A golden stone bell tower, tiled roofs huddled against a hill and, all around, vines running down to the Rhône. That's how Roquemaure appears from the boat's deck: a village in the Gard department that has stayed off the main tourist routes, set on the right bank of the river in the heart of one of the oldest wine regions in France. River boats stop here precisely for that reason: here, the port call tastes of wine and has the scale of a village.

First steps on the right bank

The landing almost touches the centre: a few minutes' walk is enough to reach the old lanes, small squares shaded by plane trees and cafés where residents read the paper on the terrace. The village can be explored unhurriedly in a leisurely hour, between mansions from the centuries of the wine trade and cool fountains.

The collegiate church and its unusual story

The Collegiate Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, built in the 14th century, towers over the rooftops with its tall Gothic silhouette. It houses a renowned historic organ and, more surprisingly, relics of St. Valentine, brought back from Rome by a local winegrower in 1868 to protect the vines from phylloxera. Since then, Roquemaure has proclaimed itself the village of lovers: every February, a costumed festival in honour of the saint brings the streets to life. Local history also holds a more solemn chapter: it was in the local castle, whose remains still stand above the river, that Pope Clement V, the first pope of Avignon, died in 1314.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape, just across the river

The other bank bears a name every wine lover knows. Châteauneuf-du-Pape stands on its hill a few kilometres away, and most boats organize the port call's signature excursion there. The village lives entirely for its vineyards: vaulted cellars on every corner, winegrowers' shops and, at the top, the ruins of the summer residence of the popes of Avignon, from which the view stretches all the way to Mont Ventoux. In the surrounding vineyards, the soil disappears beneath the famous rounded stones that store the day's heat and release it to the vines at night. Guided tastings help you understand why this appellation, the first regulated one in France, remains a world reference.

The right-bank vineyards

Roquemaure itself belongs to the Lirac appellation, a neighbour of Tavel, whose deep-coloured rosé is among the most renowned in the country. Local cellars happily welcome passengers for an informal tasting, often poured by the winegrower in person. Leaving with a bottle of Lirac means taking home a souvenir few travellers could place on a map, and that's just fine.

The art of doing nothing, Provençal style

Between tastings, the port call leaves time for simple pleasures: a market if the day is right, a game of pétanque watched from a distance, cicadas singing in the plane trees, an ice cream in the shade of the collegiate church. The Rhône flows wide and calm at the end of the streets, and the benches by the water invite you to watch the barges go by.

Casting off at sunset

When the boat picks up the river's thread again, the vines file past once more on both banks, and you appreciate what this discreet stop had to offer: a pope, a patron saint of lovers, two prestigious appellations and a village that has lived at its own pace for seven centuries. The big ports of call impress; places like Roquemaure win your heart. They're often the ones you talk about first when you get home.