Maison Christian Etienne restaurant bar ★ 4.7
12 by the glassAvignon, Palais des Papes quarter
Maison Christian Etienne, set in a 14th-century palace adjacent to the Palais des Papes, is Avignon's most celebrated restaurant and its candlelit bar offers some of the finest Chateauneuf-du-Pape by the glass in the city. Bar access is available pre-dinner and post-service for non-diners.
The list: Restaurant wine list of 400 bottles; extensive Chateauneuf-du-Pape section; bar open for wine by the glass before and after dinner service
Tip: The by-the-glass Chateauneuf programme rotates seasonally; in autumn the sommelier opens aged bottles from the vertical cellar.
Chateau de Rochegude hotel bar ★ 4.5
10 by the glassRochegude, northern Vaucluse
The 12th-century Chateau de Rochegude, a Relais et Chateaux property perched above its vineyards north of Orange, has a candlelit stone-vaulted wine bar that pours its own estate wines alongside a curated Rhone selection. The setting is uniquely intimate.
The list: Chateau hotel wine list of 250 bottles; Cotes du Rhone and Chateauneuf emphasis; stone-vaulted medieval bar
Tip: The chateau produces its own Cotes du Rhone blanc and rouge, which are poured exclusively at the property. It makes an excellent rural alternative to Avignon as a base for exploring Chateauneuf and Orange.
Hotel de l'Europe Grand Lounge ★ 4.5
15 by the glassAvignon, Place Crillon
Hotel de l'Europe is Avignon's oldest hotel (1799) and its lounge bar on Place Crillon pours a serious Rhone wine list by the glass in an elegantly formal setting.
The list: Classic cellar of 200 Rhone wines; curated by-the-glass selection of 15 Chateauneuf and Cotes du Rhone Villages in the lounged inner courtyard
Tip: The hotel courtyard is the quietest and most atmospheric wine-drinking space on Place Crillon. Ask for the seasonal Rhone vintage list rather than the standard programme.
L'Oustau de Baumaniere wine lounge ★ 4.8
20 by the glassLes Baux-de-Provence (Provence, 45 min from Avignon)
L'Oustau de Baumaniere at Les Baux-de-Provence, 45 minutes from Avignon, holds one of the finest southern Rhone wine collections in a private setting, including rare vertical libraries of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas. The lounge bar pours from this cellar by the glass in a palatial Provencal setting.
The list: One of Provence's deepest cellars: 50,000 bottles; southern Rhone vertical collection; lounge bar open to hotel guests and day visitors
Tip: Day visitors can access the lounge bar without a hotel stay or dinner reservation. The sommelier team will build a by-the-glass Rhone flights on request.
Caveau de Rasteau (Cave de Rasteau co-operative) ★ 4.4
8 by the glassRasteau, Vaucluse
The Rasteau cave cooperative is the principal cellar for Rasteau VDN (appellation granted 1944), a Grenache-based fortified wine made in rouge, blanc; oxidative rancio styles.
The list: Rasteau VDN (rouge, blanc, rancio), Rasteau AOC rouge; evening tastings by arrangement through the co-operative
Tip: Request a tasting focused on the three VDN styles, culminating in the rancio. The rancio vertical (multiple vintages of oxidative aged VDN) is a unique experience that puts the Rhone's fortified tradition in context alongside Rivesaltes and Banyuls.
Cave de Beaumes-de-Venise: Muscat VDN evening ★ 4.4
6 by the glassBeaumes-de-Venise, Vaucluse
The Cave de Beaumes-de-Venise co-operative is the primary source for Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise VDN, a fortified Muscat a Petits Grains granted AOC status in 1945. The co-operative offers evening tastings (until 19:30) where the Muscat is poured alongside the dry Beaumes-de-Venise rouge.
The list: Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise VDN by the glass; also Beaumes-de-Venise rouge AOC; cellar-door evening tastings
Tip: The Muscat VDN is best paired with light blue cheese (Roquefort or Fourme d'Ambert) or foie gras. Buy a case direct from the co-operative for one of the best-value VDN wines in France.