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The Telegraph (19 Aug 08) includes a boat trip up the Rhone Valley as one of its top 10 river cruises:

Navigating France’s mightiest river is a favourite for wine aficionados and foodies. A cruise through Burgundy and Provence gives you the chance to visit vineyards (think Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape), explore Lyon – the gourmet capital of France – and enjoy historic towns such as the fortified city of Avignon and the Roman ruins in Arles. The countryside is equally superb: its fields of lavender and sunflowers were an inspiration for artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, and as the river drains into the Mediterranean you’ll see the famous white horses of the Camargue.

The route includes many worthwhile stops for visits to suit all tastes, but it is also remarkably rich in potential wine visits as you’ll pass through appellations such as Costieres de Nimes, Cotes du Rhone (north and south), Lirac, Tavel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, St Joseph and Hermitage - and if you branch onto the River Saone north of Lyon you can explore Beuajolais and southern Burgundy!

It should come as little surprise that rivers and canals tend to offer good access to good vineyards - vines often grow best on the steep valley sides with their good drainage and aspect to the sun.

A more modest trip than the Rhone, could be a canal trip from Auxerre (89 Yonne, Burgundy) close to Chablis and down the Canal de Bourgogne to Dijon and the Burgundy vineyards; or a trip down the Canal Lateral de la Loire for Sancerre AC, Pouilly-Fumé and Coteaux Giennois. By using the Canal du Nivernais and the Canal de Briare you could even manage a circular route via Auxerre.

Of course, Rick Stein’s French Odyssey was based on a canal trip along the Canal du Midi and the Canal Lateral de la Garonne and included the vineyards of Bordeaux, Cotes du Marmandais, Buzet, Fronton, Minervois, Corbieres and the Coteaux du Languedoc.

For another set of options try Hilary Wright’s book Water into Wine: A Wine Lover’s Journey Through The Waterways of France which also includes itineraries in the lower Loire. Cognac, Alsace, Lorraiine and the Lot.

For more info on the canals of France see the website for VNF (Voies Navigable de la France) now much improved and in English!

Waitrose (online and in its stores) launches its French Wine Showcase on 26 March 08 - running through to 27 April 2008 this will feature a total of 48 wines.

As well as our usual French favourites, the showcase will also see the launch of four new wines to the range, including the delightful Taittinger Rose NV and the excellent value Domaine des Eyssards Bergerac Rouge.

Unusually for a major supermarket (and greatly to be welcomed) Waitrose will be featuring 13 specially sourced small parcel wines from a wide range of less well-known appellations such as:

Quincy (crisp Sauvignon Blancs from the Loire), Provence and Lirac (Southern Rhone) and the wonderfully unusual Pierre Boniface Domaine des Rocailles Apremont de Savoie 2007 and La Bastide Blanche Bandol (rich Mourvedre red from east of Marseille).

Waitrose Wine Direct

Lirac, Tavel and Chateauneuf-du-Pape

The third and final day trip from Saint Remy-de-Provence (13 Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur) takes us northwards to the western side of Avignon and includes 2 lesser known appellations and probably the most famous!
First stop is Tavel, where reputedly the “best rosé wine in the world” is produced - and this is not some light, frivolous summer salad wine, but it can be a seriously good, full-bodied dry rosé.
Although the most direct route is via Avignon, I prefer to avoid the frenetic and sometimes confusing and busy Avignon ring road, and instead head west on the D99 from St Remy to TARASCON, and then onto BEAUCAIRE. Then head north on the D986L to REMOULINS, where you turn right (north) onto the N700 signposted to Avignon. About 2 miles outside of Remoulins, take the left fork to ROCHEFORT-DU-GARD on the D976. (If you have a good map and navigator you could follow the D2 from BEAUCAIRE alongside the River Rhône to ARAMON, and then cut across country to DOMAZAN to ROCHEFORT-DU-GARD).About 2 miles beyond ROCHEFORT-DU-GARD take a left signposted to the village of TAVEL.
On the way in to the village you will pass the Co-operative (which is not one of the best), but I would head on into the village for Domaine Maby - on the northwest side of the village in rue St Vincent.
Maby has always been one of the best Tavel producers with Cuvée La Forcadière, and as a bonus they also produce Lirac (La Fermade). In recent years Richard Maby has taken over from his illustrious father, so we may see some changes in style in years to come. But for now these Grenache and Cinsault dominated rosés are the classic style being high in acidity and distinctly dry and full-bodied and should present a challenge to those who think rosé wine is for wimps. Tavel is an appellation exclusively for rosé wines, but confusingly the neighbouring Lirac appellation produces both red, white and rosé, although is better known for its reds.

Although the village of Lirac is a little to the north of Tavel, we head out of Tavel to the east back on to the D976 heading to ROQUEMAURE, where our destination is Domaines Assemat and Castel Oualou.(NB you need to book an appointment here (tel: 04 66 82 65 65) and you’ll need some directions), The landscape here is decidedly more rugged and it is this which helps to produce red wines which tend to have strong mineral character.
From Roquemaure you continue on the D976 northwards crossing to the left bank of the Rhône, followed shortly thereafter with a right turn(eastwards) on the D17 to CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE

Chateauneuf-du-Pape is very definitely on the tourist route, being the summer home of the Avignon Popes and the birthplace of a wine that most people have heard of. As such the village can be quite crowded, and there are some obvious tourist traps - but there are plenty of winetasting shops, and those which are owned by a domaine tend to offer best value for money.
The wines of Chateauneuf-du-Pape are complex in part due to the fact that the appellation rules allow up to 13 grape varieties to be used: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Muscardin, Vaccarese, Picpoul and Terret (all red) and the following white varietals: Rousanne, Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Picardin.These are blended with the red grapes to lighten the colour and regulate the maturation of the wine. Also in the village is an interesting wine museum (Musée du Vin Brotte) on the route d’Avignon

Although most of the old Pope’s palace is now in ruins, there is one tower which affords a great view over the region (down to the Alpilles in the south, and the Ventoux range to the east - well worth the climb.

There are many good winemakers, chateaux and domaines in the region, many with names you may find familiar. Hence choosing one or two means missing many others which are equally worth visiting. Nearby is the Domaine de Beaurenard, which is one of the domaines I would select for a visit - the Coulon family makes an excellent standard of wines, with rich bouquets and great structure - these are BIG wines, which need some ageing to be at their best (5-10 years depending on vintage). Open daily except Sunday - 10, Avenue Pierre de Luxembourg (Route d’Avignon). There is also a winemaker’s museum here (Musée du Vigneron) at their other domaine at Rasteau in the Côtes du Rhône (see www.beaurenard.fr/)

The other recommended visit would be to Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, a personal favourite as this was one of the first Chateauneuf wines I tasted.The domaine has a particularly hot microclimate, which enables them to pick their ripe grapes up to a week earlier than neighbouring domaines.

Vieux Télégraphe’s blend is a typical one, with Grenache accounting for around two thirds, the rest being made up of Syrah and Mourvèdre in roughly equal proportions, and a tiny bit of Cinsault. When I first visited, unannouced I was lucky enough to be shown around by the redoubtable Henri Brunier who did so much to make this wine one of the flagship wines of the appellation.But since the 1980s, it has been his 2 sons who have managed the vineyard, (classy website at www.vignoblesbrunier.fr/)

Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe is at BEDARRIDES - head east out of Chateauneuf-du-Pape on the Chemin de Bedarrides (only about 2-3 miles). You will need to phone ahead to check they are open to visitors - Tel: 04 90 33 00 31.

From here your options are to head north and visit the town of ORANGE with its Roman remains, or south to AVIGNON.
The direct route back to St Remy-de-Provence is about 25 miles, and the whole day involves no more than about 60 miles travelling.

These 3 itineraries will provide you with an excellent understanding of the wealth of wines available in the Southern Rhône. Real enthusiasts may choose to spend a little more time exploring some of the Côtes du Rhône Villages such as Sablet, Vinsobres, Roaix, Rochegude,Seguret, Valreas and Visan to name but some.

Other extensions to the trip would be west to the Costières de Nimes, or east to the vineyards of Provence. This is probably the best area in France to explore many different styles of wine, as you are spoilt for choice.
Contact Details:-
Domaine Maby rue St Vincent, 30126 Tavel;
T:04 66 50 03 40 F: 04 66 50 43 12

Domaine de Castel Oualou Vignobles Assemat, 30150 Roquemaure
T:04 66 82 65 65 F: 04 66 82 86 76

Domaine de Beaurenard Paul Coulon et fils, avenue Pierre-de-Luxembourg, 84231 Chateauneuf-du-Pape
T: 04 90 83 71 79 F: 04 90 83 78 06 E:paul-coulon@beaurenard.fr

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Vignobles Brunier, BP5, 84370 Bedarrides T:04 90 33 00 31 F:04 90 33 18 47

Recommended Reading:-
Rhone (Touring Wine Country)
Wines of Cotes Du Rhone Reg F

See the other 3 parts of this wine tour:-
Introduction
Tour 1 - Les Baux de Provence
Tour 2 - Vacqueyras, Gigondas, Beaumes-de-Venise, Cairanne and the Côtes-du-Rhône

or download an Acrobat Reader version of the itinerary HERE

For some Canadian friends we put together some ideas from our experience to demonstrate how best to do a few days wine touring in the southern Rhône Valley. This is such a rich area to visit - scenically, historically and from a wine (and food) perspective.

We chose to base the tour in St Remy de Provence (13, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence) a few miles south of Avignon for easy access to Les Baux de Provence, Beaumes-de-Venise, Vacqueyras, Gigondas, Cairanne, Lirac, Tavel and Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

Others will choose different start points and other vineyards - importantly we think wine tours need to be paced, as an over-indulgence can dull the senses and diminish the enjoyment. And there are so many other things to do in the region, as well as just relax in the delightful climate and atmosphere of Provence.

For more info see www.frenchduck.co.uk