not only one of the most famous appellations of the region but also one of the biggest, with almost 32 km2 of vines planted around the village itself.

As its name suggests, the history of the town and the vineyards is linked with the papal history of the region. In the 14thCentury the Avignon Papacy were traditionally big lovers of Burgundy wines and they made great efforts to develop the wines located to the north of Avignon, close to the bank of the Rhone river.

Jean XXII decided to build the castle of Chateauneuf that has since become the symbol of the appellation. Following this era the wines then became quite popular and were often used in Burgundy as “vins de medicine” to add strength and alcohol to their wines.

From 1923, Le Baron Pierre Le Roy, understood the importance of rules regarding production, yield, soil and grape types that could be used to produce the wine in this region.


He provided a prototype for what was to become the Appellation d’origine Controllée that is now that body responsible for regulating all French Wines. Being the birthplace of this regulating system it is not surprising that Chateauneuf du Pape wines are one of the most strictly regulated appellations in France – to the extent that in the 1954 there was a clause prohibiting the landing, flying and taking off of UFOs!

The specificity of the wine of Chateauneuf is not only based on the numbers of grapes used, there are also 3 different types of terroirs. In the North and North East the pebbles covering the floor retain the heat of the Sun during the day and release it at night, as a direct effect the wines produced in this part of the appellation ripen faster than those in the South of the appellation.

Produced only in Red and white the bottles are easily recognisable by the Papal regalia and insignia embossed on their bottles.

The Reds are powerful, with notes of spices and liquorich and can be aged for many years. They are the perfect accompaniment to a slowly cooked shoulder of Lamb and a delight during the game season and I would recommend to decant them for a couple of hours before serving.