A picnic to remember in Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Picnics were commonplace for Sarah and I over the course of our travels. Bread and cheese was our sustenance. Many picnics were not ideally located, or were soggy as we sought shelter in a train station, huddled under a tree, or perched on a park bench. Most quite frankly are long forgotten.

A glorious picnic is a different story. It warrants some wistful reminiscing. In Châteauneuf-du-Pape I wrote “we had a picnic the way I imagined our picnics to be”.

We headed out into wine region from our base in Avignon. It was early spring, the vines were spindly and the earth dry and pebbly. There were no grapes on the vines, and no wine tours so we randomly hopped on a bus to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

In the centre of the village, we visited a few wine tasting cellars. Stepping down the steep stone stairs into the cool air, we arrived into these dimly lit caves where the owners offered us a tasting. We tasted some wines but really had no other purpose than procuring a reasonably priced bottle. With that task complete, we turned our attention to finding a spot to enjoy our wine.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is built at the foot of the remains of a hilltop castle. We made our way through narrow streets, flanked by old stone buildings, all the way up to the ruins. Once we arrived, we found a large block of stone which became our picnic bench. We sat among the castle ruins, with gorgeous views of the Rhône countryside with its tidy plots of land and small villages.

Before popping the cork, I proudly displayed our bottle for a photo with our scenic backdrop. I had no idea how famous this wine region was, but somehow I knew this was a special spot. And a special bottle of wine, perfectly complementing our brie and tomato sandwich on crusty baguette. We had such discerning palettes!

It was a majestic picnic. It was the romantic version I had conjured up dreaming of Europe. We did not experience this ideal most days, which makes me appreciate it all the more.

This is one entry from my 1992 European backpacking trip with my friend Sarah. If you want to start at the beginning, please check out The journey starts in Nice.