Provence Wine Tours: Châteauneuf-du-Pape & Rosé
Provence is two great wines: the powerful reds of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the southern Rhône, and the pale rosé that the region made the benchmark for, tasted from Avignon out through the pebbled vineyards and the hill villages. Compare the top-rated tours below, then read our notes.
Wine tours from Avignon and Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Provence rosé and vineyard tours
Formats: half-day tours from Avignon to Châteauneuf-du-Pape with tastings; full days combining Châteauneuf with Gigondas or the Luberon; rosé tours in the Côtes de Provence; tastings and cellar visits with a driver.
What you taste: Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas reds, Grenache-led and warm, Tavel and Côtes de Provence rosé, and the whites of the southern Rhône, with local cheese and tapenade.
Price: 92 to 103 dollars for a half day from Avignon; 185 to 200 for a full day with several estates and lunch.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The southern Rhône’s most famous wine takes its name from the popes who summered at Avignon and planted the vineyards. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a rich, warm red, mostly Grenache blended with up to thirteen traditional grape varieties, grown on a plateau of galets, the big round pebbles that hold the day’s heat and ripen the fruit. Gigondas and Vacqueyras nearby make similar wines for less, and the whites are a quiet secret. Avignon, the walled papal city, is the base, twenty minutes from the vineyards.
The rosé
Provence is the rosé capital of the world, and the wine here is dry, pale and serious, not sweet. Tavel, across the Rhône, is France’s benchmark rosé appellation; the Côtes de Provence, stretching east towards Aix and the coast, makes the pale pink wine that fills summer tables everywhere. Rosé-focused tours run from Aix, Nice and Cannes on the coast, and the Gulf of Saint-Tropez is the rosé heartland; the Bandol and Cassis coast makes the age-worthy reds and the whites; the Châteauneuf tours from Avignon lean red. For the coast itself, see our French Riviera food tours.
How to visit
Avignon is two and a half hours from Paris by TGV and the hub for the southern Rhône; a guided half day reaches Châteauneuf and two or three domains. For the food, the markets and Marseille, see our Provence food tours. Harvest is September.
Frequently asked questions
Is Provence rosé sweet?
No; the good Provence rosé is bone dry, pale and mineral. Sweet pink wine is a different thing made elsewhere.
What are the galets at Châteauneuf-du-Pape?
The large round pebbles covering the vineyards; they store the sun’s heat and release it at night, ripening the Grenache.
Where should I base myself?
Avignon for Châteauneuf and the southern Rhône reds; Aix or the coast for the Côtes de Provence rosé.
How we choose
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