A Taste of French Wine

Les Vins Des Cotes du Rhone Wall Map

As you have no doubt noticed in the theme of our posts, our trip has had a large focus on wine and food. Being the foodies we are, it’s only natural that this be the case. As we found ourselves back in France, we were excited to continue the wine exploring especially as we traveled through some of France’s most celebrated wine regions.

Having heard and studied places such as the Cotes du Rhone and Burgundy and their famous appellations including Chateauneuf du Pape, Cotes du Beaune, and Cotes du Nuits, I was particularly excited to visit these towns and start tasting! Our first stop was Chateauneuf du Pape just outside Avignon in the southern most part of the Cotes du Rhone. Joined by Nate’s cousin once removed and her husband (they live in London but summer in Southern France) we were on our way to the quaint wine town of Chateauneuf du Pape.

Most of the wine tasting visits I have experienced in the past have been in tasting rooms on the property where the vineyard and winery are also located – often having a tour first of the facilities and then tasting. It was not so in the places we visited in France. Most tasting rooms are located in town while the production is outside and not as often visited. Another interesting difference was how the tastings were conducted. Instead of paying for a sampling of wines as we do in places like Napa or Virginia, we were invited to taste anything but with the hope/expectation that we would purchase a bottle or more at the end. Having the minimal budgets that travelers always do, we had a couple awkward goodbyes after tasting but not purchasing.

Cellar Tasting at Marche aux Vins

One of our stops in Chateauneuf was at a small store run by a woman of about 60 and dressed as if she were 20. She invited us in and started pouring wine after wine. Whites, reds and dessert wines all made at vineyards in the region owned and operated by various family members. She was the matriarch of the family and in charge of the store. Soon cheese was presented to match the exquisite wines. When we were finally able to see the price list, we realized this woman had shared some of her best bottles with us! As the wines were so delicious and the company so entertaining, we happily purchased one of the more modest bottles of wine.

Couvent des Cordeliers

In the city of Beaune in the heart of Burgundy, we had quite a different experience again. Still tasting at shops and tasting rooms, we could see that these places were geared towards the tourist taster. We paid for tastings here and did not feel obligated to buy a bottle or bad when we didn’t. Each place we visited was also housed in a building of historical significance. The first tasting room named Marche aux Vins was housed in a 13th century church. We were given instructions to taste on our own and explore the cellars below where the wine is kept. It was a setting unlike we had ever enjoyed before. For our next tasting we visited Couvent de Cordeliers, a centuries old abbey where they have been making wine from the beginning. Here too we were able to tour parts of the abbey and then taste a sampling of wines.

For a wine enthusiast these places are not to be passed up. While I’m sure we could have had more intimate tours had we let them know I was in the industry or if I had arranged through my acquaintances, but it was fun to learn about and explore these tasting rooms and towns on our own. I can’t wait to return!