The Domaine de la Monastiria of Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages 'Plan de Dieu' of Rhone Valley

Onwards, upwards. The roads get narrower, the corners get tighter. I step out of the car when I finally reach the winery and the air is so much fresher here. I go to take a sip from my water bottle and a gust of wind makes it whistle. I stand with Thomas Jullien and we look over the vineyards. It’s not yet spring, and the vines look little more than sticks. ‘It’s a lunar landscape at the moment,’ he says, as a friend’s flock of 300 sheep has just passed through to graze on every scrap of green b ...

Like many teenagers, I was obsessed with movies when I was growing up. When I see original posters today for films I enjoyed back then, the effect is immediate – a glance somehow conjures the story, the characters and the emotional impact all at once. Today, wine labels can have a similar effect. And what more iconic labels are there in the Rhône than Guigal’s single vineyard Côte-Rôties? When I see the red and gold label of La Mouline, it has the same effect as when I’m confronted with the post ...

Guigal has acquired Château d’Aqueria for an undisclosed fee in a deal that adds to a sense of fresh dynamism in the historic vineyards of Tavel, a rosé-only appellation that lies on the west bank of the Rhône river in southern France. Marcel Guigal, son of Guigal domaine founder Etienne, said, ‘Our family is delighted to join the Tavel appellation and to participate in the promotion of this great gastronomic rosé.’ Château d’Aqueria. Photo credit: Courtesy of E. Guigal. The purchase puts ...