Provence

The richness of the wines of Provence matches that of those living there. Along the Mediterranean, towns of the Cote d’Azur are favorite homes and vacation spots for the rich and famous. Cannes is the annual focal point for film and television as stars gather for the Cannes Film Festival. Later in the year, television commercials are honored followed by the actual selling of television programs worldwide.

As celebrities visit and vacation, they’re on the move – to Nice, Grasse, St Paul de Vence, Cassis, Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Les Baux de Provence, Lourmarin, Arles, and Avignon, enjoying the sea, countryside, cuisine, and wines.

The tastes of Provence lean heavily on olive oil and garlic. Fish and vegetables form the basis for many meals. That includes bouillabaisse. Seasoning begins with garlic and adds saffron along with herbs and, often, hot spices.. If you’re a beef and wine lover, well, daube de boeuf is the indigenous beef stew made with tomatoes and red wine. Goat cheese dominates the fromage choices.

The wines of Provence are different from those farther north and west. Credit the Mediterranean sea and the steep hillsides that rise from the coastline alternately facing north and south. The climate produces strong Mistral winds that contribute to the uniqueness of the wines.

Provence is really best known for its rosé. In fact, about half of France’s rosé is from Provence! These bright Rosés de Provence are fruity yet dry – great for summer with a salad or even as an aperitif.

Other Provençal wines include Bandol, Bellet, Cassis, and Palette. The whites go great with seafood.

If there’s time between the beauty of the sea and celebrating the food and wine of the area, there’s beauty in the countryside. Cannes and Nice are well known. Lesser so are the towns of Grasse and St Paul de Vence.

Danger: A visit to Grasse could permanently change your olfactory senses! For hundreds of years, Grasse has been the center for perfume and aroma production. Master blenders can recognize thousands of different aromas with a single sniff. If you can make the time, schedule a visit to one of the perfume factories.

It may not be obvious, but Grasse is also a floral center with hundreds of varieties either cultivated or even growing wild across the hillsides.

The floral beauty extends outward from Grasse to St Paul de Vence, a medieval walled city with a multitude of local shops and outdoor restaurants where you can sip wine under sunlight that creates the best oranges along all of the Riviera then purchase art from one of the many galleries. It’s also the greatest source for Gault miniatures.

Another walled city is Avignon whose political and religious history includes the 14th century Palace of the Popes. Museums to visit are Palais du Roure and the Petit Palace. If you’re planning to go during the summer, schedule your trip around the theater festival. At night you can attend performances then, afterwards, share the remainder of the evening with many of the stage performers.

There’s an obligatory stop at Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  Wine lovers worldwide enjoy the product which has been created here for centuries. You don’t want to get so close then pass on experiencing this rich drink.

Finally, for charm, beauty and age, visit Arles. Vincent Van Gogh came to Arles in the late 19th century. However, that was almost nineteen-hundred years after Julius Caesar had captured Marseille a short distance away. As you look out from any of the city squares you’ll gaze upon olive gardens and vineyards – views that have changed little since either Vince or Julie looked for themselves.

Travel is fairly easy – Nice is an international airport and the TEE trains from Paris and Milan make rail travel quick and comfortable. For housing, there are plenty of hotels – most upscale. B&B’s, as such, aren’t to prevalent but, in certain seasons, individual homes are available for rent. The cost isn’t for the faint-of-heart but the countryside, cuisine, and wines make Provence worth the premium.

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