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In the small but iconic wine village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in Vaucluse, southern France, UFOs have been officially banned since the municipal decree of Oct. 25, 1954. It deals with flying saucers and flying cigars – “cigares volants. In fact, UFOs are not allowed to fly over the village, land there and take off. Lucien Jeune, the mayor at the time, issued that ban. Although at first glance the decree seemed like a playful joke, the underlying tone was somewhat serious: drawing attention to the striking village with its famous wines.
Perfect timing during the UFO hype of the 1950s
The moment was perfectly timed. In the 1950s, the newspapers were full of stories of flying saucers and aliens. Lucien Jeune, a savvy politician and former resistance fighter, saw his opportunity. During a wine fair in Paris, he came up with the idea of organizing a publicity stunt that would take the name of Châteauneuf-du-Pape far beyond the country’s borders. He issued the decree, which not only attracted media attention but also gave a touch of humor to the village’s somewhat ecclesiastical image. Indeed, the name stands for the pope’s “new castle.
The constable must enforce
The text of the decree was carefully recorded in the municipal register. The forester was to enforce, confiscating any UFO that landed and sending it to the “municipal storage facility. The storage remained empty, as it never came to actually confiscate a UFO. But the special decree did remain in the collective memory of the village, and became a source of inspiration and pleasure for the inhabitants.
Global attention for a small village
And not only in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and throughout France was there media attention. According to Pierre Jeune, Lucien’s son, they received letters from countries such as Senegal, Brazil and even the United States. Some wrote to share their belief in aliens, while others sent design drawings of spaceships to travel into space together. The decree even became an inspiration for a red Rhone blend from Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz, California. They called their wine “Le Cigare Volant”; the flying cigar.
The decree remains in place
Today, the ban on UFOs is still in effect. The current mayor, Claude Avril, sees no reason to repeal the decree. He stressed to France Bleu that it is an important part of the village’s history, and it is a sympathetic way to highlight the village. ‘It’s a game, nobody really takes it seriously,’ he said. But the effect of this stunt is hard to deny – television teams from all over the world still come to Châteauneuf-du-Pape to report on this particular ban.
Promotion of local wine
Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s UFO ban was therefore not just a stunt, but a masterstroke in promoting France’s first appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC). At a time when Burgundy wines were popular, Lucien Jeune managed to draw attention to his village’s own wines with a wink and a touch of irony. And now, 70 years later, Châteauneuf-du-Pape remains in the spotlight thanks to this extraordinary decision – a wonderful testament to the power of creative thinking and humor.
And the wines?
These tell their own phenomenal story. Indeed, for decades, Châteauneuf-du-Pape has been among the world’s best. Incidentally, the 1954 vintage was somewhat disappointing due to excessive rainfall and mildew. And 2024 is also a difficult vintage. So in the anniversary year of the UFO decree, the prohibition of flying saucers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the village could use some attention again.
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