Châteauneuf-du-Pape
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Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a town, commune, and wine region in the Vaucluse département in Provence, in southern France. Its name derives from a castle built by the Popes when they ruled from Avignon. Avignon is about 18 miles south of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
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Wine
The village and four other surrounding communes produce wine, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an AOC in the southern Rhône. This is the major wine region of the Southern Rhône Valley. Vineyards are located around Châteauneuf-du-Pape and in the neighboring villages Bédarrides, Courthézon, Sorgues, and Orange.
Smooth pebbles and stones, left over from before the Rhône River receded millennia ago, cover many of the vineyards. These stones retain heat and therefore hasten ripening of the grapes, and help hold moisture in the soil.
Unlike its northern Rhône neighbors, Châteauneuf-du-Pape permits thirteen different grape varieties, and the blend is usually predominantly Grenache. Other red grapes include Cinsaut, Counoise, Mourvèdre, Muscardine, Syrah, Terret Noir, and Vaccarèse. White grapes include Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette Blanc, Picardin, Roussanne, and Piquepoul. More than 90% of châteauneufs are red, about 7% are white, and there is a small production of rosé. Blends composed of Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah predominate.
Under AOC regulations, châteauneufs must have a minimum of 12.5% alcohol, the highest alcohol level in France. This level must be achieved without chaptalization. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is also required to have the lowest yields of grapes in France – 35 hectoliters per hectare (368 gallons per acre).
History
Châteauneuf-du-Pape translates to "New House of the Pope" and, indeed, the history of this appellation is firmly entwined with papal history. In 1308, Pope Clement V, former Archbishop of Bordeaux, relocated the papacy to the town of Avignon. Clement V and subsequent "Avignon Popes" were said to be great lovers of Burgundy wine and did much to promote it during the 70 year duration of the Avignon Papacy. At the time, winegrowing around the town of Avignon was anything but illustrious. While the Avignon Papacy did much to advance the notoriety of Burgundy wines, they were also promoting viticulture of the surrounding area, more specifically the area 5-10 km north of Avignon close to the banks of the Rhône River. Prior to the Avignon Papacy, viticulture of that area had been initiated and maintained by the Bishops of Avignon, largely for local consumption.
Clement V was succeeded by John XXII who, as well as Burgundy wine, regularly drank the wines from the vineyards to the north and did much to improve viticultural practices there. John XXII was responsible for erecting the famous castle that stands as a symbol for the appellation.
This region's wine was known as Châteauneuf-Calcernier (named for the village and a nearby limestone quarry) until the 1700s. It became known as vin d'Avignon when it was shipped northwards up river. In the early 1800s a wine called Châteauneuf-du-Pape-Calcernier emerged, and the name was taken on for the region, being popularly shortened to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s vineyards were afflicted with phylloxera in the 1870s, and the reconstruction was financially devastating. To prevent fraud and decline in quality, Baron Le Roy of Château Fortia drew up a set of rules for the production of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which became the basis of the entire AOC.
See also
Sources
- Jancis Robinson (Ed.) The Oxford Companion to Wine. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, second edition, 1999.
- Karen MacNeil. The Wine Bible. Workman Publishing Company, Inc., 2001.
- Elin McCoy. The Emperor of Wine: the Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr. and the Rein of American Taste. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.
- Tom Echikson. Noble Rot. NY: Norton, 2004.
External links
- Châteauneuf-du-Pape
- Provence-Hideaways Southern Rhône Valley Wines (Overview)
