A Wine Trip to the Southern Rhône

And a visit to the first ever French appellation.

Continuing my series for my wine tasting trip to Southern France (we’ve been to southern Burgundy and the northern Rhône) and now we complete our trip down the river. We woke up in the southern Rhône with sun gleaming through the window of our room at the Maison Orsini, with a clear view of the Palais des Papes in Avignon on the other side of the river. The view was so picturesque, I wrapped myself up in a robe and went to sit out on the patio.

Then the wind kicked in.

From the beginning of my morning until the end of my day, I felt the powerful mistral winds coming from the north. The region is well known for these powerful gusts of wind; there are many cultural references to the mistral all over, especially in Avignon. But for the people who work here, they’re rather obnoxious to deal with.