Suze La Rousse

This beautiful fortress, built in the twelfth century was the origin of property leases, the Princes of Orange and then passed to the family of Suze La Baume . It now belongs to the Department of the Drôme and the headquarters of the University of wine.

Architecturally, the castle Suze-la-Rousse was changed or supplemented at various times from the simple wooden tower in the vast existing building. It has a striking dichotomy between military and civil architecture architecture.

Its appearance is that of a medieval fortress built to withstand military sieges . Fortifications , battlements , mâchicolis are characteristic of an architecture for defensive purposes. Inside the castle lets discover a house of pleasure. This is especially the Renaissance, as in Grignan, who left important traces in particular the courtyard which is one of the finest examples in France of an Italian courtyard on arcades.

Inside, you can visit a number of venues retaining their painted decorations and stucqués the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries : grand staircase double helix occupying an entire wing of the palace, dining room, armory living octagonal anteroom …

Suze la Rousse in 2013 : the main activity is the wine which occupies 1,600 hectares of AOC wines produced and sold in several private cellars and a wine cooperative .

Furthermore, the prestigious Castle dominates the village and its vineyards today houses the Wine University, a private institution that is dedicated to the vine and wine, along with a training center, tasting and documentation as well as ampelographic garden.