A day without wine is a day without sunshine…… or so they say in Provence!
Discover the wines of the Vaucluse on your own wine trail. There are numerous roads through the different areas, all dotted with caves which will welcome you in to sample their wines. It is a wonderful way to spend the afternoons meandering through the beautiful villages of this region. Most villages have their wine festivals through the summer. After paying one euros for an empty glass you wander through the village tasting wines and produce from the stalls set up by the local growers. Vacqueyras has the most wonderful festival, after a hot morning of tasting, a very long lunch is enjoyed on tables set up all along the village streets.
Provence is blessed with a Mediterranean climate, entailing warm summers and mild winters. With an average of up to 3,000 hours, excessive sun is a concern for many vines. Fortunately the heat is alleviated by the northerly mistral wind, and the risk of fungal diseases is minimal, which makes this region suitable for organic viticulture.
The vineyards of the Vaucluse produce some prestigious wines for example Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Beaumes de Venise. While most of the wines are red, there are also some white wines, and sweet wines such as Rasteau and Beaume de Venise, which goes well with foie-gras or as an aperitif.
The rest are divided into three appellations, Cotes du Rhone, Cote du Ventoux, and Cote du Luberon. The vineyards are spread across a wide range of terroirs, in different soils, and on different facing slopes, producing rich and varied wines with an enormous profusion of aromas and bouquets.
It is thought that wine production dates back as far as the Greek founding of Massilia (now Marseilles) in 600 BC. Although Rome tried to curtail the production of wine here so as to favour exports of Italian goods throughout the empire, soldiers retiring from the legions undermined them by privately continuing to grow grapes in “provincia nostra”
We can help you with your route and your choice of caves, or you can simply meander and discover wines we have yet to find.