Can You Say 'Wine-Tasting' or Trial by Wine Purchase

As noted in the earlier verbal post, as soon as we got to our rental outside of Avignon we headed out to Chateauneuf-du-Pape for a serious wine tasting. We found our way into the town without too much problem. We found plenty of street parking. There is a huge difference touring these places in late October/early November than coming during the peak tourist times of May through September. The town was very quiet. But literally virtually every block we walked on (we didn't go that far into town) had a Cave dedicated to wine tasting and sales. This is a town dedicated to the wine business.

But yes in fact there is a chateau fort in Chateauneuf-du-Pape

We were pretty hungry after the long drive from the Cote d'Azur and then getting here.

Sorry no food pictures, we were in such a state but we had a great meal of a first course of salmon cooked in puff pastry and then half of a small chicken poached and served with a very classic veloute sauce. It was a hell of a meal for under $40. If you by the daily menu, particularly at lunch in France and Italy, you can do very well and not spend all that much.

Where we had lunch

But let's not kid ourselves.

We came here for wine!

Shipping wine back to the US is exceedingly expensive but I said if I could fine some wine that was as good or better than anything I have in had in the US and was something that I could not get in the US and was at a price point with the shipping that was no more than what I would pay for that quality in the US, I would make the purchase.

It didn't take us long. The very first place we went to had some exquisitely yummy wine that fit all our criteria.

The scene of the crime

Then we headed out into the countryside. The folks at our rental had extolled the virtues of the wine country and we were in search of the elusive 'good light' the light that comes in the hour or so before sunset.

There is so much history here, I unfortunately have not read up on it as much as I should because their are castles and fortifications just about everywhere.

This was just some small town along the road, not even a name site.

We went through two well known other wine villages, Vacquyeras and Gigondas. 

Wife (of all people) said we should really maybe get some more wine. We had room in our luggage for another four bottles. So we stopped at a winery in Gigondas and did another tasting.

This winery has been in the same family since 1806. The wine on the far left was a limited edition wine. It cost $27 a bottle and was I thought a fabulous buy for the quality. 

Then it was on to trying to catch that illusive light

It was hard because when we'd find a scene we liked we usually couldn't find a place to park.

But we hit pay dirt as the sun was really starting to set and we went into a town called Vaison-la-Romaine where the combination of shot, light, and parking all came together.

We tootled home in the darkening light happy knowing their was no hill climb of death awaiting us.