If you find yourself traveling north to south through France, there’s a good chance that you may end up somewhere along the beautiful Rhône River at some point during your journey. In fact, during a recent trip through French wine country, we ended up inadvertently crossing that river a total of about 20 times–although, this is a story for another day.

The banks of the Rhône River are a lovely place to sightsee and admire the landscape of the vineyards and villages along the Rhône River Valley. One of the most famous villages that sits just off to the east side of the southern banks of the Rhône is the iconic commune of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

There are many intricacies and legends that make Châteauneuf and its wines famous world-wide, but the story of how this tiny dot on a map become one of the most revered wine regions is definitely one worth sharing. In my latest article for the Coravin company blog, I dive a little deeper into the story of Châteauneuf and how this village on the banks of the Rhône became one of our favorite sources of fine wine, along with why producers from this region keep their wine so exclusive and special.

(Warning: You may want to purchase a bottle of Châteauneuf to consume while reading this article, as it may induce severe cravings for a wine from this region. )