Châteauneuf-du-Pape

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Coordinates: 44°03′25″N 4°49′55″E / 44.05694°N 4.83194°E / 44.05694; 4.83194

Administration
Commune of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Castle ruin in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Location
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Vaucluse
Arrondissement	Avignon
Canton	Orange-Ouest
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes des Pays de Rhône et Ouvèze
Mayor	Jean-Pierre Boisson (2001–2008)
Statistics
Elevation	20–130 m (66–430 ft) (avg. 117 m/380 ft)
Land area¹	25.85 km² (9.98 sq mi)
Population²	2,078 (1999)
- Density	80 /km² (210 /sq mi)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	84037/ 84230
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a town and commune in the Vaucluse département in Provence, in southern France. Its name derives from a castle built by the Popes when they ruled from Avignon.

1 History
2 Wine
3 See also
4 International relations
- 4.1 Twin towns - Sister cities
5 Further reading
6 External links

History

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Châteauneuf-du-Pape translates as "New Castle of the Pope," and indeed, the history of this commune and its wine is firmly entwined with papal history. In 1308, Pope Clement V, former Archbishop of Bordeaux, relocated the papacy to the city of Avignon. Clement V and subsequent "Avignon Popes" were said to be great lovers of wine and did much to promote it during the seventy-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 the area had been initiated and maintained by the Bishops of Avignon, largely for local consumption.

Clement V was succeeded by John XXII, who regularly drank the wines from the vineyards to the north, as well as Burgundy wine, and did much to improve viticultural practices there. Under John XXII, the wines of this area came to be known as "Vin du Pape"; this term later became Châteauneuf-du-Pape. John XXII is also responsible for erecting the famous castle that stands as a symbol for the appellation.

Wine

Main article: Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC

Vineyard and château near Châteuneuf-du-Pape.

The village and three other surrounding communes produce wine, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in the southern Rhône wine region. Unlike its northern Rhône neighbors, Châteauneuf-du-Pape permits thirteen different varieties of grape; the blend is usually predominantly Grenache. Other red grapes include Cinsault, Counoise, Mourvèdre, Muscardin, Syrah, Terret Noir, and Vaccarèse. White grapes include Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picardin, Roussanne, and Picpoul. In recent years, the trend has been to include fewer (or even none) of the allowed white varieties and rely heavily (or solely) upon the Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah. One may suspect that this is a response to international wine-market trends and the desire to have this sometimes-rustic wine appeal to a broader commercial audience.

Before wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. began promoting them, the wines of Châteauneuf were considered rustic and of limited appeal in the U.S. However, his influence increased their price more than fourfold in a decade. In gratitude, the Châteauneuf Winemakers Union pushed for his becoming an honorary citizen of the village.