Ever since 59 years ago, on the occasion of Saint-Marc, the Winegrowers’ Union of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC organizes its annual competition which awards the best wines of the appellation.
In 2026, the 59th edition of this unmissable event continues the tradition by rewarding the excellence of the cuvées, after a blind tasting by a jury of professionals (winemakers, oenologists, technicians, journalists) during two tasting sessions (pre-selection and final), in April, under the control of a bailiff.
The gala evening and award ceremony was held in Châteauneuf-du-Pape on Friday, April 24, for this year’s anniversary of the 90 years of the appellation. Under the chairmanship of Philippe Brisebarre, President of INAO, 250 winemakers, partners and personalities from the sector came together to celebrate the winners.
Ninety years ago, in fact, bold winemakers wrote a major page in the history of French wine.
In 1936, after years of struggle to protect their terroir and practices, Châteauneuf-du-Pape became the first Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in France, a model that would inspire the entire industry.
In 2026, 49 cuvées were awarded, representing 25 areas, in eight distinct categories among nearly 160 samples presented. The Domaine de la Janasse has all distinguished itself by winning 10 prizes in total! The distinguished domains of a 1st prize are: Château de Nalys, Domaine de Beaurenard, Domaine Albin Jacumin, Domaine Saint Siffrein, Domaine de Fontavin, Domaine Paul Autard and Famille Isabel Ferrando.
Congratulations to all the winners!
90 years of shared history that have build of world renowed legacy
It was essential to highlight this anniversary in order to measure the progress made and to recall how much this union under the AOC contributed to the influence of Châteauneuf-du-Pape as we know it today.
In this spirit of memory and collective pride, the communication team of the Maison des Vignerons has produced a retrospective of excerpts from films and series in which Châteauneuf-du-Pape is cited as a reference of excellence. The video has been published on the social networks of the appellation, as well as on YouTube. You can (re)discover it here.
