2016 is for the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AC a year of anniversaries: 80 years since the creation of the Protected Designation of Origin « Châteauneuf-du-Pape », 50 years since the first Concours de la Saint Marc, the Saint Marc Wine Competition that has been rewarding the best Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines every year since.
Saint Marc is in France the patron saint of all winemakers, and as such, is celebrated each year on 25 April. In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the celebration originally bore a religious and popular character. It is now known as its official wine competition, and rewards wines from the previous year or earlier vintages.
The 2016 competition focused on the latest vintage (2015) and on 2012 reds and whites. The award ceremony took place during a gala evening gathering over 600 guests.
This year, for the first time, a tasting of the winning wines was organised in the spring for the benefit of the Parisian press. On Tuesday 14 June, a lunch took place at the Bistrot du Sommelier in Paris, headed by Philippe Faure-Brac, World Best Sommelier. It gathered a dozen guests and followed the screening of the film "Châteauneuf-du-Pape, histoire d'une success Story", a French documentary just recently released on France 3 television channel.
