On Friday, September 4, 2026, a grand harvest banquet was held at Château Fortia. This event was also the opportunity to present the awards to the winners of the Agroecological Practices Competition, organized by the ODG.
The great banquet of the 2026 grape harvest
On the occasion of this anniversary year of the 90th anniversary of the first AOC, Châteauneuf-du-Pape wanted to see things in big to celebrate the grape harvest ceremony.
The ceremony took place at the town hall of the village, during which Laure Berthet-Rayne, president of the winegrowers’ union, proceeded to proclaim her speech. The reading of the ban was done by Juliette Sabon, from the Domaine de la Janasse in Courthézon. The reading of the municipal order was made by Claude Avril, mayor of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Following this ceremony, more than 150 guests headed to the Château Fortia in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This choice of location was cured wisely, because in 1919, Pierre Le Roy de Boiseaumarié, a lawyer by training, became a winemaker at Château Fortia, then created the first decree at the origin of the creation of the first Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (PDO) in France.
A large table was set up in front of the Château, facing the vines. A large meal was served, all signed by the Michelin-starred chef of La Petite Maison de Cucuron, Éric Sapet.
Many great wines of the AOC were served to top it all off.
The awarding of prizes for the agroecological practices, agroforestry competition
In 2026, the ODG of the AOC of Châteauneuf-du-Pape applied to organize the Agroecology-Agroforestry Practices Competition, initiated by the General Agricultural Competition. This contest is held first at the local level, then at the national level. 27 territories are also organizers of the local competition. More than a competition, this event highlights farmers who have placed the tree at the heart of their agricultural practices.
Five estates of the appellation Châteauneuf-du-Pape participated : the Domaine de la Solitude, the Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, the Domaine Mayard, the Clos du Calvaire and the Domaine de Beaurenard. On June 1, 2026, they welcomed on their plots a jury of experts who came to analyze their agroforestry system and the coherence of their practices in terms of landscape, socio-economic and environmental aspects.
The “Prix d’Équilibre Agro-Écologique” of the local competition was awarded to Arthur Mayard, from Domaine Mayard. It was presented to him on Friday, 4 September, at the great Banquet of the Grape Harvest.
The other candidates were also awarded:
- Second prize, special mention “Biodiversity”: Antonin Coulon, Domaine de Beaurenard
- Third prize: Coline and Nicolas Roumieux, Clos du Calvaire
- Special mention “Innovation”: Florent Lançon, Domaine de la Solitude
- Special mention “Mille Arbres”: Édouard Brunier, Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe
As the winner of the local competition, Arthur Mayard will represent AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the final of the national competition. It will be in competition with the other 1st prizes of the organizing territories. The “Prix d’Excellence Agro-Écologique” will be awarded at the Salon de l’Agriculture, in Paris, in February 2027.
