
Initiated by Chateauneuf Du Pape Appellation wine producers , Vinadea , the "Maison des Vins" located in
Chateauneuf Du Pape , has a selection of 90 Domaines whose bottles are available here .
Acting as a showroom for the Chateauneuf Du Pape wines , it offers right in the village a huge selection of wines of great quality at the producers' price , same you would pay if you went directly at the property . And you can taste wines free of charge among a selection that changes regularly .
The institution's goal is not making money selling wine , it is making the Chateauneuf Du Pape wines better known to the visitor , who can make his choice for a purchase

, or just taste the wines to discover them .
In one place you can reach different Chateauneuf Du Pape Domaines , wich is not always easy when you try to visit the actual Domaines . Some are understaffed to receive you , and also you have the different busy seasons where staff is streched to many tasks in the vineyards and the cellars .
The Chateauneuf Du Pape area is more geographically delimited than geologically : It lies on a plateau , but with 5 different soils underneath . On the picture on left , you can see the view from the village , on the Rhone far away .
One of the common characteristics of the vineyards' soil here is this incredible layer of rolled quartz pebbles , many orange or grapefruit sized , that cover the ground . You even wonder how something can grow on such big stones . It is said these stones store the heat at night in the ground . And of course the roots go very deep . These stones were shaped long ago in the Rhone river bed , or by the moving glaciers .
Chateauneuf du Pape was the first Appellation in France , thanks to Baron Leroy of Chateau Fortia , who saw new rules as a way to counter fraudulent practices and declining quality of wine in the region at the time . This was in 1923 . The new rules were : Minimum 12.5 ° alcohol , Hand harvest with selection on the spot , Restricted yields , And a list of grape varieties plus a delimited area ; At last , a tasting panel to check the wines . This was in 1923 and soon to follow was the "Appellation Controlée" system applied to other french wine regions .
View inside the "Maison des Vins"***Click below for more***
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